Lucy Smith Talks MIPTV Highlights

RX France’s Lucy Smith shares with World Screen Newsflash some of the highlights of this year’s MIPTV, running from April 17 to 19, including its landmark 60th-anniversary celebration, the new “Super Sunday” lineup, the inaugural FAST & GLOBAL SUMMIT and curated initiatives for execs in the doc, formats, drama and kids’ segments.

WS: Tell us about the overall structure of MIPTV this year.
SMITH: First off, MIPTV celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2023, which proves the staying power of the spring market. I like to say we are 60 years new, and that’s because we redesigned the market.

Each April, MIPTV is the biggest week in unscripted. And the biggest evolution for 2023 is the reformatting of MIPDOC and MIPFORMATS to run alongside MIPTV with one registration and a whole new program that takes us into the future. Plus we are introducing the first FAST & GLOBAL SUMMIT, focused on the next frontier for FAST channels: international.

We’re launching the new MIPDOC International Buyer Screenings, which will headline our new “Super Sunday” on the eve of the market, featuring a selection of the hottest new shows to be launched on the international stage and an exclusive preview of the first-ever CANNESERIES Official Selection of documentary series.

Buyers will be thrilled to know that the MIPDOC international screenings library is back in person for screening new programs and projects in Cannes or online.

MIPFORMATS is where you see the world’s formats first and in-depth. We’ve expanded the program to showcase new IP from territories such as Korea, Japan and China, and producers get to pitch their new projects to FOX Alternative Entertainment, who are returning for the second year for the annual MIPFORMATS Pitch (for which the call for entries is still open!). Our friends at FRAPA will be back with their summit in Cannes, and we are thrilled to be presenting an exclusive case study of the hit format The Traitors with Jasper Hoogendoorn, IDTV, Nick Smith, All3Media International and Céline Cauderlier of Studio 89/Groupe M6.

MIPTV is also the must-attend spring gathering for drama and kids; for 2023, we are rolling out a dynamic program built around the needs of buyers, producers and commissioners.

The 2023 FUTURE OF KIDS TV SUMMIT will be the centerpiece of our focus on kids. After Kidscreen, MIPTV is the next stop for the kids’ industry in April in Cannes, but with a difference—we’ve convened some of the most future-thinking, creative and tactical minds from around the world to give an unrivaled view of where the future opportunities lie in kids. We’ve got leading research agencies McCrindle, Dubit and KidsKnowBest presenting fresh research about kids’ viewing behaviors. We’re excited that the visionary Evan Shapiro (who is giving a keynote on the main stage) will also take part, so we can expect to hear some powerful thoughts. And off stage, the kids’ community will have its own dedicated lounge this April.

The annual MIPDRAMA Screenings kicks off our scripted focus on Super Sunday, but this year with a difference. We’re screening highlights from the CANNESERIES Official Selection to give the 300-plus invited buyers the chance to discover and acquire the best of the competition.

Access to the largest number of international producers is unmatched at MIPTV. They are the creative soul of the market because producers are the starting point for all great content. I’m particularly proud of how we are evolving MIPTV to become the new spring international co-production market for docs, formats, scripted and kids’ content. More than a quarter of the delegates are producers. And we have 12 pavilions, including Unifrance, Telefilm Canada, SODEC, Korea Creative Content Agency, Catalan Films from Spain, Creative Europe Media, Wallonie Bruxelles Images, the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, Film Austria and APA from Italy. We are proud to welcome again the Ukrainian film and TV delegation, who will be with us under the collective “Ukrainian Content. Global Cooperation” banner. Companies are bringing hundreds of their most talented producers from 40-plus countries.

For those involved in docs, factual or formats, our new MIPDOC & MIPFORMATS Producers Hub & Lounge will be your home in Cannes, set against the backdrop of Cannes’ iconic sea view and ready to accommodate hundreds of meetings a day to cement those partnerships. A+E Networks and Blue Ant Media are on board as founding partners in this new space.

And as ever, we have the headliners shaping global strategies in our Media Mastermind Keynote series, such as STUDIOCANAL’s Anna Marsh, whose talk will pertinently center on some of the rapidly evolving dynamics around TV and film models, and Evan Shapiro, as I mentioned before.

