Fourth Edition of MIP Cancun Gets Underway

The fourth edition of MIP Cancun kicked off this morning at the Moon Palace in Cancun, Mexico, a resort hotel that houses an Expo Center and Arena capable of accommodating the larger contingent of buyers, distributors and producers attending the three-day event.

Evidence of MIP Cancun’s growth is the addition of a co-production matchmaking market alongside the distribution market. Since its first edition in 2014, MIP Cancun has been characterized by its unique distribution market in which every distributor has a table in a large matchmaking room and holds one-to-one meetings with buyers—meetings that were pre-arranged in advance of the market. In 2014, there were 40 tables in the distribution market; this year there are 175, and last year there were 135.

The co-production matchmaking market is held in another room and is part of a series of co-production events, which, as Ted Baracos, director of market development at Reed MIDEM, said in opening remarks welcoming delegates, have been set up in response to the increasing demand for content in Latin America.

As in previous years, MIP Cancun is also hosting keynotes, conferences, roundtables and 30 Minutes With… sessions, during which executives provide production and programming briefs.

World Screen’s group editorial director, Anna Carugati, will be conducting an interview with A+E Networks’ Edward Sabin at MIP Cancun today at 6 p.m. in the Conference Room Arena.

As executive managing director for international, Sabin co-heads A+E’s international business and manages all aspects of the company’s rapidly developing activities in Latin America, Canada and Asia Pacific. In addition, he leads business operations and digital strategy for the group’s international channels globally. Sabin will share his insight from his experience managing the international distribution and production businesses around the world.

Carugati will also moderate the session View on LatAm from Global Players, tomorrow at 12:50 p.m. in the Conference Room Arena with Kenneth Christmas, executive VP of business and legal affairs at MarVista Entertainment; Matt Vassallo, senior VP of international television distribution, free TV sales and strategy and Latin America at MGM; and Kelly Wright, VP of distribution and new business at Keshet International. The session will focus on the opportunities Latin America offers international content companies seeking to engage new audiences and tap a massive creative reservoir. They will share how they view the market and what they are looking for from local partners.

Elizabeth Bowen-Tombari, editor at TV Latina, will be moderating the session Pulse of the Industry: Perspectives on Global Productions, on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in Conference Room B. The session will include Robby Amar, VP of TV acquisitions and co-productions at Gaumont; Nilufer Kuyel, the director of co-productions and foreign investments at Kanal D; and Eli Shibley, president of international distribution and co-productions at IM Global Television. The session will see executives talking about collaboration opportunities in today’s ever-changing television business and sharing their perspectives on current production trends, and how this context reshapes their local and global content production strategy.