Videoage International November 2021

I N T E R N A T I O N A L www.V i deoAge.org THE BUSINESS JOURNAL OF FILM, BROADCASTING, STREAMING, PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION November 2021 - VOL. 41 NO. 6 - $9.75 We have the right voices for your stories. ???? (Continued on Page 10) F or this MIP Cancun pre- view, VideoAge contacted 20 content distribution companies from 10 coun- tries. Of these, just three distributors have opted out of going to Mexico for the 7th in-person in- carnation of the Latin American market, to be held November 16-19. The 2020 event was canceled due to the pandemic. Most participants were satisfied with the anti-COVID safety meas- ures set up by the market’s venue, the Moon Palace Resort, and by RX France (formerly Reed MIDEM), the event organizer. Some respondents also looked favorably to the market’s hybrid format, which mixes an in- Back In-Person MIPCOMGets Stellar Reviews Books’ war with the digital revolution was ultimately won A new European TV standard being introduced in Italy Inside Paramount+: The DTC path to make money My 2¢: Why isn’t the TV sector returning to business as usual? Page 8 Page 6 Page 4 Page 3 O n October 11, TV executives were enthused to be back in Cannes at MIPCOM after a 729-day hiatus forced by the pandemic. This time around, in order to visit with the 146 exhibiting companies, vaccination cards were more desirable than AmEx cards. Unofficially there were some 2,000 in-person participants, although the official number was 4,500, in- cluding 1,200 buyers and 300 jour- nalists. It is assumed that these numbers included participants at MIPCOM’s concurrent CannesSeries Festival (sponsored by the Cannes Municipality), as well as online-only registrants. John Laing in the Hall of Fame of Int’l TV Distribution (Continued on Page 18) MIP Cancun Determined To Successfully Restart W e’re familiar with TV executives who travel globally, but John Laing is unique because he’s actually lived around the world: 15 cities in 10 countries. He also worked under two fearsome bosses: Charles McGregor at Warner Bros. and Arthur Krim at Orion. Laing also orchestrated the production of the RoboCop TV series, becoming its worldwide distributor. (Continued on Page 14) person set-up and a virtual option. Quintana Roo, the Mexican state that encompasses Cancun, has been declared a safe zone as far as the COVID-19 risk level is concerned. Benedicte Touchard de Morant, MIP Cancun’s show director, expects over 100 buyers and about 100 sales tables.