8 Market Will Be Back With Screenings. Final Numbers Good on Both Fronts London’s three concurrent TV content events started with a bang on Sunday, February 23, 2025 — but they positively exploded on Monday. On Sunday, MIP London began with five conferences — including one on finances — and the opening party. And judging from that opening cocktail party, it looked like the whole international TV sector was at the inaugural MIP London, so large was the crowd. The London Screenings also started on Sunday with screenings from Studio Canal. On Monday, prior to the Screenings’ opening night party sponsored by Avalon, and a party that was part of the MIP London program, which was sponsored by Boat Rocker, there were screenings from MGM, Regency, and Fifth Season. Sunday’s London Marathon was a bit of an inconvenience, as it blocked the entrance at the front of the Savoy Hotel, which, together with the adjacent Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) building constituted the venues of MIP London. However, the marathon route only really affected those who had to cross Strand Street to get to the Savoy since the actual entrances for both venues were on the parallel Savoy Place Street. Another inconvenience for future Londonbased trade shows is that foreign travelers will need to apply online for a travel authorization before entering the U.K. The electronic-travel authorization (ETA) costs about U.S.$13. Attendees will have to figure this all out by next year because MIP London will be back in 2026, since, according to Lucy Smith, director of MIP London and MIPCOM Cannes, with over 2,800 delegates, including more than 1,000 buyers, “MIP London’s debut exceeded expectations.” The dates for MIP London 2026 have not yet been disclosed, but it will most likely take place during the last week of February since that’s when the sixth edition of the London Screenings, which runs in conjunction with MIP London, is taking place. “Plans are already under way for the 2026 edition, which will take place during the final week of February,” stated a press release issued by the organizers of the London Screenings, which consist of several English distribution companies. “Our plan has always been to complement existing events,” stated MIP London’s Smith. London Screenings organizers reported that their organic (i.e., free) market attracted “a record 850 key buyers from across all genres.” While the London Screenings are events set up by each of the participating 35 companies (all of which also sent invitations for their screenings and after-hours parties to buyers), MIP London required registration fees for participants (and exhibition costs), while buyers were invited for free if in attendance. On the other hand, if buyers registered but failed to attend, they were charged £500 (U.S. $650). Monday, February 24, was also the start of the BBC Showcase, held at 180 Studio on Strand Street. On the MIP side, Monday began with a barrage of conferences, and, of course, the market’s opening, plus NBCUniversal Television Alternative Studio took over the MIP London Happy Hour. The Monday conference on YouTube was so overcrowded that safety concerns necessitated the evacuation of people who couldn’t be seated. The same issue arose during Monday’s NBCUniversal Television Alternative Studio party at the Savoy, where the Beaufort Bar was overflowing. MIP organizers were ready for a crowd at Tuesday’s David Beckham conference, where the football (soccer) star was interviewed by Netflix COO Bela Bajaria, but many would-be attendees still wound up outside the doors to the event once the theater was filled up. One observation is that the YouTube event failed to explore whether it is a partner or competitor of broadcasters; and not even a single clip of Beckham’s new Netflix documentary was shown at his conference. These overcrowded conferences were mostly attended by participants who were looking for contacts to enter the entertainment business and delegates who did not have content acquisition duties. The crowd, however, was much thinner on the market floors. MIP London was staged at two venues, with a total of seven floors: three at the Savoy Hotel (for 30 exhibitors), and four at the adjacent IET building (for 54 exhibitors). Of the 84 total exhibitors, 18 hailed from the U.S., 11 from the U.K., and six from Turkey (among the largest contingents), and included content distributors such as A+E and FilmRise from the U.S., Nippon TV from Japan, Global Agency from Turkey, TelevisaUnivision from Mexico, and Record TV from Brazil. The venues were elegant, attendees agreed, especially the Savoy Hotel. However, the market floors at the IET were busier than the Savoy. There were also several representatives from distribution companies who chose not to exhibit, but who instead opted to walk around MIP London’s venues and get the lay of the land, including executives from Turkey’s Inter Medya, who came to investigate the market for possible future participation. As for the final MIP London numbers, the market officially recorded 1,000 buyers out of a total 2,800 delegates (including 100 journalists). In addition to European buyers, there were American and Canadian buyers interested in content for the Latin American market. Some buyers commented that it was difficult to attend both MIP and the concurrent London Screenings — especially in instances where their companies could not send more than one acquisition executive. Smith pointed out that MIP started a day before the London Screenings so as to help out buyers facing just such a predicament. Record TV’s Delmar Andrade was among the exhibitors Lucy Smith, director of MIP London and MIPCOM Cannes VIDEOAGE May 2025 MIP London Floor Report
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