16 ing the fiscal year. Attendance covers most continents of the world and the market still gains the favor of the key U.S. execs.” From his Munich, Germany-based Poorhouse International distribution company, founder Reiner Moritz reported that he has “attended all MIPCOMs since the market started. “It has very much changed over the years from a video cassette event to the most important television trade fair in the world,” he said. But, he lamented, “It unfortunately caters more to some 10 American companies instead of keeping in mind the thousands of buyers who make it worthwhile for everybody to attend. For example, [this year’s] ‘Focus on Branded’ excludes all public broadcast reps as they are not allowed [by law] in that business. The Lions advertising trade show in Cannes also deals with this ‘branded’ topic [even though] there are very few companies that can afford to underwrite top programming. Nonetheless, even with the large number of specialized events around the year, MIPCOM is still the only general event that draws more buyers than any other,” Moritz concluded. Lucy Smith, director of MIPCOM Cannes and its related children’s programming-focused MIPJunior, which will unfold two days before MIPCOM, said: “We’re seeing entirely new sectors of the entertainment business mature at remarkable speed. What were emerging trends only a year ago, from vertical storytelling and creator-led businesses to AI-powered production, are now attracting investment, generating scalable business models and becoming an increasingly important part of the global content economy.” Anthony E. Zuiker, creator of the CSI TV franchise, will take to the Grand Auditorium stage for the global debut of Cinemalistics, a new platform featuring AI-powered motion picture and short documentary versions of breaking true crime events. Anatolii Kasianov, co-founder and Co-CEO of Holywater Tech, will also step into the spotlight for a separate MIP Headliner session. The market will also bring together many of the executives shaping the rapidly evolving market of vertical storytelling and microdrama, including Timothy Oh, Col Group; Maria Rua Aguete, Omdia; Alex Montalvo, GammaTime; Scott Brown, Second Rodeo Productions; Cassandra Yang, RJ RisingJoy; Stephen Liu, NetShort; Vivian Yin, Y+X Entertainment; and Jay Blumenfield, Jay & Tony Show Productions. MIPCOM will partner with The Media Odyssey podcast for a special recording examining the era of premium vertical television. Moderated by Evan Shapiro and Marion Ranchet, the conversation will feature RoseBerry Media CEO and co-founder Guy Hameiri and head of Business Development and co-founder Lior Friedman. Additionally, the program will feature an invitation-only Global Microdrama & Vertical Leaders’ Summit, and a new official matchmaking platform that will introduce a dedicated Vertical Content Speed Matchmaking category. Earlier, MIPCOM had launched a MIP AI Entertainment Forum, a new international conference and marketplace that will connect AI innovators with studios, streamers, producers, creators, brands, and IP owners. Among the first confirmed partners for the MIP AI Entertainment Forum were Versos AI and Protege, alongside an expanding exhibition line-up, which initially included HappyClient, Lingopal.AI, LoglineAI, and Massif Network. “What we are seeing now with AI is not incremental evolution, it is a fundamental rewiring of how content will be created, financed, distributed, and monetized globally over the next decade,” said MIPCOM’s Smith. “MIPCOM Cannes 2026 will bring together the international entertainment community to engage with that transformation — not to theorize about it, but to build partnerships, strike deals, and define what comes next.” The Forum will spotlight three key areas: Creation & Storytelling, Production & Workflow, and Licensing & Distribution. YouTube will return to MIPCOM with an expanded presence building on its market debut in 2025. Pedro Pina, VP, YouTube EMEA, will kick off the market with a main-stage keynote on opening day in the Grand Auditorium of the Palais. YouTube will also be present at MIPJunior (October 10-11) as the official sponsor of the Opening Happy Hour. According to Pina, “The media landscape is shifting rapidly, and YouTube is here to help broadcasters and studios grow.” In addition, MIPCOM 2026 has unveiled MIP BrandWorks, a new initiative connecting brands and agencies directly with studios, production companies, streamers, creators, IP rights-holders, and commissioners. This builds on last year’s introduction of “brand entertainment” into the MIPCOM program. This year, it will run across the three days of the market and will be co-produced in partnership with Doug Scott, co-founder of Unxnown, founder of Ogilvy Entertainment, and former Cannes Lions jury president for branded content. (Continued from Page 14) Lucy Smith, director of MIPCOM Cannes Reiner Moritz, Poorhouse International Hervé Michel, former president of TV France International “We’re seeing entirely new sectors of the entertainment business mature at remarkable speed.” — Lucy Smith, director of MIPCOM Cannes VIDEOAGE October 2026 Market Preview
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI4OTA5