8 Perhaps it was the unusually sunny weather that causedmany participants to report that they were happy with the 51st annual MIPTV trade show in Cannes. This despite a low buyerto-seller ratio of 3:1 (considering there were 1,300 exhibiting companies) and a lingering depressed advertising market across much of the world. The fact that the U.S. TV networks had already announced 16 new 2014-2015 series pick-ups and the availability of more than 66 new shows from various indie companies made for a lively (and bright) MIP-TV. However, because of the close proximity to the Passover holiday, some executives arrived on Sunday, April 6, the day before opening day, but left on Wednesday, in effect making MIP a twoday market. Many exhibitors commented on this fact, with Lionsgate’s Peter Iacono noting, “The market starts on Sunday, and people begin to leave on Wednesday, but Wednesday was still busy because we filled our agenda with clients who were still around.” Overall, Iacono said Lionsgate was “quite pleased” with the market and its attendance. Summarizing this year’s edition, one might call it swell. There were plenty of stars on the Croisette and in the heavens with clear skies at night; there were a good number of buyers, especially from Europe, as expected; a record number of pavilions (over 30) and a good supply of new programs. According to Reed MIDEM, therewere 11,000 participants from102 countries, 5,000 sellers and 4,000 buyers, of which about 1,000 were digital buyers. In previous years, there’s been a burst of people at the beginning of the event and a noticeable slowdown toward the end. This year, though, there seemed to be a moderate but consistent buzz around the aisles throughout. Noticeably there were strong Chinese, Middle Eastern and Russian presences with top-level executives in attendance, like Channel One’s Konstantin Ernst from Russia and Rotana’s Turki Al Shabanah from Saudi Arabia. Indeed, Caracol’s Estefanía Arteaga reported that she saw “a variety of clients from different countries. The growth is wonderful and the market was fruitful.” Among the territories Arteaga had meetings with were China, Turkey, Russia and the Ukraine. She added that the fact that MIP-TV is less crowded than MIPCOM made it possible to “take more time with clients and establish a deeper relationship with them.” Likewise, Natalie Osborne of 9 Story Entertainment said “the pace was slower, so there was more time to have involved conversations with our clients about their needs.” She added that MIP-TV is “a very important touchstone for us to continue conversations started at MIPCOM and Kidscreen, and an opportunity to launch our new showGet Ace.” Studio 100 Media’s Patrick Elmendorff was happy to report that his meeting schedule was fully booked, with 95 percent of meetings prescheduled. Elmendorff said the company “met with all our European buyers in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Eastern Europe and Asia.” Yet Raymond Donahue and Andrew Berman of Positive Prediction Met, Scads of Seminars Didn’t Disrupt Meetings May 2014 MIP-TV Review Telefe’s Maria Eugenia Costa, Daniel Otaola, Meca Salado Pizarro First-ever photo of AVF’s father-and-son team, Brian and Enrique Maya Carsey-Werner’s Alexandra Taylor, Herb Lazarus Starz’sMegganKimberley,GeneGeorge,KristenStanisz-Bedno, ToddBartoo,AleciaDixon-Kurschner Principal Media’s Adam Haber, Mariana Damascena, Leon Logothetis (Continued on Page 10)
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