BBC Studios to Return to Cannes, Set to Be Honored at Mipcom
BBC Studios will return to Cannes this fall, and will be honored at Mipcom with an inaugural Studio of Distinction award.
Created by Mipcom organizers RX France to mark “a landmark achievement by a global studio or platform,” the award will be presented to production-distribution powerhouse BBC Studios in the week that the BBC marks 100 years of public service broadcasting in the U.K. and its 90th year of international broadcasting.
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Senior BBC Studios executives are set to give keynote addresses at both Mip Junior and Mipcom. The company will also exhibit in a new location, moving from its custom built stand on the Croisette in 2019 (pictured below) to a new spot within the Palais des Festivals, in the spacious Verrière section, which also has an outdoor area overlooking the Croisette.
On the opening day of Mipcom, Tom Fussell, in his first public address as CEO of BBC Studios, will take the stage to discuss the “rapid pace of change” at the studio, whose recent credits include “Frozen Planet II,” “Good Omens,” “Prehistoric Planet,” “Top Gear” and “Happy Valley 3.” He will also speak about the company’s next chapter. Fussell became CEO permanently in October 2021, almost a year after he took the reins as interim CEO following Tim Davie’s exit.
Fussell will be joined on stage by Davie, who is now director general of the BBC.
Davie will talk to the enduring importance of the BBC at home and around the world and, why, with 100 years of reinvention behind it, the BBC is pursuing a digitally-led strategy at a time “when its hallmarks of impartiality, trust and quality have never been more important.”
Elsewhere, Cecilia Persson, managing director of BBC Studios’ Kids & Family, will address kids’ content conference Mip Junior, discussing the opportunities created by the formation of the new division, and laying out her vision for Kids & Family to be a major global force in children’s content.
The presentation of the award will take place at the opening day keynote session.
Lucy Smith, director of Mipcom and Mip Junior, said: “With the Studio of Distinction honor we are creating a moment to mark an organization’s extraordinary achievements to date whilst providing a global stage to share their future plans. Our first recipients could not be more timely or relevant given the extraordinary international impact and ongoing influence of this unique producer, broadcaster and distributor. We warmly welcome BBC Studios to Cannes to what is shaping up to be a super-sized Mipcom.”
BBC Studios’ return to Cannes seems to mark a turning point in the relationship between the company and the Cannes market, which haven’t always seen eye to eye. Like a number of companies, BBC Studios stopped coming to spring market MipTV some years back, and hasn’t exhibited at Mipcom since 2019. (The business skipped the first physical edition post-pandemic in 2021.)
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