MIPCOM Announces Mobile TV Awards Winners

CANNES, October 12: MIPCOM
has announced the nine winners of the Mobile & Internet TV Awards, with
trophies awarded to Japan’s Toei Animation, Hong Kong’s Celestial Pictures and
A&E Television Networks in the U.S., among a host of others.

The winning titles were
chosen by an international grand jury from a total of 32 nominated projects.
A&E Television Networks in the U.S. won in the lifestyle/music category for
best short-form audiovisual entertainment made for mobile and/or Internet for History
Rocks. In other genre categories
for best short-form audiovisual entertainment made for mobile and/or Internet,
Weakend Productions in the U.K. picked up a trophy in the comedy category for Jeb's
Jobs; Hoodlum in Australia snagged
an award in the drama category for Emmerdale Online Channel; and South Africa’s Speedy Productions picked up
an award in the factual category for The Finer Things.

Toei Animation won best
made-for-mobile or film channel, for Toei Anime Comic. Kanji Kazahaya, the director of the international
department at Toei Animation, told World Screen Newsflash: “We just started working on [expanding mobile
content for our properties] in a very premature stage in Japan…we have been
able to provide and create a lot of mobile content, and thanks to Reed MIDEM,
we have the chance to share what we’re doing in the Japanese market.”

Celestial Pictures in Hong
Kong garnered a trophy for best short film originally created or repurposed for
mobile, for King Boxer-Mobisode,
and Kodolanyi Janos University-Visual Workshop in Hungary secured an award for
best film shot on a mobile device, for Colorful EU. Meanwhile, Vringo in Israel picked up an award
for best mobile service for social community and UGC. MTV Networks International
also came out on top in the best cross-platform and interactive mobile TV
format category, for Best Show Ever.

The MIPCOM Mobile &
Internet TV Awards 2007 received 280 entries from 38 countries, with a record
number of 180 companies participating in the competition.

Ted Baracos, the director
of digital media at Reed MIDEM, commented: "The record participation in
this year's awards demonstrates the growing importance of Mobile and Internet
production to the global TV and film industries. By creating and hosting the
Mobile & Internet TV Awards at MIPCOM, we are actively promoting the
creative and commercial development of new content formats over digital
platforms."