Videoage International December 2017

12 December 2017 V I D E O A G E “M IPCOM accomplished!” said one buyer from Finland at the close of the market. The “mission” to Cannes proved fruitful for many other participants, as well, at least according to the official statistics provided by market organizers, Reed MIDEM. “Meepweek” opened with MIPJunior on Saturday, October 14 with 1,600 delegates and 660 buyers. The Junior event was followed on Monday by the MIPCOM mothership, which recorded some 13,900 delegates, including 4,800 buyers from over 110 countries. A host of companies from around the world made first-time appearances as exhibitors, including China’s Tencent, Huace Film and TV, and three Los Angeles-based companies: Awesomeness TV, The Africa Channel, and WME/IMG — which recently announced that its film and scripted television finance and sales groups have been brought together under the Endeavour Content label.  The ReedMIDEM closing statement also spoke to many of the changes that are taking place within the industry, and stated that in addition to themajor U.S. and international broadcasting, production and distribution companies in town, MIPCOM hosted 1,700 VoD and SVoD buyers from the likes of Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, SFR Play, Virgin Media, HBO Go and Fox Play. Netflix figured in plenty of conversations at MIPCOM as news spread that the streaming powerhouse plans to invest up to U.S.$8 billion in original content in 2018. With over 460 VoD platforms in Cannes, MIPCOM welcomed the aforementioned giants Netflix and Amazon, as well as China’s Youku, Hulu, Maxdome, Stan and first-time attendees iflix, KKTV, Acorn TV, PlayKids and Showmax, the latter of which is extending its African reach into Eastern Europe. Reed MIDEM executives did not comment on the weather, which was extraordinarily nice, or on the extra security in the form of airport-style metal detectors and military personnel clad in full combat gear, who were seen patrolling the areas near the Palais. A VideoAge prediction of a whirlwind of activities came true starting with Rainbow’s pre- market party to celebrate the launch of its new preschool show 44 Cats . That same Sunday evening, more than 250 TV executives gathered at the Majestic Hotel to celebrate TV Azteca 25th anniversary. The company is currently helmed by Benjamin Salinas Sada, the founder’s son, who, during a welcoming speech, mentioned that in the two years that he led Salinas Group, ratings for the flagship station went up from a 28 percent share to today’s 35 percent. “Content is the present, content is the future,” said Salinas, who took the opportunity to announce the launch of Dopamine, an independent production company financed with U.S.$200 million as a “generator of original content of high quality for all the audiences and platforms of the world, “ because, he continued, “demand is not met by supply.” For the second year in the row, Sony Pictures Entertainment showcased its latest drama series during the MIPCOM Pre-Opening World Premiere Screening. The spy show, Counterpart , tells the tale of a mysterious world hidden beneath the surface of our everyday existence. The screening, which took place in the Palais, was open to all participants and was preceded by a press conference with the cast and producer of the show. And all this was just on Sunday — before MIPCOM’s actual first day. At this year’s MIPCOM, participants were prepared to deal with the whole enchilada: Consolidation, Peak TV, Disruption, the European Digital SingleMarket and theusual villain (Netflix). On Monday, the market’s inaugural day, All3media hosted a luncheon for celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, while A+E sponsored the Women in Global Entertainment Luncheon. In the evening, FOX Networks Group gave a party for the new series Deep State , and MIPCOM’s opening night reception took place at the Martinez Hotel. Continuing with the culinary vein, Banijay hosted a luncheon for its The Restaurant series on Tuesday. A+E also threw a late party on the beach for its Michael Jackson Show , which was held at the same time as Banijay’s party for Juda and Inter Medya’s 25th anniversary bash. OnWednesday, MIPCOM hosted one of its most important conferences, “European Digital Single Market.” But the highlight of the day was the Personality of the Year Gala, this year honoring Discovery’s president and CEO, David M. Zaslav. As far as new content was concerned, it is estimated that over 500 new TV series were for sale, leaving little or nomoney inmany a company’s yearly budget for acquisitions at the next 10 film-TV markets to take place later this year. A noticeable trend this year was that participants arrived earlier — some as early as Friday — but were also leaving earlier — some as early as Wednesday, October 18, the market’s third day, which meant that, in effect, the entire event was a two-day market for them.  However, the fact that they arrived earlier was indicative of pre-market business activities, so it should be assumed that deals did indeed get made. The registration bag, which wasn’t sponsored this year, was not nearly as practical as last year’s Japan-sponsored MIPCOM bag, which was great for carrying things around. Plus, themarket didn’t have a “Country of Honor” this year, something that had become the norm in the recent past. In terms of territories, Chile’s presence indicated that the country is in a growth pattern, especially for local productions. However, unlike other territories with a good local production output, Chile doesn’t yet have an industrial form of international content distribution. Indeed, just seven Chilean companies exhibited at MIPCOM. Peru showed signs it’s ready to enter the international stage, and a group of Peruvian production companies offered a cocktail reception to announce their presence. Eleven Peruvian companies specializing in the different aspects of audiovisual content creation and sales were in attendance. The U.S. studios’ presence on the exhibition floor was as massive as ever — possibly even more so than in years past. With over 70 new TV series to sell in order to recoup deficits, which could amount to a compounded estimate of $1.7 billion, sales executives at each U.S. studio met with approximately 120 buyers per day, Monday to Wednesday. Finally, the market seemed to be running out of space, with some distribution companies (like FilmRise) housed at the buyers’ club at the Palais. And WME/IMG Media opened a new exhibition space, “C” area, which was located by the registration complex near the old port. The Official Report Card Awards An A-Plus. A Strong “Meepweek” For All MIPCOM Review Security was tight Jianing Shen, CHNPEC’s general manager, and A+E’s Edward Sabin announcing The Silk Road Reborn co-production The Peruvian delegation at MIPCOM