Convenciones
MIPTV 2015: final sprint with business indicators
MIPTV 2015 has shown this week clear pillars: international co-production projects, strong focus on digital, stress on Nordic countries, many Asian companies, good business energy and, again, discussions about attendance figures. Above all, this was a good MIPTV. The show is for far not so active as Mipcom, but it is a big worldwide show with more time to do some initiatives better.At the closing press conference, Reed Midem stressed good numbers —the same ones anticipated before the show: 11.000 delegates from over 100 countries, with 4.000 buyers whose 1.000 are digital buyers. So, the organizer didn’t recognize lower numbers, and stated that MIPDoc and MIPFormats had a record attendance of 1800 participants, 8% up from last year. PRENSARIO estimates about 9.000 people at the show, quite the same as last year.
Beyond figures, business continued in Cannes the bubbling push that multi-screen era has added to content market last years. United States, UK, China, Turkey and the Nordic territories showed a good increase in the number of participants this year, Reed Midem said.
MIPTV highlights? NBCUniversal International Television Production unveiled a new agreement with TF1 France and Germany’s RTL to co-finance, develop and produce three English-language crime and legal series set to go into production in 2016. As we wrote yesterday, a gap between the Americas and Europe opens new production opportunities.
Drama was a major conference strand, including a closed-door International Co-production Summit that was attended by more than 80 senior-level decision-makers. MIPTV’s World Premiere TV Screening, Texas Rising from ITV Studios America, was shot in cinemascope and 6K; Versailles, France’s biggest-ever TV series costing $30 million, is a 10-hour English-language Franco-Canadian co-production sold by Zodiak Rights. Period dramas is nowadays a big distinction (and a success) of Turkish production, said Mehmet Demirhan, acquisitions & co-productions coordinator, TRT, at the closing press conference.
For the first time Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway grouped together for the Focus on the Nordics initiative, curated by former SVT director of programmes Annie Wegelius and Titan TV founder Thomas Hedberg. ‘The Nordic countries are a breeding ground for some of the hottest drama, border-breaking formats, cutting-edge web series and frontline mobile innovation’, said Laurine Garaude, director of TV division.
At MIPDoc, National Geographic Channels’ president, original programming and production Tim Pastore, said that the millennial shift is influencing creativity: ‘In a world where 50% of 18-32 year olds are browsing the internet while viewing television, creating brand addiction is a necessity’.
At MIP Digital Fronts, delegates watched some of the hottest new global online formats and talent from the world’s most acclaimed digital studios and platforms: Maker Studios, Machinima, Vox Media, YouTube, Dailymotion, Vice, AwesomenessTV, Rooster Teeth, Collective Digital Studio, WebTVAsia, etc. Maker Studios strike a deal to launch its programming on French Canal+ Group’s streaming services.
Barriers are down in formats too. In a MIPFormats keynote, Jens Richter, CEO of FremantleMedia International (FMI), said that formats were being sourced from far afield, with France providing Les Revenants (‘The Returned’), Latin America originating Ugly Betty, and Scandinavia creating a host of scripted formats including The Killing and The Bridge.
FremantleMedia is partnering with Shanghai Media Group, BesTV and China Media Capital, in a joint venture to create and develop formats for the Chinese markets, with FremantleMedia selling outside China.
Zodiak Media’s Marc-Antoine d’Halluin told delegates that in the production process, ‘There is not one show that we produce today where we do not think, together with the broadcaster that commissioned the show, what will be the impact in the digital space. China is not about catch-up anymore, they are leading the charge’.
Warner Bros. International Television Production launched 500 Questions, a new game show from Mark Burnett and Mike Darnell, produced by United Artists Media Group in association with Warner Horizon Television for US network ABC. Burnett, Darnell and host, CNN's Richard Quest, presented the new show in Cannes. They announced a deal with Mexican Televisa, to emit in Channel 2.
The high-profile attendance of both MIPTV Brand of the Year Marriott International and Havas at MIPTV, is a growing indication for advertisers and brands. Entertainment is key to getting the brand message across.
Nicolás Smirnoff, Fabricio Ferrara and Rodrigo Cantisano