Mipcom 2014, a booming collage of trendy news

At MIPJunior, there were 1,300 participants with 550 buyers. From Mexico, the ‘Country of Honour’, there are 124 companies vs. 33 companies at Mipcom 2013.

Mexico took the scene the first day. Early in the morning the heavy-attended panels were Fresh TV (The Wit), Mexican Media & Entertainment Landscape (Eurodata) and View From The Top, with the participation of Emilio Azcarraga Jean, CEO, Televisa. To describe the evolution of the main Spanish-language content producer (93,000 hours per year), Azcarraga said: 'We first created stories (telenovelas), we are now creating ideas (formats)'.

Mipcom news and testimonies? CBS Studios and Netflix announced a multi-territory licensing deal for CBS and Showtime programming in The Netherlands and six new European markets. John de Mol's Talpa Media (Holland) has acquired 49.9% share of the Schwartzkopff TV production company of Axel Springer SE, which will re named as Talpa Germany. FremantleMedia acquired from Satisfaction the "event" format Stars Under Hypnosis; Beta Film (Germany) picked up for distribution the Spanish series Under Suspicion (Atresmedia/Bambu).

Ben Pyne, president global distribution, Disney: ‘We have three main issues this year: the great slate of ABC Studios, with unique TV series as How to get away with murder, sold in 158 territories. In new media, the acquisition of Maker, a top referent in the short-form format business for the Millennium audience; it manages 9 billion viewers, 550.000 subscribers, and 60% of its audience is age 13-38. Third, Lucas Film, which means a second big world for us. Star Wars Rebels is the first TV series of the new unified era’.

Cross-nation agreements between public entities are on top: Canadian Media Found set up two alliances, one with NZ on Air of New Zeeland, a co-production deal for digital content projects, based on a fund of 1 million dollar (50 percent each); and with Rio Filme and SP Cine of Brazil, a co-development deal for digital and TV projects. 

Chris Ottinger, president global distribution, MGM: ‘Our big news are that we begin to distribute worldwide United Artists Media Group, which manages big series as AD and mainly a very strong catalogue of entertainment formats: The Apprentice, Lucha Underground, Spin off, etc. It is a big twist for our company, complementary to our blockbuster feature films. I don’t see a consolidation of big distributors, I see consolidation in big format players’. 

SPI (USA) is delivering 4K content on IP-streaming supporting devices on its VOD services FilmBox Live and SmartTVs; SPARK (Germany), Astro (Malaysia) and Moving Visuals Int'l (Singapore) will set up a brand new Asian factual and doc channel SPARK Asia. Tandem (Germany) has brought Donald Sutherland, who is the writer, producer and the voice of a character in Pirate's Passage, launched yesterday. 

A+E Networks Asia and Ideate Media established a regional production partnership in Asia to reach Asian and global audiences. Shine secured co-operation deal for Chinese adaptation of The School on Hunan TV. ZDF and KiKa (both from Germany) co-produce a 3D animation series Insectibles. Malaysian FINAS is promoting Film in Malaysian Incentive to promote the country as a preferred destination and film production hub. 

Red Arrow International (Germany) offered a cocktail with figures as actor Mikael Nyqvist (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocole) and writer and producer Bobby Moresco (Crash, Millennium). It announced that 100 Code was sold to HBO Nordic and to Iceland's 365 Media; and the remake rights of Escape Your Life to ProSiebenSat.1 Germany.

Somos Distribution (USA) and CCTV (China) signed an agreement that gives the company led by Luis Villanueva the distribution rights of Chinese documentary series in Latin America, starting on Natpe Miami 2015. Keshet (Israel) family sitcom Your Family or Mine will be adapted in Alpha TV (Greece). 

More news from Mexico: Conaculta, Mexican council for culture and arts, launched Cinemamexico, a digital platform to broadcast docs, animation series, etc. on mobile devices. Comarex is the new international distributor of Canal Once, main public broadcaster of Mexico: documentaries, factual series and well-commented fictions. TVUNAM and the Public Broadcasting System of Mexico (SPR) closed a co-production deal with ORF (Austria) for drama-documentary Maximilian - Dreams of Powers. The Mexican delegation headed by Francisco Gonzalez Diaz, CEO, ProMexico, visited the umbrella booths of Malaysia and Spain, among others. 

2014 Emmy International nominees included 40 products from 19 countries. The good momentum of Latin America with two consecutive years as Country of Honour was reflected: 5 nominations for Brazil (TV Globo, Canal Futura, History Channel); 4 for Argentina (OnTV, Mulata Films, Anima Films); and Chile (Profugos, HBO). Telemundo got three out of four nominations on "Non-English language US prime time program".

Top innovative news about new media? Televisa’s Azcarraga presented Logout, a series to be launched in 2015, which is the best expression of second screen: the story of the series "continues" on a mobile device while it is on air on TV. It offers a more complete experience to the viewer. Applicaster (Israel) made a cocktail showing two apps for second screen: Cross-mates, that let the audience to establish a real friendship with fiction characters of a TV series, which can modify the plot; and Feed Reporter Video, to set up a real time video service for the audience in big live shows. 

Nicolás Smirnoff, Fabricio Ferrara and Rodrigo Cantisano