14 V I D E O A G E November 2022 (Continued from Page 12) Before meeting with Pedro Lascurain (pictured), Content Acquisition director of Mexico City-based TV Azteca, at MIPCOM CANNES, VideoAge had a chance to get his thoughts on the upcoming MIP Cancun via e-mail. “I will be going to MIP Cancun and all the meetings the organizers suggest for me are fine”, he wrote, adding that some meetings are strictly for background purposes and likely won’t lead to an acquisition. “Not all of [the meetings that I’ll have will] be under TV Azteca’s profile, but it gives me an idea of what other programs are out there.” He continued: “I always try to look for new distributors from different countries. The main reason is to find out if something new is out there for us. Usually I end up buying more product from the usual partners because we know what kind of results we are going to have on the screen.” Lascurain then touched on the topic of costs, a sore point with some exhibitors and even some acquisition executives. “As a buyer”, he said, “I have a great deal with MIP Cancun. They pay for my accommodations and my plane ticket. [But I’m] guessing that everything has to be more expensive this time just because we in Mexico have eight percent inflation this year.” About the pre-selection of sellers assigned to buyers by MIP Cancun organizers, Doris Vogelmann, vice president of Programming and Operations for the Doral, Florida-based V-Me Media, said: “I never refuse any meeting that is assigned to me. I give myself and the other party the opportunity to meet and figure out if there is something we can do together.” She then added: “It is true that it is always easier and more comfortable to meet with traditional partners, but by meeting new distributors you can get pleasantly surprised with new business opportunities.” As for the increased costs involved in attending this year’s MIP Cancun versus past editions, Vogelmann said: “As a buyer I want to say [my cost] is similar to previous years.” In other words, the organizers paid all of her participation costs. But not all buyers will have all of their expenses paid by the market organizers, and MIP Cancun director Maria Perez-Bellière made this clear during an interview with VideoAge during the recentlyconcluded MIPCOM Cannes. Indeed, in order to take advantage of the all-expensespaid opportunity, buyers have to be acquiring programs for their own broadcast or any form of transmission. Those participants who attend MIP Cancun with the intent of buying new content in order to fill their owndistributionpipes only get free registration. The situation is even more complex when the seller is also acquiring for a major television station group. “Each case is matched to the profile with the client”, said one RX France representative, before adding: “[We] will politely decline from going into the details of each respective case, but below is a quote [that] should help: A company can attend as a distributor, co-producer, and/or buyer. RX teams look for the right profile to propose either the distribution or the coproduction market.” MIP Cancun: Buyers’ View DO YOU WANT TO REACH BUYERS? DO BOTH... ONLY WITH VIDEOAGE! DO YOU WANT DISTRIBUTION AT ATF?
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