14 Cannes is Preparing for The Biggest TV Show on Earth While we don’t yet know much about the conferences, VideoAge already has all the numbers it needs for this report on MIPCOM Cannes 2026, the TV trade show that is taking place, as usual, in Cannes, located in the south of France, from October 12 to 15. The event is expecting 549 exhibitors with some 350 stands. Out of the 86 countries participating, the largest contingents will come from the U.S. (with 204 companies) and the U.K. (with 204 companies). From Europe’s mainland, France takes the lead (with 160 companies), followed by Germany (105), and Italy (91). The whole of LatAm will be comprised of just 30 companies, with Argentina being the largest (with 10 firms in attendance). From Asia, most participating companies will hail from Japan (44), and China will be attending with 22 companies. In terms of content buyers, MIPCOM organizers are reporting the same number of acquisition executives as last year: over 2,500. Similarly, the total number of attendees is expected to reach 10,600, the same as in 2025. Even though the fall market has seen a reduction in the number of participants — it went from 2016’s 14,000 attendees to just 10,600 in 2025 — the event is still the largest and most important TV trade show in the world. VideoAge would rather not focus on MIPCOM’s sideshows and instead zero in on the real bread-and-butter of any TV market: the floor, the hotels, and the backrooms where the buying and selling of content takes place. But, conferences, workshops, and seminars will dominate the event’s conversations, driven by a barrage of official press releases announcing speakers both familiar and unfamiliar with equally large fanfare. Therefore, considering the content available from the expected 350 exhibitor stands, the large number of announced international buyers, and even the diverse conference topics, the answer to the question of whether MIPCOM can leverage its exotic locale for more content sales has now turned from “Cannes you believe it?” to “Yes, you Cannes believe it!” Thomas Devlin, president, International Sales & Marketing for the Sarasota, Floridabased Entertainment Studios Television, has attended the market since it was called VIDCOM (it didn’t become MIPCOM until 1985). “I’ve attended all of them, except during COVID,” he said. “Today, MIPCOM is a multimedia bazaar. Streamers are everywhere, and YouTube is massive. However, fewer people attend than in the past for all kinds of reasons, but mostly for economic reasons — saving money is the biggest. Everyone has to spend their travel budgets wisely. Plus, there are too many [TV trade] shows, and not enough buyers spending money. [For example,] not many African buyers will attend because the FAME Africa Show is a month later. Not too many from LatAm, because MIP Cancun comes after, while for Southeast Asia, the Asia TV Forum is in early December. Nonetheless,” concluded Devlin, “MIPCOM is still the big show and worldwide attendance is important [since] international sales distribution has never been more challenging than now.” Michel Zgarka, executive VP, International Business Affairs, for the Montreal, Canada-based Sonic Origin, has so far attended 38 MIPCOMs. In his opinion, the event “has become too short and not as market-driven and innovative as it used to be. However,” he added, “the 2026 edition still has positive values and hence must not be missed.” If he could change anything, Zgarka did note that the event is missing “market-driven conferences, plus conferences focusing on the new technologies, and how to face the new copyright-protection laws.” Nonetheless, “it’s the only one left truly serving the international market and where the major players attend and are available,” he concluded. Hervé Michel, a former French broadcaster and onetime president of TV France International, also attended the market since 1980 back when it was called VIDCOM, noting that he never missed one. “Basically, [MIPCOM] has remained the most important international fair for our industry over the years, [while] everything else has changed around the Palais — meaning cable, satellite, digital, and vertical programming. Platforms and AI have emerged and developed dramatically, but MIPCOM has not changed that much. You still find the same kind and number of people running around the alleys of the Palais, eager to find the best content, to build up co-productions, and to sign deals. [But] one aspect of industry negotiations that has been overlooked these past few years are carriage deals. So far, MIPCOM organizers have not integrated linear channel vendors and buyers. It’s regrettable that these professionals are unable to formally participate in the event within the MIPCOM frame, as this has resulted in a certain loss of global turnover.” Michel also explained why MIPCOM is still the world’s foremost international TV event. “The timing of the show is ideal,” he said. “Budget visibility is good. And apart from some regional market fairs, MIPCOM is clos- (Continued on Page 16) Michel Zgarka, Sonic Origin Thomas Devlin, Entertainment Studios Television “Today, MIPCOM is a multimedia bazaar. Streamers are everywhere, and YouTube is massive.” — Thomas Devlin, Entertainment Studios TV VIDEOAGE October 2026 Market Preview
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