MIPCOM Wraps in Cannes

Sunny skies returned to Cannes today as MIPCOM wrapped with some 13,800 participants and a record number of 4,800 companies from 110 countries in attendance.

There were about 4,800 buyers in town this week scouting for content, Laurine Garaude, director of the television division at Reed MIDEM, told reporters this morning. Attendance at MIPJunior on the weekend was at about 1,600 participants, including 660 buyers.

“This was an extremely vibrant and memorable MIPCOM,” Garaude said. “We saw the TV industry rise to new heights here in Cannes with a tremendous amount of international series that were highlighted, A-list talent and heavyweight industry leaders.”

China was celebrated as the 2018 MIPCOM Country of Honour. The country “came to MIPCOM under the theme ‘A Source of Great Stories.’ They came to showcase and promote their content in all genres, and to work with the industry to form new partnerships.” Close to 450 delegates came to MIPCOM from China. “In terms of delegates per country, it is the eighth biggest delegation at MIPCOM.”

Garaude also pointed to the record number of official screenings this week at MIPCOM and MIPJunior, with more than 20 in total.

The week included keynotes by BBC Studios’ Tim Davie, AMC Networks’ Josh Sapan and ITV’s Carolyn McCall, among others, plus Personality of the Year honoree Issa Rae.

Garaude also highlighted the Talent Behind the Camera panel this week featuring World Screen Trendsetter Award winners Lorenzo Mieli, Álex Pina and Eric Newman. “We know that the creators today are key and need to be recognized.”

This year also demonstrated MIPCOM’s continued emphasis on diversity and inclusion, which included the Diversify TV Excellence Awards and a new mentorship program for women.