MIPCOM 2024 develops today its 2nd day with dual sensations. On one side, there are many announcements, new players, parties & cocktails, growing ventures. But on the other side, this is a mostly low-profile Cannes event, with most of the big companies optimizing deployments and saving costs. The big SVODs are quite quiet, while broadcasters develop groups of linear + digital channels. The main ambition initiatives, and not many, come from emerging regions, especially Asia, Middle East, even CEE and some surprises from Latin America. But while in other Mipcom was difficult to resume the so big news, now few strategies ‘kick the table’. The trend of mixing future and past, we told yesterday, works for sure.

Justly, Virginia Mouseler's The Wit Fresh TV presentation has introduced the concept of "Foreverism," highlighting how the TV industry reinvents the past through reboots and revivals. She has showcased trends like life-sized adaptations of classic games, reality shows blending strategy and mystery, and emotionally driven adventure formats. Fresh concepts included "Werewolves", "The Box", and "Backpack of Life", demonstrating the shift toward cross-platform, multi-genre content. The Wit insights emphasized the enduring appeal of nostalgia, while also spotlighting innovative formats targeting diverse global audiences.

The new big thing is obviously Artificial Intelligence, resumed at Mipcom yesterday with the ‘Applied AI Summit’, that provided keynotes, panels and roundtables. Some good concepts were announced by Entrepreneur companies as ‘First AI that can automatically translate emotion in video’, by Jesse Shemen’s Papercup; ‘From audience to player: the dawn of interactive streaming’, by Devo Harris from Adventr; or ‘Revolutioning Entertainment marketing with Vertical AI’, by Jonathan Verk, Social Department. But so far, most of the AI mature developments are still back office, to automate processes, decisions with more real time data. The apps at the front end, to change the customer experience, are just latent.

So? This is a market of sole stories, where the good or bad present depends on each company, or country, about what they’ve been doing the last years vs. others. Japanese and Korean broadcasters, producers, developed ‘out of the box’ formats and high-end fictions, taking territories that in the past were just for U.S. or European big providers. See apart the ‘Treasure Box’ Japan coverage. Turkey has its dramas reaching everywhere and its distributors organizing many of the big events at Mipcom. And of course, Spain, ‘The country of Honor’ this year, has sponsored the ‘Welcome party’ yesterday and organizes many events every day. It is now a big production pole for Europe and its studios -Mediapro, Secuoya, etc.- are developing global ventures in the U.S. for VOD platforms.

Emerging news from CEE? Ukraine, though the war, is increasing own production of movies and series, to replace the traditional feed from Russia, says Evgeniy Drachov from Film.ua. Budapest turned to a strong production pole for whole Europe, and is plenty of co-production opportunities, tells Tibor Forizs, from NFI Hungary. In Kazakhstan, Unicoplay is planning a big OTT launch for February, and it’s buying at Mipcom all kinds of content, comments Gazia Zhapparova, CCO.

Surprises from Latin America? As it can be seen in the pictures, there are many non-frequent buyers attending Mipcom, as TVN Panama, Canal 11 Honduras, TCS Salvador, Canal 10 Uruguay, Wapa TV Puerto Rico, apart from more usual attendees as Caracol and RCN Colombia, Channel 13 Chile, Televisa Univision (USA) Mexicans, Brazilians, Argentineans. They all say they are looking for formats, new providers and fresh opportunities. Globo (Brazil) is a very active player at Mipcom, with a presentation and many announcements: an alliance with Beta Film, formats and co-productions deals.

Nicolás Smirnoff, Alberto Buitrón and Francisco Ferreyra

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