The London events started with a bang on Sunday — but they’re positively exploding today. On Sunday, the inaugural MIP London began with five conferences, including one on finances, and a packed opening party at the Faraday Center, part of the IET London venue. The London Screenings also started on Sunday with screenings from StudioCanal.
On Monday, prior to the evening Screenings’ opening party sponsored by Avalon, and a MIP London party sponsored by Boat Rocker, there were screenings from MGM, Regency, and Fifth Season. Monday marks also the start of the BBC Showcase. On the MIP London side, Monday sees a barrage of conferences, and, of course, the market’s opening, plus NBCUniversal Television Alternative Studio is taking over the MIP London Happy Hour at the Savoy.
MIP London is staged at two venues, with a total of seven floors: three at the Savoy Hotel (for 30 exhibitors), and four at the adjacent IET building (for 42 exhibitors). Of the 72 total exhibitors, 18 hail from the U.S., 11 from the U.K., and six from Turkey (among the largest contingents), and include content distributors such as A+E and FilmRise from the U.S., Nippon TV from Japan, Global Agency from Turkey, TelevisaUnivision from Mexico, and Record TV from Brazil.
This MIP London will trigger yearly market calendar changes in a major way, as it might possibly necessitate moving MIP Cancun from November to April so that MIPCOM’s LatAm contingent won’t be affected. The AFM is already poised to return to Los Angeles in November and Content Americas is solidly in January (and would benefit from MIP Cancun’s possible move).
One thing that will be inconvenient for future editions of MIP London is that travelers will soon need to apply online for a travel authorization before entering the U.K. The electronic-travel authorization (ETA) costs about $13. Another little inconvenience was yesterday’s half and 10K Marathon, which blocked the Savoy hotel entrance on the Strand for several hours.
Pictured above, l. to r. from top: Lucy Smith, MIP London’s director, welcoming all participants; FilmRise’s Emilia Nuccio and Melissa Wohl; FormatBiz’s Maria Chiara Duranti and Fremantle Italy’s Francesca Tomasin at MIP London’s Opening Cocktail at the IET; Record TV’s Delmar Andrade; TLN’s Aldo and Delia Di Felice; China Pavilion at the Savoy.
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