It falls in the fall, right at the end of most buyers’ fiscal year, yet MIPCOM it still the industry’s most important market. So important that, like a hurricane, it is knocking out all the other markets in its path, like MIFED yesterday and the AFM today. An added problem should be that MIPCOM takes place in the euro zone, which is a concern for countries, such as the U.S., which currently have weak currencies. Then there’s the fact that it is held in Cannes, France, one of the euro zone’s most expensive areas. That should really be its kiss of death. But MIPCOM not only generates additional revenues for sellers, it actually saves distributors money because it boasts growing participation, thereby reducing traveling time and expenses to visit clients individually (see related story on the inconveniences of travel on pg. 20). MIPCOM is now even valuable to Latin American companies, who consider it their third largest market after NATPE and the L.A. Screenings. This year, MIPCOM is particularly important to U.S. studios as a place to highlight pilots that weren’t shown at the L.A. Screenings (see related front cover story and pg. 54). In the months leading up to the fiveday MIPCOM trade show, which will be starting rather late, on October 13, TV companies the world over have been readying their slates for an entertainment extravaganza that will cap off a somewhat irregular year in the industry. VideoAgespoke with a slew of firms to find out what new product they’ll be bringing to the Palais, if the U.S. writers’ strike has affected them, and if MIPCOM is still the best place for TV executives to do global business. “MIPCOM marks the beginning of the year-end frenzy for us,” said Oliver Kreuter, head of Distribution for Germany’s Bavaria Media, “Buyers come out of their summer break ready to make the last acquisitions for the current year.” This year, Bavaria will be launching Serralonga, a two-part adventure miniseries from Spain, as well as disaster movie White Menace-The Avalanche of the Century.“MIPCOM is a catalyst for the business we want to do during the second half of the year,” he said, before adding that Bavaria and TV3 de Catalunya will host a special event and cocktail on October 13 to celebrate the international launch of Serralonga. Following Canada-based Cookie Jar Entertainment’s recent merger with U.S.-based DIC, MIPCOM will be the newly formed company’s coming out party. “This is the first show since combining our efforts,” said Cookie Jar’s Toper Taylor, noting that the firm now has over 6,000 hours of programming in its library — one of the largest in kids’ television. This year, Cookie Jar is bringing a number of new kiddie series, including Metajets , a coproduction with Korea’s Sunwoo, and Noonbory and the Super 7, a co-pro with Korean partner Daewon Media. According to Taylor, the aftereffects of the U.S. writers’ strike will still be felt. “It’s still hurting the U.S., but it creates opportunities for international coproductions.” Tobias de Graaff, svp, Sales, Europe, at the U.K.’s ITV Worldwide, the international distribution arm of ITV that combines the recently merged Granada International and Granada Ventures, concurred with Taylor that the strike is still on people’s minds. “Our buyers didn’t get the normal amount of scripted shows that they usually get,” he said. “Because of that shortfall, they’re looking for our stuff.” The company is bringing product galore in the hopes of filling that void. Scorched is a futuristic disaster movie about the effects of global warming that de Graaff hopes will strike a chord in this era of environmental awareness. But de Graaff is most excited about Britannia High, a musical drama series that is expected to soar. Besides the series, attendees will see a new booth for ITV, which better reflects its recent Granada acquisitions. “Expect prettiness,” de Graaff said cheekily. While his company’s stand won’t be new, it will still be rather spacious, said TV France International’s (TVFI) Mathieu Bejot, who confirmed that approximately 50 French firms will operate under the TVFI umbrella. “MIPCOM will be especially interesting to us this year because there’s going to be a lot of animation,” he said, noting that kids’ programming makes up roughly 35-40 percent of French television exports each year. In addition to ITV, another U.K. company that will be on hand to meet, greet and do business at MIPCOM is Power, which will focus its market efforts on promoting Crusoe, its adaptation of the famed Daniel Defoe novel that airs this fall on NBC in the U.S. “We’ve pre-sold Crusoe in 43 territories,” said Power’s Chris Philip, mentioning that the family-friendly series will soon air on Canal Plus in France, Channel Nine in Australia and TV2 in Hungary, among other regions. “It’s an enormous accomplishment to get a scripted show on TV in the U.S.,” said Philip. “When we’re sitting at a table with a client and we tell them we have a U.S. network show, that gets their attention immediately. We’ve been able to capitalize on that with a number of long-term output deals.” U.K.-based FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) has also found luck with U.S. networks in recent months. America’s Toughest Jobs, a series about the hardest professions out there, recently began airing NBC. “There is definitely still fallout from the writers’ strike,” said Mark Gray, head of Acquisitions at FME. “As a result, the U.S. networks have been showing a lot of unscripted programs,” which is part of the reason why America’s Toughest Jobscame to the peacock net. “The strike has both helped us and hurt us,” said Michel Rodrigue, CEO and founder of Canada’s Distraction, which is bringing some of its most popular formats to Cannes, including Next Great Leaderand Serial Frank. “It’s helped because we had the opportunity to pitch our shows to the networks. It got us places we wouldn’t have been before. But a strike is never a good thing for our industry, so we were happy when it ended.” Heading into MIPCOM, Rodrigue is excited that formats are more popular than ever and isn’t at all worried that the studios are now fully invested in the format game. “We’re the oldest company dealing with formats,” he said. “We choose carefully. We know what we’re doing.” On the Spanish-language side, U.S.- based Telemundo is muy excited about the telenovelas it will be bringing to the market. Among the Spanish-language soaps to be showcased at MIPCOM will be Doña Bárbara, Without Breasts There is No Paradise and Marina. “MIPCOM has always been the most relevant market for us because while other markets are local, MIPCOM continues to be global,” said Telemundo’s Xavier Aristimuño. The company, which has a strong presence in Asia, will use the event to continue its focus on the region. “China is a huge market for us,” said Aristimuño, noting that Marina V I D E O • A G E OC T O B E R 2 0 0 8 44 M I P C O M P r e v i e w Despite All, Still the Best Place for Global Business Chloe Van den Berg of Entertainment Rights Power’s Chris Philip and Eloise Tooke Xavier Aristimuño of Telemundo (Continued on Page 46)
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