Final Curtain Comes Down On MIPTV As More Details Emerge Of New Event, MIP London

Stewart Clarke
·2 min read

MIPTV is coming to an end – but people have not traveled here to Cannes in the numbers of yesteryear to say goodbye.

Market organizers RX France said Tuesday that the final MIPTV has attracted 3,500 people including 1,100 buyers. For context, there were over 5,000 in town last year and that was considered low. The event regularly topped 10,000 delegates in the earlier 2000s and this year’s last-ever edition will go down as one of the smallest. MIPCOM, in October, still hits those big numbers, however, and remains a focal point for the international TV industry.

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The final MIPTV has been a pared back version of the market many people remember. The iconic ‘bunker’ – the downstairs part of the Palais Des Festivals that used to thrum with buyers and distributors hashing out deals – is closed, as are many other parts of the huge venue that hosts the event. One floor of the Riviera part of the Palais is the focus of the market activity this time, and sales execs said they had fairly busy schedules.

The dwindling attendance underlines why RX has brought the curtain down on MIPTV. Its new event, MIP London, launches in 2025 and is the subject of much chatter among those who have made the trip to Cannes this week. A scurrilous rumor suggested RX might make a late switch from London to Barcelona, but RX Entertainment Division Director, Lucy Smith, put paid to that notion as she outlined what people can expect from the UK event next Feb.

“It is the right time to take action, it’s been reinforced here at the market that change is constant,” Smith said about the London move. Discussing the new event she noted: “It will be a completely different market to MIPTV in terms of format and size.” She added: “Forget exhibition and think screenings, meetings and networking.”

The target will be distributors that want to be in London but do not have a base there. There will be two screening rooms in the IET venue – one housing 450 and another 180 people. Smith said there is the potential to bring many more buyers to town than just those attending the London Screenings. RX will conduct site visits for clients ahead of time. The company also reaffirmed its continued commitment to having MIPCOM situated in Cannes.

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