It seemed as though executives from RX France, the organizers of MIPTV, were relieved that the long agony of a market that started in 1963 was finally ending. At the same time they were excited about MIP London, the new market that will take place February 24-27, 2025.
During an introductory presentation on Tuesday, April 9, MIPTV’s second day, a big display showed the organization’s new line-up of their major events: MIP London, MIP Cancun, and MIPCOM.
The presentation, which happened before a large crowd, was preceded by a press conference wherein Lucy Smith, Entertainment Division director at RX France, shared the statistics for this year’s MIPTV market. Smith reported a total of 3,573 participants from 84 countries, including 1,100 buyers.
As was predicted, the focus at the press conference was next year’s MIP London, which Smith categorized as “a multi-genre market complementing, not replacing, the existing London Screenings event.”
In effect, two other screening events were the cause of the end of MIPTV in April: February’s London Screenings and May’s L.A. Screenings. MIPTV’s popularity began declining in the 1990s and accelerated in the 2000s. But the escape from Cannes, even though predictable, was nevertheless so sudden that it caught the city’s residents off guard.
This year’s very small MIPTV revolved around the Riviera section of the Palais (the Cannes Convention Center), with some extra exhibition space on the fourth floor of the Center. And, as VideoAge predicted in its April 2024 Issue, the market ended up being a good venue for those indie exhibitors who had new content to show.
Presenting the new MIP London, Smith, who introduced herself as a Brit, reported that buyers will be invited free of charge and that they will have buyers’ lounges at both the Savoy Hotel and at the adjacent IET venue on Savoy Place, the market’s headquarters.
Before ending the presentation and inviting participants to a champagne toast, Smith concluded her remarks with, “MIP: Time to make changes.”
Pictured above, a few scenes from the 61st and last MIPTV
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