The Week at MIPTV

World Screen Weekly recaps some of the big stories that came out of MIPTV last week.

The sense of relief after French air-traffic controllers called off the industrial action that was to have taken place at the end of MIPTV was palpable in Cannes last week. Indeed, memories of that unpronounceable Icelandic volcano that had many execs stuck in the South of France for days on end meant that some MIPTV attendees had preemptively changed their flights to head out a day earlier. The result was a slightly quieter Palais on Wednesday than what we’re used to. Overall, Reed MIDEM put attendance at 11,000, on par with 2014 figures. There were a reported 4,000 buyers on site, 1,000 of which came from digital platforms. Other key stats: MIPFormats and MIPDoc drew a combined 1,800 delegates; and the Drama at MIPTV conference strand was attended by more than 80 senior-level decision-makers.

The MIP Digital Fronts, returning for a second outing, were a key element at this year’s market, as the likes of VICE and AwesomenessTV, among many others, showcased their wares. Maker Studios made big news last week as it inked a deal for a Maker On Demand service on Canal+ Group’s streaming service CANALPLAY. Also in the OTT space, Popcornflix, an ad-supported streaming service of Screen Media Ventures, announced that it had become available in 36 new territories, including in Latin America and the Middle East.

Monday night saw the presentation of the International Digital Emmy Awards, with wins for Germany, the Netherlands and the U.K. “The Academy started presenting these Emmys ten years ago and the reach and relevance of digital entertainment and information has exploded across that decade,” said Bruce L. Paisner, the president and CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. “This year’s Emmy winners demonstrate yet again the unique power and versatility of storytelling through interactive enhancements.”

MIPTV also fêted four executives for their contributions to the business with the Médaille d’Honneur presentations: FremantleMedia CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz; Globo’s head of international business, Ricardo Scalamandre; Electus’ founder and chairman, Ben Silverman; and Dogan TV CEO Irfan Sahin.

There was plenty of content-distribution news, as you’ll see in our formats, drama and factual recaps (look out for an overview of kids’ TV activity tomorrow). MIPTV also had an abundance of pay-TV channel news, including African expansion for SPI International, new launches for Germany’s Mainstream Media, and continued momentum for AMC Networks International, among other stories.

You can see all of our MIPTV, MIPDoc and MIPFormats news here.