24 VIDEOAGE May 2024 MIPTV Review Trade Shows Also Evolve: Relief and Excitement for the Market’s Ending The international entertainment trade show business is going through a seismic change, with two competing markets taking place almost simultaneously in Miami, Florida (NATPE Global and Content Americas); one market moving from Santa Monica, California to Las Vegas, Nevada (AFM); another moving from Budapest to Warsaw (Content East); and another one moving from Cannes, France to London, England (MIP London). Then, Realscreen Summit is merging with NATPE Global for its February 3-7, 2025 event, while the 31st annual Hot Docs, the Toronto documentary market, had serious financial challenges that reduced participation at its April 25-May 5 event, while the Sunny Side of the Doc documentary event that takes place June 24-27 in La Rochelle, France, is going through a management reorganization. Meanwhile, Content L.A. was canceled. And in Argentina, the Jornadas trade show, supported by CAPPSA (a cable TV hardware association) and ATVC (a cable channel organization), has become a much smaller event, more focused on the telecommunications business than on pay-TV. At the same time, a proliferation of local and regional trade shows has meant that film and TV executives have mostly been bypassing large international markets, as was the case with MIPTV. In addition, several filmfocused events (including the Cannes Film Festival) have developed busy content market components within their shows. Speaking of MIPTV, it seemed as though executives from RX France, the organizers of MIPTV, were relieved that the long agony of a market, which started in 1963, was finally ending. At the same time they were excited about MIP London, a new market that will take place February 24-27, 2025. During an introductory presentation on April 9, MIPTV’s second day, a big display showed the organization’s new line-up of their major events: MIP London, MIP Cancun, and MIPCOM. The presentation, which happened before a large crowd, was preceded by a press conference wherein Lucy Smith, Entertainment Division director at RX France, shared the statistics for this year’s MIPTV market. Smith reported 135 exhibitors, a total of 3,573 participants from 84 countries, including 1,100 buyers, and assured that these were “actual figures.” As was predicted, the focus at the press conference was next year’s MIP London, which Smith categorized as “a multi-genre market complementing, not replacing, the existing London Screenings event.” In effect, two other screening events led to the demise of MIPTV in April: February’s London Screenings and May’s L.A. Screenings. MIPTV’s popularity began declining in the 1990s and accelerated in the 2000s. But the escape from Cannes, even though predictable, was nevertheless so sudden that it caught the city’s residents off guard. Presenting the new MIP London, Smith, who introduced herself as a Brit, reported that buyers will be invited free of charge and that they will have buyers’ lounges at both the Savoy Hotel and at the adjacent Savoy Place IET venue, the market’s headquarters. Before ending the presentation and inviting participants to a champagne toast, Smith concluded her remarks with, “MIP: Time to make changes.” This year’s small MIPTV revolved around the Riviera section of the Palais des Festivals, with some extra exhibition space on the fourth floor. And, as VideoAge predicted in its April 2024 Issue, the market ended up being a good event for those exhibitors who had new content to show. Elsewhere at the market, some exhibitors still showed their commitment to MIPTV, with Italy’s MFE (Berlusconi family-owned Media For Europe) even unveiling a brand new stand. In addition, Turkey’s Global Agency brought 11 cast members from its new series, One Love, for a press conference and a late-night party. China had a large presence, as well, with 28 companies vying for attention from Western media. There was also an opening night party, hosted by RX France — with champagne and, this time, actual food served. Naturally, the rumor mill got into motion, with some predicting that MIP London will only last two years, while others hoped that it would eventually move to Barcelona, Spain. Plus, many questioned whether the European Union, which has, in the past, sponsored a creative audiovisual umbrella at MIPTV, would support a market outside the E.U. Comments from U.S.-based MIPTV veterans were positive for this year’s event in Cannes, but often negative when it came to the move to London. To Electric Entertainment’s Steve Saltman, “MIP was lightly attended, [but] I found the market to be good. Those attending wanted to and were ready to do business. We were able to come to some agreements. As for MIP London, in one sense it’s a good move with MIP combining with the London Screenings. However, end of February is not the best (Continued on Page 26) RX France’s Lucy Smith introduced MIP London
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