24 March/April 2017 V I D E O A G E (Continued from Cover) China’s Zhao Yifang, president and co-founder of Huace Group; and Russia’s Viacheslav Murugov, CEO of CTC Media. The ceremony will be held during a gala dinner at the Carlton Hotel on the third day of the market, Wednesday, April 5. To give a boost to the convention, MIPTV organizers are peppering the event with traditional sideshows such as MIPDoc and MIPFormats, both held April 1 and 2 — the first at the JWMarriott Hotel, the second at the Palais. Returning for the second year are MIPDrama Screenings, a selection of 12 series from around the world, which will be screened on Sunday, April 2 at the Palais and will be supplemented by 29 drama-related events and conferences. In addition, there are the conference-related events for virtual reality (a total of 13) and children’s television (also 13). Certainly, the past and future are not going to be ignored at MIP-TV. With 34 events, Sunday, April 2 has the busiest agenda, followed by Monday and Tuesday with 31 events each. What impact all these lateral activities will have on the actual buying and selling aspect, is hard to pre-determine. But, judging from the difference between MIP in April and MIPCOM in October, the exhibition part of MIP-TV is not as florid. To make this MIP-TV more challenging, the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy runs during the same dates (April 3-6), and NAB will start 15 days later in Las Vegas. Then, of course there is the mother of all MIP-TV challenges — the L.A. Screenings, starting 40 days later. This year, MIPTV organizers are timidly leveraging some of the L.A. Screenings steam by staging a “Pre-L.A. Screenings Showcase” on April 4. While there’s no denying that MIP-TV is a smaller, less bustling market than its sister MIPCOM, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, attendees say. “Indeed we have fewer arranged meetings at MIP-TV [compared to MIPCOM] but they are quite effective,” said Can Okan, CEO of Inter Medya. “I feel like buyers are less rushed to get from one meeting to the other, unlike during MIPCOM, and we usually have more time to discuss deals in detail.” GRB Entertainment’s SVP, International Distribution, Michael Lolato commented: “Buyers are always looking for new content throughout the year and it’s important we keep up with the trends and the needs of the buyers.” “Our production and delivery schedules are staggered throughout the calendar year,” added Greg Phillips, president of Distribution at Content Media. “As a result, we have fresh and new content to offer at all key trade fairs.” “For Global Agency, I would say that MIP-TV and MIPCOM are identical. We do have over 500 meetings for both of the markets,” said Izzet Pinto, CEO of Global Agency. For Arabelle Pouliot-Di Crescenzo, managing director at KABO International, the lack of Latin American buyers at MIP-TV, for example, is made up for by the fact that the European buyers come. “If there’s a group that’s not there, we focus on the others,” she said. MIPFormats, which takes place the weekend before MIP is a big draw. “That’s a nice concentrated event,” she said. Priorities are different between the spring and fall events, said Caroline Beaton, SVP, International Program Sales at Viacom International Media Networks. The company prioritizes formats in April due to MIP Formats, and launches kids content in October around MIP floor —and it always boils down to good content, not a splashy event.” Added Tele München Gruppe’s Antola: “Many of these are very interesting and useful— but it is always a trade off between having a meeting and attending one of these. If they were organized separately they would not present that choice problem.” “The way they’re focusing on drama is an interestingmove,” saidSonar’s president of Global Distribution and Co-Productions, David Ellender, referring to the pre-MIP Drama Screenings. “But there are still a lot of markets. Do we need all of them? I’m not sure. For us, NATPE, MIPCOM and MIP-TV are still the big ones.” Rumors abound that Middle Eastern buyers will flock to MIP-TV to make up for the loss of Discop Istanbul, and while sellers across the board are hopeful, they’re not necessarily assured. Inter Medya’s Okan, for one, doesn’t expect the change to be significant. “Discop Dubai, which was held in late January, was a great opportunity tomeet with buyers from theMiddle East,” he said. “The buyers who attended Discop Istanbul in the past also used to come to Cannes for the MIP markets. So I don’t believe that the cancellation of the market will bring more Middle Eastern buyers to MIP-TV,” explained Global Agency’s Pinto. But GRB’s Lolato was more hopeful. “The cancellation of Discop Istanbul, though disappointing, is understandable and we think that MIP-TV could be as great as we look to expand our reach into theMiddle East, Asia andAfrica,” he said. A+E’s Cantin agreed that it’s hard to know how the end of that market will affect MIP-TV. “It’s really very important that we have local markets. But if we don’t meet them at MIP, we’ll just meet them directly in their territories.” Junior. “Whether you’re at MIP-TV or MIPCOM, there’s areal buzz intheairas theCroisette is transformed into a hub of new ideas and partnerships, not to mention free Champagne!” added Beaton. That said, Giannina Antola, head of sales at Tele München Gruppe, noted that several buyers are not coming, namely “from Asia, Latin America and Europe.” As to whether “extra-curricular” events like conferences add value to the event, attendees are split. “We definitely think that other events and sideshows help the buying and selling process,” said Inter Medya’s Okan, who also added: “Besides the market itself, conferences and screenings are a great way for sellers to promote their products and for buyers to get a better idea of various market trends.” Denis Cantin, head of Content Sales EMEA for A+E Networks, said that, like KABO, his company takes part in MIPFormats. “I think it definitely helps. We don’t have enough time to go to the conferences during the event itself but those help, too and they always offer an opportunity for journalists — and others — to understand the business better.” KABO’s Pouliot-Di Crescenzo uses MIPFormats as an opportunity to go to panels, and often introduces herself to panelists on their way out if she doesn’t already know them. “I’m a seller, though, so during the market itself, I just don’t have time to go to any conferences. I’d like to, but my schedule just fills up.” For GRB’s Lolato, “Outside events don’t play a large part in our sales process, as the bulk of our meetings take place at our booth on the market MIP-TV Preview Sonar Entertainment’s David Ellender The Croisette section of the Palais Inter Medya’s Can Okan KABO International’s Arabelle Pouliot-Di Crescenzo
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