MIPCOM Searching for its New Soul

Cannes has lost its soul — and is in search of a new one. That was the prevailing impression at this year’s global audiovisual program fair, MIPCOM.

To set the record straight: This fall, MIPCOM in Cannes was once again well-attended and lively. RX France, the fair’s organizer, reported a final count of 10,500 participants. But despite the numbers, the market didn’t feel entirely in full swing — at least, not for everyone. On one side, some providers had a strong niche presence or managed to showcase premium content that left them barely able to keep up with demand. Yet many smaller players voiced frustrations about how challenging the current market situation is.

The changing landscape of the industry is a major factor. “You don’t find the young, truly innovative program creators here anymore,” noted one internationally recognized documentary provider. “They’re creating directly for social media and going straight to the consumer.” Another attendee summarized: “TV as the main medium is a thing of the past. Licensing is now a secondary, if not tertiary, market.” This shift was also evident at the parties and receptions. In contrast to better times, budgets seemed tight; one reception had cut out the customary champagne, while another skipped the typical cocktail-hour hors d’oeuvres.

In short: The market is split. On one side, we see large international productions, made with increasingly extravagant budgets and marketed with equally intense effort. This often requires international co-productions, as national producers alone can no longer shoulder the costs. This trend has been growing for years; in fact, back in the late 1990s, Jan Mojto, CEO of Germany’s Beta Film, predicted it.

BetaFilm has now fully refined its catalog to focus on high-quality productions. The highlight this year was Rise of the Raven, an elaborately produced historical series from Hungary, Germany, and Austria. The director and lead actors were flown to the C?te d’Azur, not just to showcase the production to international program buyers during the traditional Beta Brunch. The international premiere also took place in the grand festival cinema at the Palais in Cannes, adding extra prestige to MIPCOM.

On the other side, we see a tougher situation, where many providers face mounting difficulties. It’s no coincidence that the MIPCOM Innovation Hub saw exceptionally high attendance this year, with keynotes, panels, and presentations drawing large crowds. But it was notable that there was no breakthrough “big new idea.”

Evan Shapiro from New York, who refers to himself as a Media Universe Cartographer, addressed this head-on in his keynote at the Hub. The last true innovation, he argued, was streaming. “That was years ago. What came next? Nothing!” In the beginning, consumers were promised easy access to all their favorite content, but “the opposite has happened; more barriers make it harder and harder to navigate.” His advice to providers was to collaborate more closely to foster genuine innovation in TV: “Let’s finally keep our promise to the audience,” Shapiro urged.

Despite everything, MIPCOM’s 40th anniversary was celebrated with fireworks on the first evening. The landscape remains challenging, with the industry still in a state of transformation. What will emerge from this remains uncertain, yet there seems to be room for optimism.