VideoAge International October 2018

26 October 2018 V I D E O A G E D uring MIPCOM, the word on the Croisette and at the Palais has long been that the Reed MIDEM executives who organize the annual TV trade show could easily take a vacation during the event without MIPCOM suffering any repercussions — such is the appeal and success of the fall market. This is incontrastwithMIP-TV, the springmarket that is said to need some divine intervention, as the weather often contributes to its problems, adding natural challenges like pouring rain and gusting winds, as was the case this past April. Even though MIP-TV organizers put on brave faces in the face of adversity, they are well aware of the various challenges that the spring market is facing and regularly travel to Hollywood to seek advice from studios, producers, and independent content distributors. However, it seems that organizers and exhibitors are at an impasse. While the sellers lobby for an enhanced focus on the exhibition floor with more (and better) program buyers, the organizers seem to prefer to shift toward conferences, seminars and workshops in the hope of bringing additional, as well as more varied, participants. But the challenges facing MIP-TV organizers are not just the reduced number of buyers and the bad weather. Rumblings have also been heard from hotel operators, who find themselves with many empty rooms that, at past MIPs, were sold at premiums, compared to lower rates at pre-market dates. This downturn could put pressure on City Hall, whichwill in turn force themunicipality to ask for improvements, or to replace it with an entirely different (and hopefully more successful) event. More pressure on MIP-TV organizers is also expected from U.S. studios, who could refuse to pay for the large, often unused spaces at MIP-TV, which they pay for in order to retain those for MIPCOM. The space exhibition fees that studios pay are part of packages that also include some services at MIP-TV. This is especially important to note considering that all theU.S. studios are currentlygoing through their own challenges, including acquisitions, mergers, reorganizations, and/or preparing for more consolidation. The only dark clouds in an otherwise stellar MIPCOMsky could come fromthe East in the form of Turkey’s economic woes, and from the south in the form of LATAM’s reduced participation due to changes in production business models. Even though Turkish distribution companies sell international content rights in U.S. dollars, up to 60 percent of their marketing expenditures come from the Turkish government and are paid in Turkish liras, a currency that has recently suffered a 40 percent exchange rate drop against the dollar and euro. Naturally, the lower exchange ratewill not affect the international appeal of the Turkish content, but it will dampen the exuberance that Turkish companies traditionally manifest at MIPCOM. Meanwhile, LATAMcompanies are participating less at both the acquisition and selling levels. On the acquisition side, TV outlets are sending just a few top-level executives — but more as rewards than as buying expeditions, is the assessment from several observers in Miami. On the selling side, exhibiting companies are reducing their contingents and curtailing their marketing efforts due to a reduced production output. “For many of us, it’s better and cheaper to wait for MIP Cancun in November,” commented 7A Media’s Cesar Diaz, stating a sentiment echoed by a host of other LATAM Intellectual Property (or IP) sellers. It has also been observed that, contrary to previous assessments that predicted that a successful MIP Cancun would develop into a threat to NATPE Miami (which is held two months later), the Mexico market is actually expected to aid the Florida market, since sales meetings held in Cancun can continue and deals can be finalized in Miami. Nonetheless, the otherwise nonchalant studios are very excitedaboutMIPCOMand theorganizers knowtorespondinkindwithinterestingprograms, conferences, seminars, awards, and workshops (at MIPCOM these side-shows don’t incur criticism). This time around, MIPCOM is promoting the fact that the international content industry finds itself in a social and professional ‘Big Shift,’ and organizers are aiming to reflect the global movement taking place around issues of equality and representation — both onscreen and off. In addition to the standard activities for buyers and sellers, MIPCOM’s organizers are proving to be cognizant of the fact that diversity and inclusion remain growing concerns in Hollywood and beyond. One aspect of this campaign is the MIPCOM 2018 Personality of the Year. Previous recipients include Simon Cowell and Shonda Rhimes. This year, the award will be given to Issa Rae — best known in the U.S. and U.K. as the creator, producer, and star of HBO’s Insecure — with full HBO support. She is a Peabody Award winner, who has twice been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress — Television Series Musical or Comedy. As part of the new Hollywood vanguard, Rae will talk about her career and commitment to furthering opportunities for women andminority TV writers during a keynote interview, to be held on October 17. This season also sees the second edition of the MIPCOM Diversify TV Excellence Awards, which are given to individuals whose work has made a positive impact in the representation of minority, LGBTQ, and disabled communities. The theme of multi-cultural storytelling can be found in several panels from “Embracing Diversity: It Starts at the Development Stage” to “Stories Without Borders — ‘Escape From Syria: Rania’s Odyssey,’” the latter of which tells of the harrowing journey of one 22-year-old refugee. The weekend before MIPCOM officially starts, MIPJunior, the market focused on kids’ program- ming, will have taken over the JWMarriott Hotel. The two-day event’s programming spotlights a variety of issues, from changing viewing patterns among kids’ viewership to the increasingly inno- The Market’s Success Underscores the Challenges Faced by Its Sister Event MIPCOM Preview (Continued on Page 30) At last year’s MIPCOM, Catherine Zeta-Jones, star of A+E’s Cocaine Godmother , faced the press corps with an impromptu conference MIPCOM 2017 Personality of the Year, David M. Zaslav of Discovery, with VideoAge ’s Dom Serafini Reed MIDEM executives could easily take a vacation without MIPCOM suffering any repercussions — such is the appeal and success of the fall market.