(Continued From Cover) 18 The fifth annual Screenings is taking place between Sunday, February 23, and Friday, February 28, in a variety of hotels, including the Ham Yard, Charlotte Street, and Soho Hotel, as well as event venues such as Icetank Studios and BAFTA; and cinemas, like Picturehouse Central, Odeon, Curzon, and The Vue. There’s also Central St. Giles (NBCUniversal’s office building), for a total of 14 venues. The BBC Showcase, now in its 49th year, is taking place on Monday, February 24, and Tuesday, February 25, at 180 Studios on 180 Strand, an iconic Brutalist building that has been transformed into a cultural center. The inaugural MIP London focuses its wares in two venues: The Savoy Hotel and the interconnected Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) building, and it takes place February 23 to 27. Indeed, it’s going to be a busy week for content buyers and distributors, all trying to capitalize on one another, with the London Screenings riding on the crest of the BBC Showcase, and MIP London on the London Screenings’ success and, most likely, other distribution companies screening independently and individually taking advantage of all of them. As for the number of international buyers, an estimated 700 total acquisition executives are invited by the distributors for the London Screenings. Most of the distribution companies screen for one full day (a few of them for two or more days) and some reported buyers’ participation “in the hundreds.” Those acquisition executives who have committed to some of the London Screenings will be hard-pressed to hop to MIP, and if they do, it will be for short bursts of time. However, some buyers will opt for a chance to meet with as many distributors as possible at MIP London rather than attend a few full-day screenings. Explained Dermot Horan, director of Acquisitions and Co-productions at Ireland’s RTE: “I split up with my deputy, Brian [Walsh], in order to attend as many screenings as possible, and even then we don’t get to see everyone. The distributors know about the congestion, and many of them send online screeners the following week, with a note saying ‘Sorry you couldn’t make our screening, but here are links to what we showed last week.’” MIP London comes courtesy of RX, the multinational France-based trade show organizer. Heading MIP London (and MIPCOM Cannes) is Brit Lucy Smith. MIP London is replacing the venerable MIPTV, which closed after a 61-year run in Cannes, France. RX France, which has reportedly committed to two years at the Savoy Place, is expecting 1,300 participants for suites, meeting tables, and floor exhibits, and 2,000 delegates overall. If the market becomes successful it will expand into a convention center. For this year, RX reported that “over 600 buyers from 60 countries have registered as per [mid] January,” and that one-third of these are coming to London for that week for the first time. For MIP, buyers will be able to register on site, and there is no charge for qualified buyers. Individual delegate registration cost is 500 pounds (U.S. $600). However, some MIP London exhibitors reported that, because of the free registration, some buyers registered their names even though they are not planning to attend. In addition, a few companies from Turkey reported that it was difficult to get U.K. entry visas. Overall, the six-day London events could see a total of 2,600 international TV executives. All of the three key events are evolving in an area encompassed by the square formed by the “tube” (metro) stations of Green Park, Oxford Circus, Holborn, and Temple, served by the Central (red), Circle (yellow), and District (green) metro lines. The Screenings is organized by a group of British content distribution companies, including All3Media, Banijay, Cineflix, Passion, and ITV, none of which will be at MIP London. Other participants are also opting to skip out on MIP London, as pointed out by VideoAge in its January Issue, when Sarah Tong, director of Sales at the London-based Hat Trick, said: “We’re not attending [MIP London], as we will be holding our own private event at the London Screenings.” The London Screenings has lined up 35 international distribution companies, including all of Hollywood’s major studios. MIP London has the support of most independents, such as FilmRise from the U.S. and Global Agency from Turkey, plus the Hollywood studios, including FOX Entertainment, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Walt Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery, for a total of 31 exhibition companies. The busiest day of the Screenings is Wednesday, with 13 companies screening their content, followed by Tuesday (12 companies), and Thursday (11 companies). Additional screenings will take place on Friday (four companies), and Monday (three companies). On Tuesday, three companies — Hat Trick, DCD, and APC — are teaming up for a joint threehour screening to create the critical mass to attract more content buyers. Monday, February 24, will also see the opening party sponsored by Avalon Entertainment, while MGM is having drinks, and the BBC is having a cocktail reception. On Sunday, only Studio Canal is screening. However, there will be multiple receptions thrown by individual distribution companies throughout the week. An All3Media rep reported: “We run three genres as individual but consecutive events. We start with drama (with lunch whilst screening), then unscripted then formats.” For the MIP London portion, its opening party is set for the evening of Sunday, February 23. Organizers have also set up a variety of seminars on each day of the market. What has today evolved into the London Screenings actually began in Brighton in 1976 as a BBC Showcase for 25 European buyers. During the 1980s, the BBC Showcase moved around to Sussex, Bournemouth, Edinburgh, Bristol, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and Harrogate before returning to Brighton. In 2012, it found a new home in Liverpool. It went virtual in 2021 and 2022 because of the pandemic, as so many other events did. When it first started, the London Screenings originally took the slot immediately after the BBC Showcase market, which was then held in Liverpool in February. But four years ago, a group of U.K. TV content distributors, including All3Media, Banijay Rights, eOne (now part of Lionsgate), Fremantle, and ITV Studios got together to coordinate their screenings around the BBC Showcase and established the London TV Screenings, as they’re known today. ITV reportedly functioned as the clearinghouse to coordinate the screening dates and times and also posted the screenings calendar online. In 2022, when the BBC canceled its inperson Showcase due to COVID worries, other distributors took up the BBC’s calendar dates for their London Screenings, which lasted a full week in London. In 2023, the BBC was back, but with a shorter Showcase that it hosted in conjunction with the London Screenings. All screenings are located within a five-minute walk of each other in London’s West End. All3Media International staff with buyers at The Odeon Leicester Square for London Screenings 2024 MIP London venues: The Savoy Hotel and the interconnected Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) building VIDEOAGE February 2025 London Callings
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