Finally, the moment has come: MIPLondon takes place for the first time at 23-27 February, to provide networking to the strong European traffic that the London Screeningsgenerates in the city, quite similar as it happens in Los Angeles with the LA Screenings. Also, we have a new edition of SeriesMania, in Lille, France, as an example that a good business market can come from a Festival. First impression? Changes are needed, the challenge is to interpretate them well.
In which picture MIPLondon is taking place? The last figures we’ve received before the deadline are good: organizer RX France speaks about 1600 registered delegates from over 70 countries, including almost 800 buyers. The last MIPTV had 3500 people from 84 countries and 1100 buyers, so the intention is to make focus on less people more important, with 50% of buyer density from total. There are no booths, sponsors have from tables to suites, with chances extra as meeting and screening spaces. The event is developed in two hotels at the same street block —Savoy Hotel and IET London— with all the London Screenings locations around, 10 minutes walking at the most.
The event reproduces the schedule of MIPTV: Sunday for pre events —MIPDoc, MIPformats, that last till Tuesday— and the main market days from Monday to Thursday inclusive, that promises movement till midday. The pre events assure the focus on unscripted —MIPTV was called the unscripted week in the past— while London Screenings climax gives priority mainly to fiction. There are also developments about emergent Asian entertainment formats —Japan and Korea, leaders— ‘Digital First’, with YouTube and Tiktok on the spot, Branded Entertainment with the advertisement connection and lastly a Kids summit, for the mature UK kids commissioners.
How the market has reacted to MIPLondon? Mainly with caution, with many players that usually invested at MIPTV, reducing deployments. The opinions against say that the event and the city are expensive. But well, the MIPTV traditional movement needs a market and it continues at MIPLondon. If the synergies with London Screenings add high-end industry members, with the buyer density we stressed, we’ll have a new fresh market. Let’s see soon…
About SeriesMania, the Lille event finished its las edition with very good numbers: 4300 visitors, 18 delegations from different countries, 50 pitches and keynotes, conferences from real industry leaders: TF1, M6 and France Televisions CEOs, etc. ‘We’ve had a very fluid show’, said Francesco Capurro, head of the organization. ‘It has been our biggest event so far’, completed. The event meets its Festival tradition to the content market need of finding new people, fresh buyers.
Also, the North of France is a good place for Northern countries members, 2nd tier but strong players, not common to see in Cannes. SeriesMania was always before MIPTV, but the MIPLondon February location doesn’t seem to affect it, as they have mainly different audiences. French entities in particular, support events in France and don’t others, made outside France.
Main market trends to take in mind? Worldwide, the challenge is the same: traditional businesses are flat or down, while new digital segments are still hard to monetize. Most of the new platforms appeared recently are below the AVOD & FAST models, not paying for the content, they offer revenue sharing models and so on. So, a sort of cross-roads is held above industry members. Should I continue with traditional? Must I invest more in digital? The decision of most of the industry is to move forward over the new times, and to find solutions on the road.
Certainties: Tiktok and YouTube are taking most of the advertisement pies, so people move to these kinds of media at the new times. And the incomes road is always through advertisement, because the other models are not consistent on time. Good challenges are to move into digital advertisement twists —ad package processes of ad agencies can define more than content sometimes— and to explore the monetization options that the market is already providing: branded content, screen sharing, more co-productions at every step, production hubs for entertainment, etc.
In this so taught content moment, there are also many companies having a good present: the international studios that produce the same with lower costs, broadcasters that develop 360 business, digital platforms with solid niches, etc. A good present, not only future, is possible, when someone takes good decisions kept on time.
Nicolás Smirnoff
