Highlights from MIPTV 2024: Day 2 (part 2)

Like yesterday, this afternoon at MIPTV started with a Fresh TV session, during which The WIT ’s Virginia Mouseler treats the market’s delegates with a selection of TV content from around the world. Today’s presentation was dedicated to fiction: Virginia showed snippets of new and original series of all genres. Revealing that The Wit’s data showed a slight increase in comedy over other genres in the overall production of TV fiction over the past year, she went on to present a slew of shows where comedy combines with diversity, from teens with down syndrome killing zombies to a comical dive into the Japanese gay scene.

This was followed by a Q&A session in the Matchmaking Area where Joe Barrett from PBS International and Tracy Beckett from PBS Distribution took part in a Meet the Experts chat to answer questions about navigating the changing distribution landscape for documentaries, with the moderation of Peter Hamilton .

Back on the Riviera Stage, a Finance Lab panel talk was addressing the fashionable subject of branded entertainment. ‘How Brands Are Becoming Part of the Funding Story’ was the question asked by this session, which was moderated by Victoria Campolongo ( BB Media, a Fabric Data Company ).

Answering the slightly different question of why brands are becoming part of the TV content landscape, Darren Smith from House of Oddities said: “Brands love television, and they hate being that crap bit of TV that comes between the good stuff and during which you go and make a cup of tea”, namely advertising – which is increasingly becoming a not-so-efficient way of connecting with customers. “The most confident brands like Barbie or Lego are going out there to tell a story. They’re not looking for a way to sell products, they’re looking for a way to connect with people.”

The fact that branded entertainment tends to be looked down on in the TV industry because it supposedly isn’t as good as traditionally commissioned entertainment is a misconception Banijay Entertainment ’s Carlotta Rossi Spencer categorically refutes. “We’re talking about ‘branded entertainment’, but it’s actually ‘entertainment that is made with brands’,” she said. “At the end of the day, you are making content for audiences, like everyone in this room does.” She did underline that the difference with other entertainment is that a branded piece is generally part of a marketing mix: “it’s not living on its own, so the conversation with brands has to be about integrating that piece of content into a wider strategy. But in the best case scenario, you’re going to watch that content as a high-end piece of content, regardless of the brand.”

Just like any player in the media landscape, brands are looking to build fans and communities, “but also their own media platforms”, said You First | Gersh ’s Javier Martinez . “We need to understand how the brands see this evolving landscape and embrace the opportunities to add value to the content we are offering.”

The panel that succeeded this one on the Riviera Stage touched upon another timely subject: artificial intelligence. ‘Content Business Strategies across Global Entertainment with AI + Data’ saw 谷歌 TV’s Faz Aftab and Vitrina A.I. ’s Atul Phadnis present their respective companies’ activities in the global entertainment landscape, with a keen focus on how they leverage data and AI.

The discussion, moderated by Sanjay Reddy from Unlock Venture Partners , delved into the evolution of data availability and its impact on the industry, emphasizing the shift from traditional broadcasting to streaming and the resulting need for data-driven decision-making. “When you’re trying to design a content proposition on a platform across different geographies, what you need is the underlying data to be able to make those decisions,” said Aftab. “To equip yourself to launch in a new territory, you need access to the right data sources. That’s what we’re trying to do with our TV platform.”

She underlined the fact that leveraging AI was a means to increase efficiency and productivity. “For example, if you have the ability to understand what’s trending in a particular country, you can create an incredibly popular FAST channel for that country thanks to local relevance. In a world where we’re trying not to create one-size-fits-all solutions, I think that’s important.”

Phadnis went on to detail what Vitrina AI offers. The company’s objective is to connect the global video entertainment supply chain, pairing buyers with sellers thanks to a listing of dozens of thousands of companies around the world that are profiled daily. “It’s a global landscape, and when you expand into new markets, it’s essential to find out what the main players are, but also what the pecking order is.”

Ending the day's busy programme, MIP Director Lucy Smith took to the Riviera Stage once again to make the big announcement everyone has been talking about in the corridors of the Palais: the launch of MIPLONDON!

Greeted by heartfelt applause from a full room – in a bout of nostalgia and commemoration for the last MIPTV – ?Smith gave an overview of what to expect from the new event. Held late February, it will coincide with the BBC Studios Showcases and the London TV Screenings. MIPLONDON will offer a new hub for international buyers in the heart of West London, a stone’s throw from both those events as it will take place at the iconic Savoy Hotel and IET London: Savoy Place. The decision for this move was made due to a “consolidated industry market” and to respond to “new market needs”, explained Smith.

RX France ’s SVP Business Development Robert Marking went on to describe the event and its venues in more detail, showing renditions and floorplans of the planned buyers lounges, private club rooms, screening theatres, etc. In the meantime, the audience was reminded that MIPCOM would remain RX France’s flagship entertainment content market, continuing to make Cannes the gathering place for the industry every October.