Today is the day. MIP London started yesterday, Sunday, February 22, 2026, but today, Monday, is when the industry will determine if the event is a resounding success, a so-so occasion, or if it’s inferior to last year’s first U.K. incarnation of the longtime MIPTV market in Cannes. VideoAge will report on MIP London’s outcomes after all is said and done in the Thursday, February 25 edition of its Water Cooler feature.
RX France, the market’s organizer, is positioning MIP London as a not-to-be-missed conference with a line-up of interesting seminar topics, but it has thus far avoided highlighting the TV market by downplaying the 51 exhibiting companies in its press releases.
The strategy might actually make sense, especially considering that the event, scheduled for February 22-24, 2026, is running parallel to the established London Screenings and the BBC Showcase’s TV markets. Although technically separate events, those screenings provide the market portion, while MIP London brings in the conference portion that seems to be a fixture of all modern TV events (as it tends to increase participation).
MIP London will pull in some 500 buyers, while the combined concurrent London Screenings and the BBC Showcase traditionally draw 700 buyers. And some of those London Screenings and BBC Showcase buyers will surely be able to carve some time out of their busy schedules to take a peek at MIP London.
In terms of participation at MIP London, the largest contingent (376 people) is from the U.K. Other large contingents include Spain with 43 delegates, Italy with 33, Turkey with 28, and the U.S. with 152 participants. Pavilions from France, China, Korea, Romania, Japan and the Baltics are also among the exhibitors.
For the point of view of a participating London Screenings company, VideoAge spoke with Cathy Payne, CEO of Banijay Rights. Payne noted that in 2022, Banijay was one of the co-founders of the first physical London Screenings event (together with ITV Studios, Fremantle, and All3 Media), and that it has now become Payne’s “major market of the year.” She continued: “With the success of MIPCOM [in Cannes in October], the April MIP in Cannes became less relevant.”
For this year’s London Screenings, Banijay will be hawking its wares on February 25 at the BAFTA location on Piccadilly. There will be a morning session for scripted and non-scripted and an afternoon session for formats. She said she expected each session to draw in 400 buyers, who, she stressed, are personally invited. “We license directly, and don’t invite middlemen/agents,” Payne explained. Because she’s aware of how busy the buyers are during the February 22-27 London Screenings days, Banijay won’t be throwing a party. “But we offer drinks at the end of the day, for those who can remain. It’s more practical,” she said. Also, she is careful not to create scheduling conflicts with the 26 other companies that are also screening.
Darrin Holender, president of Los Angeles-based Multicom Group, which is exhibiting at MIP London, said: “MIP Cannes was always worth the trip as a destination. That said, I am hopeful MIP London will be more compact and effective in getting decision-makers together, especially in a central city like London.”
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