WS: How is the exhibitor lineup looking at present?
SMITH: MIPTV is growing again, and we expect to have over 180 stands and pavilions across three exhibition floors of the Palais—in addition to outdoor tents. That is a 25 percent increase versus 2022. Exhibitors include STUDIOCANAL, Paramount Global Content Distribution, Warner Bros. Discovery, Mediawan, Beta Film, RTVE, A+E Networks, Mediapro, SVT, CAKE, Unifrance, Global Agency, Blue Ant Media, Telefilm Canada, SODEC, FilmRise, TelevisaUnivision, Dynamic Television, Viaplay, Abacus Media, BossaNova, DCD Rights, Newen Connect, Kanal D, Rive Gauche, Boat Rocker, ARTE, Cyber Group Studios, Federation, France Télévisions, Groupe M6, Bavaria Media, ZDF Studios, Armoza Formats, Nippon TV, TBS, Fuji TV, TV Asahi, Off the Fence, KOCCA, SRG-SSR, Wild Bunch, Caracol, DR, Yle, NHK and PBS International, to name just a few!

That has led to us reopening the lower level of the Palais, which many exhibitors endearingly call “the bunker.” We’re excited to announce the redesign of the Palais-1 exhibition hall as Le Boulevard. The stands in Le Boulevard will include major exhibitors from 15 territories, including Unifrance, ORF, Caracol, NHK and TRT. It is a great space when used right. That led us to a redesign that we’re excited to roll out this April. It will be home to networking lounges, which I call our “people-to-people” spaces, including the Buyers Lounge and a new conference room home to the FAST & GLOBAL SUMMIT.

They’re going to be busy meeting all the buyers, who include A+E, ARTE, Yle, RTL, BBC, Orange, RTÉ, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Foxtel, Canal+, Sky, Prime Video, Rai, TF1, France Télévisions, Groupe M6, ProSiebenSat.1, Paramount Global, Warner Bros. Discovery, ITV, Channel 4, Movistar Plus+, Mediaset España, RTI and Deutsche Telekom—again, to name just a few!

More than half the attendees at a market are delegates without stands, and our biggest format change for MIPTV and MIPCOM was to carve out spaces on the exhibition floors to keep everybody nearby. We recognize that people need spaces in the Palais to do business, whether on their stands or elsewhere.

WS: What lessons did you take from last year’s return in crafting this year’s edition?
SMITH: One, we value people’s time and being smart with it. Two, we need to ensure clients can get all their business done (and more) in the three-day format. Three, flexibility is key. Companies need to know that they can take part in many different ways.

We remain laser-focused on buyers—they sit at the center of our strategy. Simply, they want to see fresh content all the time, year-round and early. It’s about constantly asking ourselves, How do we get them in front of that?

Also, it’s not always about the “new” expanding space or putting more into the program—it’s about reimagining how people do business at our markets.

WS: How did the FAST & GLOBAL SUMMIT come about?
SMITH: The biggest evolution for the distribution market is the explosion of FAST. And where better than MIPTV to launch the first FAST & GLOBAL SUMMIT? We see FAST channels as the biggest boom in the distribution business because it puts the distributors back in power. Traditional distribution was supposed to be falling by the wayside, but it’s never felt more dynamic—not only with the emergence of FAST but with studios and platforms loosening global stands on rights and licensing to third parties again.

This is a summit that only a MIP market can deliver. The next phase of growth is global, and we have global players to lead it from the stage, with more contributors being confirmed almost daily. Partners and sponsors include Vevo and Wurl. Other speakers include Banijay Rights, Rakuten TV Europe, All3Media, Fremantle, Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus, rlaxx TV, OKAST, MyZen TV, VICE Media Group, Travelxp Europe and Insight TV. The FAST & GLOBAL Summit will be hosted and presented by Gavin Bridge, Variety Intelligence Platform and media expert Kate Bulkley.

WS: How are you looking to mark MIPTV’s 60th anniversary?
SMITH: Our opening party will be our birthday celebration on Monday, April 17, at the newly opened Hotel Carlton Cannes. The biggest way we can celebrate is by bringing everyone together again in Cannes with new purpose, more territories and our reimagined market.

Through those six decades, the global TV industry has constantly evolved and reinvented itself, and the spring market is the same—so the 60th anniversary is a landmark we’re hugely proud of, but we’re about the next 60 years.

WS: What has led to MIPTV’s longevity, and how do you see its place in the annual calendar today?
SMITH: I would say that MIPTV is more relevant than ever as the spring market and the most relevant because we are the most international. It’s my second year in the role, and I’m as clear as ever on our promise: If you’re coming to a MIP market—be it MIPTV, MIPCOM CANNES or MIPCANCUN—we are laser-focused on bringing the world to you to help build your business.

As a show organizer, it is my responsibility to make sure that we evolve to meet the moment each year. I’m mindful of the awesome responsibility of taking MIPTV into the future, and I have gratitude for everyone who has validated our return and been so supportive since the pandemic.