Videoage International May 2019

38 May 2019 V I D E O A G E MIP-TV Report press office, who asked which hotel he’d be staying at during the event, prompting Serafini to worry that the market was going to call the gendarmerie to ban him fromCannes due to his honest reporting about the market over the years. Instead, Serafini was presented with a bottle of champagne and a nice congratulatory note signed by the higher-ups at Reed MIDEM. But there weren’t any offi- cial words from MIP-TV or- ganizers about the disappearance of Twentieth Century Fox Studios, which was acquired by Disney just before MIP-TV began. France was the Country of Honor at this year’s MIP-TV, but very little news came of it in any form outside the fact that a record number of French TV companies were in attendance. Concerning the news and announcement, some obser- vers noted that, despite the promised revitalization of the market, the organizers con- tinued to focus on the confe- rence portion of the event (as indicated by MIP-TV’s own Daily, which was mostly keen on featuring action from the podiums, with very little from the exhibition floor). On a po- sitive note, though, many pa- nelists were drawn from the exhibitors’ list, giving them more exposure for their money. Another suggestion given by some market participants to MIP-TV organizers was to com- bine the various MIP events (like MIPDoc, MIPDrama and MIPFormats) into a single mar- ket with one registration badge. Right now, the thinking goes, MIP-TV is too spread out (with stands both inside and outside the Palais) and too long (with separate events during diffe- rent days). Regardless of the official num- ber of participants, MIP-TV was productive for all companies contacted by VideoAge Daily, with reports of meetings taking place and full schedules on the calendars. And this survey in- cluded companies from several countries, such as the U.S., Tur- key, Italy, France, and Germany, as well as umbrellas like the European Media stand and the Quebec pavilion. One of MIP-TV’s biggest chal- lenges has to do with a “percep- tion” problem created by empty corridors and large unoccupied spaces inside the Palais (as pointed out in VideoAge Daily). But this will likely be remedied next year by bringing the exhi- bitors now housed outside into the Palais. Among the curiosities present at the market, it was noticed that Italy’s Rai Com stand had, for the 6th consecutive year, a team of two chefs who arrived from Umbria together with a four-person support team, to feed gourmet food, dessert, and Italian coffee to over 200 MIP-TV participants during bre- akfast and lunch each day. The chefs used the kitchen of a local Cannes restaurant to prepare and cook the food, which was later warmed up at the stand be- fore being served. VideoAge ’s International TV Distribution H Fame Fascinating Stories Honoring Executives Who Built An Industry Volume 1 By Dom Serafini The reception for the MIP-TV Medailles d’Honneur was held at the Carlton hotel. VideoAge ’s breakfast to celebrate editor DomSerafini’s 40th years at MIP: (l. to r.) Lippin Group’s Debbie Lawrence, Serafini, Global Communications’ MJ Sorenson, Pink Orchid International’s Panayiota Pogoulatos, and Devika Patel (Continued from Page 36)