MIPCOM Participants Up 7 Percent

CANNES, October 11: As of
yesterday, there was a total of 13,295 participants at this year’s MIPCOM, a
7-percent increase, representing 105 countries, up from 98 countries in 2006.

In addition, the number of
stands grew 5 percent to 545, the number of participating companies was up 8
percent to 4,581, and the number of exhibiting companies grew 10 percent to
1,801. Meanwhile, the number of buyers in attendance rose 10 percent to 3,847.

According to Paul Johnson,
the director of the television division at Reed MIDEM, there are several
factors contributing to this growth, including the rising number of
digital-media firms attending the market. In addition, the focus on India with
India Day and keynotes from the likes of Zee’s Subhash Chandra and UTV’s Ronnie
Screwvala led to a 392-percent increase in Indian attendance. The rise finally
placed Zee in the top ten list of exhibiting countries. “India has not been on
our map historically,” Johnson said.

Looking ahead, Johnson noted
that branded entertainment would be a key trend for the next market, as
consumers shift away from linear-viewing to ad-supported on-demand content.