CANNES, France, Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Major
companies and household names from the film and internet world this
week lined up alongside their television counterparts for one of
the biggest MIPCOMs ever. MIPCOM 2012 cemented a coming together of
all sectors of the entertainment business and showed an appetite
for developing international deals. The market also welcomed a
stellar line-up of keynotes, speakers and stars.
The mood at MIPCOM reflected the sunny October sky, as some
12,900 delegates from 104 countries, including 4,400 buyers,
negotiated and networked their way throughout the event. Of those
buyers, over 500 were making dedicated VOD acquisitions. And
throughout the show, conference speaker after speaker stressed that
the key to success in the crowded distribution market is to
concentrate on high-quality, original programming and great
story-telling.
Confirming the international attraction of MIPCOM, there were
significant increases in the number of companies attending from
Latin America (+36%), China (116 companies +30%), South Korea (119 companies +12%) and Country
of Honour Canada (252 companies
+11%). In addition, the number of US companies in Cannes rose 11%, with all the major US studios
in town, including a debut appearance from DreamWorks, represented
by DreamWorks Animation and Classics.
Film names cross to TV
In a competitive market, an increasing number of production
companies are hiring A-list names to create original programming.
Meanwhile, many companies came to Cannes with talent, big name producers or show
reels, as a sign of their commitment to their programmes and to
international buyers.
Attending his first MIPCOM, iconic independent film
producer/distributor Harvey
Weinstein unveiled The Weinstein Company's plans to expand
in television production and distribution with the likes of epic
drama series 'Marco Polo,' reality
series 'Supermarket Superstars' and documentary series 'Seal Team
Six.' And he chose MIPCOM to unveil a new initiative - the World
Dance Awards – a live TV show conceived by dancing wizard
Michael Flatley.
Explaining his strategy, Harvey
Weinstein told his audience, "TV is such an exciting area
at the moment and movies are shrinking to some extent. So it's the
right time for us to get into TV in a big way."
Like Harvey Weinstein,
Oscar-winning writer/director Jane
Campion is more used to attending the Cannes Film Festival. So 2012 was her debut
appearance at MIPCOM to discuss her first foray into television via
drama series 'Top of the Lake', starring Elisabeth Moss, Peter
Mullan and Holly Hunter.
But perhaps the show that really emphasises the blurring of
lines between film, television and web-based companies is 'House of
Cards.' The re-make of the classic 1990 British mini-series is
destined for video-on-demand platform Netflix, features film and
theatre giant Kevin Spacey ('The
Usual Suspects,' 'LA Confidential,' 'American Beauty') and
Robin Wright (Forrest Gump,' 'The Girl with the Dragon
Tattoo'), is directed by David
Fincher ('The Social Network') and is being distributed
internationally by Sony Pictures Television. Attending MIPCOM to
present 'House of Cards' to potential buyers, Kevin Spacey noted, "When you look where the
most interesting plot lines, storylines and characters are, it's in
television."
Other high-profile stars and producers to be found on the
Croisette this week included Keri
Russell and Matthew Rhys, in
Cannes to accompany one of the
highlights of the event, the World Premiere TV Screening of FX's
'The Americans,' distributed by 20th Century Fox
Television Distribution, which played to a packed and enthusiastic
house. Also present, British cuisine guru Nigella Lawson, 'The
Walking Dead' producer Gale Anne
Hurd, with star Sarah Wayne
Callies, 'NCIS' cop Michael
Weatherly, alongside the show's executive producer
Gary Glasberg, 'X-Files' star
Gillian Anderson and 'Saving Hope'
doctor Erica Durance.
As part of MIPCOM's Canada Country of Honour programme, Telefilm
Canada and the Canada Media Fund brought a host of Canadian talent
to Cannes. Among them;
Francois Arnaud ('The Borgias'),
Michel Courtemanche ('Walter 100%',
'Le Noel de Walter & Tandoori'),
Stefanie von Pfetten ('NCIS'),
David Sutcliffe ('Private
Practice'), Ricardo ('Ricardo and Friends'), Eve Landry ('Unite 9') and Amber Marshall ('Heartland').
Digital players seek content
"Companies such as Netflix, Google/YouTube or Hulu have been
attending MIPCOM for several years, but mostly as buyers,"
commented Laurine Garaude, Director of Reed MIDEM's Television
Division, which organises MIPCOM. "Today, they are very much
involved in developing great content."
