12 VIDEOAGE January 2024 MIPTV Preview Finding MIPTV. We Know It’s Somewhere, But Where? An American content executive VideoAge reporters encountered in Singapore during Asia TV Forum in December asked if MIPTV had been scrapped. Retorted another American also at ATF who was eavesdropping, “MIPTV is getting bad press. I actually find the market good!” MIP-TV, or MIPTV, as it is now called (without the hyphen) is set to take place in Cannes, April 8-10, 2024, in the same month that it has been staged for the past 61 years. Unscripted-focused events MIPDoc and MIPFormats will take place during the weekend immediately prior to the market’s start. The question is, will the organizers make this year’s market a fulfilling one? So far, one of the drawbacks that MIPTV participants might have to face is bad weather since early April is often a rainy period in that region. But that’s nothing that a good umbrella won’t solve. Another potentially bad thing is the fact that the market is encircled by a plethora of other markets, conferences, and seminars. It all starts with the EFM in Berlin, which is ending February 21, 2024; there, exhibitors will be attracted by the Netflix executives who are expected to attend (if they can spend $55 million on a sci-fi show that never produced an episode, they can certainly invest a couple of million for an actual movie). The London Screenings follow shortly after, ending on March 1, 2024; then there’s the Sports Video Group Summit on March 4 in Las Vegas; SXSW, which is happening March 8-16 in Austin, Texas; then Series Mania in Lille, France, to be held March 15-22; then Filmart in Hong Kong, March 11-24; then the Andina Link in Cartagena, Colombia, taking place March 18-21; then Streaming Brazil in Sao Paulo on April 11; then the NAB Show, happening April 14-17 in Las Vegas; then Hot Docs in Toronto, Canada, starting on April 25. About this plethora of events, Lucy Smith, Entertainment Division director of MIPTV organizer, RX France, said: “Whilst the first half of the year has become more crowded in the calendar, we focus on what we do, and what we are the only ones to do: a major international spring market geared to deal-making and discovery. Buyers need to meet for deals to get done and we bring the global industry together in one place. Last year, we welcomed representatives from over 80 countries to Cannes. MIPTV 2024 is already poised for a strong return in April 2024. We have confirmed nearly 70 exhibitors, and are way ahead of stand renewals versus this time last year.” She continued, noting that the overall “response is positive, early, and from all regions. Last year, over 5,500 delegates gathered in person in Cannes, roughly a third of which were buyers, and this included some 500 exhibitors. We’re tracking to expect similar in 2024.” Naturally, MIPTV’s main attraction will be its business aspects since executives don’t travel that far just to hear people talking. However, it’s to be hoped that organizers will stage some seminars that would attract the market-oriented crowd, like a group of TV network executives illustrating their programming strategies for the new TV season. In order to boost participation on the exhibition floor side, some have suggested grouping several FAST providers in one area of the Cannes Palais since these hot new TV outlets that TV networks are rushing into present multiple problems and issues, not the least of which is the fact that most companies in the FAST business are struggling financially. In addition, a conference on FAST could highlight speakers representing the key elements of FAST channels: content providers, platforms, programmatic advertising, playout providers, channel providers, and brand owners (a.k.a. publishers). After all, the business model of IP owners is mostly known — sell to established FAST channels on a rev-share basis, but demand a minimum guarantee from the others. Other, relatively new, business players that could be attracted to the Spring market are the large number of Social Media talents that are striving to move into the OTT realm, as demonstrated by the November 2023 VideoAge Issue, and a subsequent report in the Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, turning our attention to the exhibitors, Nadav Palti, CEO of the Tel-Avivbased Dori Media, reminded that “the main reasons to attend markets are sales and networking. It is important to attend markets, meet buyers and colleagues, see face-to-face what is happening in the industry and in other companies.” He also emphasized that MIPTV is “still one of the biggest and most important markets, and as such, is attractive.” Palti added that, as “a very important market, it is therefore a good time to release new content.” He also addressed the question of whether buyers at MIPTV are different from those seen at MIPCOM. “[MIPTV] has always been smaller than MIPCOM, and following the pandemic, the gap between them became even bigger. The increase in expenses required companies to be more economically efficient, which led to [a reduced] number of participating companies at the markets. Especially companies that needed to travel from far. Therefore, the buyers differ between the markets.” Jalal Merhi of Toronto’s Film One Media “feels that [MIPTV] is more focused on business”, and for that reason he always has a “positive market.” Merhi added that COVID made MIPTV lose some of its allure, “but I feel it will rebound.” Lucy Smith, Entertainment Division director of MIPTV organizer, RX France
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