How is MIFA this year? The animation content market inside the Annecy Festival in France, looks quite similar in volume than last year, but very healthy and with good energy. If the last editions most of the animation industry was with bad mood due to the serious financing problems, now many are decided to evolve, collaborate and to be fresh. There are some iconic players missing, or reductions in some booths, but there are also new players --especially tech, software and AI providers-- and more international attendance, in particular from Asian territories. Animation business gets techie, collaborative and global.

Which are the main business axles this year? Streaming and social media consumption habits, artificial intelligence in all senses, the new digital tools in favor of the industry, and innovative financing solutions. The emerging hits for them? Digital First, as the new main market to gain; AI projects, to save costs, automate processes, generate alternative niches; full 360 developments, driven mainly by social media, and IP management, to adapt story to a game, to a book, a movie, live shows, etc; Real-Time initiatives, based on edging technologies; collaborations at every step, cross regions; new public programs in more territories, pushed by own private local players.

What works better in digital? Let’s listen to Dan Lewsey, SVP digital & social media, Banijay Kids & Family, EMEA: ‘We reach in YouTube more than 30 millions of users per year, we have to produce vertical, horizontal, short-form, long form, all genres. For marketing and awareness, short-form videos are better, about 60 seconds, to use everywhere: Tiktok, IG, etc. But for commercial issues, monetization, longer is more profitable. Our average is 1-3 hours each, depending on the platforms we run, but especially on Connected TV (CTV) systems, which are very relevant for us. And third, for new or non-traditional partnerships, the key is to align your product to your partner, to access broader audiences, territories, ad placements’.

What is the future of animation? Lewsey: ‘According to my area, Digital First, vertical, short-form content, especially. Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime are launching vertical short-form feeds to their apps, to rival TikTok, Instagram, adapting to smartphone-driven consumption trends. This is much better for ads support, key for richer monetization. And also, low-cost, high-quality animation, that you can make evolve and change fast, based on digital data and audience feedback: to push preferred characters, etc. We are already doing this with Ava & Digger, co-produced with The SoulGroup. AI is not to replace, is to enhance human talents. We must synergy the best of both sides’.

What must you do to reach better your just digital audience? Roberto Pumar, CEO, El Reino Infantil, global YouTube animated successful community: ‘YouTube channels don’t work as linear channels. You have different channels per themes, per characters, but then the viewers use the browsers and the algorithm decides what videos appear ahead, from the same or different channels. You have to understand its logic and to include the right tips both in production and exhibition, the titles, etc, to get upper results. And of course, as in linear life, to be pending of the sudden waves and to reach them faster and better, in this order’.

Nicolás Smirnoff

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