Event Preview: MIPCOM

Attendance at MIPCOM is on track to meet last year’s record edition, Reed MIDEM’s Laurine Garaude tells World Screen.

“Last year MIPCOM had record attendance with 13,800 professionals from 110 countries, including 4,700 buyers, of which 1,760 were digital/SVOD,” Garaude, director of the television division, tells World Screen. “Right now we’re tracking just about as high. It’s looking to be a great MIPCOM.”

The lineup of new content launches, screenings, star power and keynotes from leading media executives and personalities this year has once again “confirmed MIPCOM’s role as the largest gathering of TV and entertainment professionals,” Garaude adds.

There are some 50 new exhibitors for this year’s edition, including first-time pavilions from India, Romania, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Thailand. There will be three pavilions from China, the MIPCOM 2018 Country of Honour. “China will be showing their freshest new productions,” Garaude explains. “They are presenting China as a source of great stories. China is in eighth position in terms of overall numbers of delegates attending MIPCOM.”

The spotlight on China also includes a keynote from Gong Yu, founder and CEO of China’s largest streaming platform, iQiyi. Gong is just one of a lineup of top-level speakers on the agenda who will be addressing the conference theme: The Big Shift: Transitioning to a Reshaped Media Landscape. There are three critical angles to that overall topic, Garaude notes. “First, it’s the impact of OTT and direct-to-consumer platforms, the industry consolidation and the closer and closer links between production and distribution. The second part is the growing internationalization of content. That’s an exciting trend that opens up lots of opportunities for creators from around the world. The third is that since last October, we’ve seen a big evolution in mindset regarding diversity and inclusion, which is already an important part of our program. It’s also very much part of the shift in the way programs are conceived and created in front of and behind the camera. All that makes for an exciting market.”

One of the highlights of the schedule is the new Talent Behind the Camera session on Tuesday, presented in association with World Screen. The event will see leading creatives Lorenzo Mieli (My Brilliant Friend), Alex Pina (Money Heist) and Eric Newman (Narcos) discussing their many responsibilities as they write and/or executive produce, supervise other writers, manage talent and maintain relationships with studios, channels and platforms, in conversation with Anna Carugati, group editorial director of World Screen. At the end of the session, they will each receive a World Screen Trendsetter Award.

Another creative who will be taking center stage in Cannes is Issa Rae, creator and star of HBO’s Insecure and the 2018 MIPCOM Personality of the Year.

The Media Mastermind keynote lineup, meanwhile, includes ITV’s Carolyn McCall, BBC Studios’ Tim Davie, AMC Networks’ Josh Sapan, Twitter’s Kay Madati, Facebook’s Matthew Henick and celebrity chef and campaigner Jamie Oliver.

Garaude also highlights a new two-day summit, the Production Funding Forum, inspired by the success of In Development at MIPTV. Sessions will focus on helping producers find funding with several investors set to participate.

Another highlight is the lineup of screenings. “We have over 20 screenings and World Premieres between MIPJunior and MIPCOM,” Garaude says. “Every year it gets bigger! And that doesn’t even count all the screenings that clients are doing on their own.” Titles on the schedule hail from across the globe and include Escape at Dannemora, The Pier, Trigger, Moscow Noir, Dynasties, Hidden and Way Too Kawaii!

Garaude also notes the return of the Diversify TV Excellence Awards for the second run with honors to be presented in seven categories. MIPCOM’s overall focus on diversity and inclusion will also include a range of panels and case studies. Also returning is the Women in Global Entertainment lunch with A+E Networks, where journalist Elizabeth Vargas is set to share her insight and experiences.

You can find the full MIPCOM schedule here.