MIPJunior Event Preview

More than 1,600 participants are expected at this year’s MIPJunior, taking place the weekend before MIPCOM at the J.W. Marriott.

Laurine Garaude, the director of the television division at Reed MIDEM, tells TV Kids that attendees will be able to sample more than 1,400 programs and projects in the MIPJunior screenings library. “There are more and more projects every year,” she says.

There will also be two World Premiere TV Screenings at MIPJunior this year. Saturday evening will see the launch of Mattel Creations’ highly anticipated Thomas & Friends: Big Big World! Big Adventures! And on Sunday evening, DTR and Signal Media will present Heroes of Envell, part of a spotlight on Russian content taking place across MIPJunior and MIPCOM.

Another key part of the program, Garaude notes, is giving producers opportunities to pitch and network as they look to get projects off the ground, with the MIPJunior International Pitch taking place Saturday afternoon. In addition, on Saturday morning attendees will hear from four leading programmers in the View from the Top: World Screen Kids Trendsetter Awards session. ABC Australia’s Michael Carrington, Turner’s Patricia Hidalgo, SUPER RTL’s Janine Weigold and Gloob’s Paula Taborda dos Guaranys will discuss their programming strategies with World Screen’s group editorial director, Anna Carugati, before each receiving a Kids Trendsetter Award for their contributions to the children’s programming industry.

There are also two high-profile keynotes slated for MIPJunior. Fred Siebert, the president and CEO of Frederator Networks, takes the stage on Saturday, while Sunday will see Andy Yeatman, the head of global kids’ content at Netflix, discussing his strategy at the streaming giant and unveiling some new international originals.

A wealth of panels over the two days will tackle key issues in the kids’ sector, from interactivity in storytelling and the demand for short-form content to the impact of SVOD on licensing strategies and the importance of diversity and inclusion.