Event Review: MIPCOM

October 5-9, Cannes

The cloud-free skies in Cannes matched the renewed sense of optimism in the Palais for this year’s 25th edition of MIPCOM. Numbers released this morning show over 12,000 delegates on site from 103 countries, including more than 4,000 buyers. The figures are 4 percent up on MIPTV in April, but are down from the 13,000-plus executives registered at MIPCOM in 2008. Releasing the figures at a press briefing, Laurine Garaude, the acting director of the television division at Reed MIDEM, stressed that "the numbers are not the most important thing", citing the number of top buyers at the market as well as the volume of deals announced.

“At MIPTV in April, a lot of people were taking stock of the economic crisis and wondering when things would get better. At MIPCOM, conversations have been about re-thinking business strategies. People have been talking about new alliances to finance production, new channel strategies to consolidate their brand position in the international market and how they are thinking about monetizing the multiplatform potential of their content at the start of the creative process.”

There was a flurry of news releases from distributors all week announcing sales clinched in the run up to, or during, the market.

NHK unveiled a deal with Science Channel for a multimillion-dollar co-production that will track the elusive giant squid for a multipart show set to air in 2012.

In kids, The Jim Henson Company shored up a Latin American slot for Dinosaur Train, while the $9-million Singapore-Germany-Australian co-production a gURLs wURLd was presented to the global community. France’s Cyber Group Studios kicked off the week with a host of new initiatives, from extensions of its Ozie Boo! franchise to new French commissions to the establishment of an animated feature joint venture. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera Children’s Channel and Malaysia’s Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) unveiled the new animated series Saladin, putting a new, youthful spin on the Islamic hero. Another new show presented at a special screening this week was The Jungle Book, from DQ Entertainment and ZDF Enterprises, among other partners. And there was news of a new player in the kids’ space, with FremantleMedia Enterprises announcing its expansion into the sector.

On the unscripted end, Sony Pictures Television showcased its new partnership with Mark Burnett for an hour-long competition series based on Fantasy Island. Endemol, which presented The Marriage Ref at the market this week, sealed deals with Abu Dhabi Media Company and Seven Network Australia for both the finished and formatted versions of the new show. And FremantleMedia announced the acquisition of the original comedy-auction Batsu Bidding from Tokyo Broadcasting System Television.

On the drama front, ITV Studios Global Entertainment sold its AMC co-pro The Prisoner to Canal+ in France, and CBS Studios International licensed the hit new series NCIS: Los Angeles to Viasat. E1 Entertainment, meanwhile, penned a deal with Universal Networks International for the co-financing of Haven, a 13×1-hour series based on the Steven King novella The Colorado Kid.

That was Universal Networks International’s second big announcement of the week, after unveiling its own re-brand and its refreshed global channels suite. Scripps Networks International also had channel news to announce, with Food Network slated to launch on Sky in the U.K., followed by an EMEA rollout in partnership with Chello Zone.

One of the most interesting stories for attendees this week was the caliber of celebrities on site. Jerry Seinfeld was in town to promote The Marriage Ref, telling World Screen Newsflash: "I feel more confident about this [show] than most other things I’ve done." Meanwhile, Matt Groening, who graces the cover of World Screen‘s MIPCOM issue, came to Cannes to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons.

Also a major topic for MIPCOM attendees was the importance of building and maintaining brands in this market. This was explored in the keynote by Brian Goldner, the president and CEO of Hasbro. In his speech and his Q&A with Anna Carugati, the group editorial director of World Screen, Goldner discussed the importance of brands. In particular, the need to “re-imagine, re-invent, re-ignite.” He stressed the need to refresh assets: “Brands don’t get tired, people get tired,” he said.
Carugati also moderated a session with Tom Rogers, the president and CEO of TiVo, as part of the Connected Entertainment track. He discussed the importance of allowing consumers to be in full control of their TV experience. "The best way to describe TiVo is it gives you total control over how you watch television," Rogers said to attendees in the crowded Grand Auditorium at the Palais. "The consumer has to be able to feel as if the entire world of choice is available to them…. The consumer doesn’t care if it’s broadcast delivered, broadband delivered, cable delivered."
While digital delivery and new-media platforms were certainly being discussed, so were opportunities in still-growing markets like Asia. The number of Chinese companies in Cannes rose 8 percent to 66. The 19 Taiwanese companies represented a 35-percent increase on last year’s MIPCOM. The Malaysian contingent was also larger, prompting a visit by the country’s Prime Minister Yab Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak.

Garaude, who was happy with this year’s turnout, expressed optimism about MIPTV 2010, which is set to feature a focus on formats, a slate of networking Accelerators and more.