As for Google/YouTube, Robert
Kyncl, Google/YouTube's Vice President, Global Head of
Content, grabbed MIPCOM headlines by announcing the company is to
launch 60 new channels in the UK, Germany and France, with original content coming from such
TV heavyweights as FremantleMedia, BBC Worldwide, Endemol and
All3Media. He urged the content production community to embrace
YouTube.
Jason Kilar, CEO of online TV
service Hulu told MIPCOM delegates that his company has spent
$500 million on content this year. He
stressed that Hulu is working closely with traditional broadcasting
heavyweights, bringing the BBC's 'Misfits' to US audiences and
Nickelodeon content to Hulu for the first time, thanks to a deal
with Viacom.
Canada flag flies high as Country of Honour
With a population of 35 million people and a next door neighbor
called the United States, the
Canadian television sector is punching above its weight. As the
MIPCOM Country of Honour, Canada took the opportunity to emphasize
a renewed commitment from Telefilm Canada and the Canada Media
Fund, to channel funding towards programming that has international
appeal. In particular, Quebecor President Pierre Karl Peladeau called for funding to be
targeted at programmes that have international potential. Speaking
to MIPCOM delegates, he said that the Canadian funding bodies and
industry had to target companies that "start developing strong
original concepts that will be popular across platforms and
markets."
Among the various deals that Canadian companies closed during
Cannes, Nelvana Enterprises signed
a major content acquisition and representation deal with
China's Ciwen Media Group. Under
the terms of the agreement, Ciwen has exclusive distribution rights
in China to over 1,000 half hours
of animated and live-action Nelvana programming. Nelvana also
concluded a deal with Discovery Kids Latin America to broadcast the
CG-animated preschool series 'Mike the Knight.' Meanwhile
Distribution 360 closed deals on its Lifestyle series 'Puppy SOS'
to ViaSat in Scandinavia and True Vision Branded Channel in
Thailand.
International is the MIPCOM mantra
While individual countries, especially in Europe, may be feeling economic pressure at
the moment, MIPCOM confirmed that there is an ever-increasing need
for cross-border business and networking. In a MIPCOM first, over
100 of the most influential women working in the international
television sector, came together for Global Entertainment Power
Lunch, in partnership with A+E Networks.
"As well as this great gathering of women executives, this
year, we have developed important initiatives based around regions
that are showing strong growth in the international market. In
addition to our Country of Honour, Canada, we have focused on
Latin America, which is a
high-growth region," said Reed MIDEM's Laurine Garaude. Among
the new initiatives, the first LATAM Global Dealmakers Networking
Lunch, which brought together 80 of the most influential executives
operating in the Latin American region. Headline speaker
Adriana Cisneros de Griffin, Vice
Chairman and Vice President of Strategy of the Cisneros Group of
Companies, described how a growing middle class and a surge in new
digital media platforms are changing the television business in
Latin America.
And MIPCOM's Personality of the Year, Grupo Televisa's President
and CEO, Emilio Azcarraga Jean,
confirmed that Televisa is leading the way in supplying the Latin
American and Spanish-speaking market with content.
In his MIPCOM keynote address, the Grupo Televisa President said
that over the past five years, foreign co-productions have been one
of the priorities for his group, but that at the same time as
supplying the Spanish-speaking market, Televisa has been making
concerted inroads in the United
States' English-speaking market with such partners as
Lionsgate. In January 2012, Televisa
signed a ground-breaking deal with Sony Pictures Television (SPT)
for SPT to have a first look at all Televisa's scripted and
unscripted formats for potential co-production worldwide, outside
the US and Latin America.
"This kind of agreement really shows how the television
business is open to extraordinary international opportunities,"
noted MIPCOM's Laurine Garaude. "Whether it is in Latin America, Russia, China, or the Middle
East, we have seen new players and new activity at
MIPCOM."
About MIPCOM – MIPCOM is the year's most
anticipated global market for entertainment content across all
platforms. Each Autumn, the industry's international heavy hitters
– from TV and film – converge in Cannes to create a new world of entertainment.
MIPCOM turns every moment into an opportunity, transforming four
days of meetings, screenings and conferences into deals – from
blockbuster programming to ground-breaking partnerships. And the
children's entertainment industry gets an early start at MIPJunior,
where key international buyers, sellers and producers gather to
present, discover and screen content at the world's showcase for
kids programming.
Please visit www.mipcom.com
SOURCE Reed MIDEM