MIPCOM Reports Record Attendance

CANNES, October 17: Amid concerns about economic conditions,
Paul Johnson, the director of television at Reed MIDEM, announced record
attendance for MIPCOM this week, with 13,545 participants as of the third day
of the market, up from 13,295 at the same time last year.

“We’re pleased with our numbers,” said Johnson at a press
conference in Cannes. There were a total of 552 stands as of Wednesday, October
15, up from 545, spread over more than 22,000 square meters of exhibition
space, a 4-percent increase on last year. The number of companies present,
however, dropped to 4,517 from 4,581, and the number of exhibiting companies
fell to 1,779 from 1,801, from 64 countries. The biggest gain was seen in the
number of buyers, which gained almost 8 percent to 4,566. That increase,
Johnson says, marks a “significant additional investment for every participant
who comes to MIPCOM.”

Driving the gains this year were the “METRIC” countries,
Johnson explained, noting improved attendance from the markets of the Middle
East, Turkey, Russia, India and China.

Johnson also hailed the success of MIPCOM Junior,
particularly given the tough conditions in the kids’ market today. The weekend
session for children’s content featured 613 registered companies, a 19-percent
rise, from 55 countries. Buyers were up by 7 percent to 497 and sellers up 38
percent to 428. In total 977 participants arrived at MIPCOM Junior, a
19-percent increase. New countries in attendance included Chile, Ecuador,
Hungary and Slovakia. MIPCOM Junior hosted 1,143 programs, a 23-percent jump.
“It’s the largest screening event in the world,” Johnson said. Topping the list
of screened shows was the Jetix Europe/Breakthrough Entertainment co-production
Jimmy Two Shoes.

Johnson also presented Reed MIDEM’s new branding strategy
for its television market. MIPTV featuring MILIA has been renamed MIPTV, and
MIPCOM Junior will now be referred to as MIP Junior.

—By Mansha Daswani