Reed Midem strikes deal to keep MIPTV in Cannes

MIPTV is set to remain in Cannes until 2024 after the event’s organiser Reed Midem extended its deal with the French town.

The agreement will see Reed Midem operating six of its conferences – including MIPTV and MIPCOM – in Cannes for a further five years, along with its MIDEM, MIPIM, MAPIC and Esports Bar events.

The six events generate in excess of €250m ($280m) in economic benefits to the town, according to Cannes officials, with more than 62,000 delegates attending the conferences each year.

The deal was struck last week by David Lisnard, mayor of Cannes, Paul Zilk, Reed Midem CEO, and Claire-Anne Reix and Didier Boidin, who work for SEMEC, which runs the town’s Palais des Festivals conference centre.

Zilk said: “Reed Midem has been organising major international business events in Cannes since MIPTV in 1965. The city is transforming itself in a positive manner, thanks to public and private investment that continually develops its services and its international competitiveness.”

The agreement ends speculation that MIPTV could be set to move away from Cannes – with Barcelona regularly touted as a potential alternative – and comes two months since organisers Reed Midem revealed an initial batch of distributors to have signed up for the reimagined market.

All3Media, Discovery and Warner Bros. are among those set to attend, along with others such as Beyond International, Blue Ant Media, Deutsche Welle, Global Agency and TV France International.

Organisers have said it has made “significant changes” to the MIPTV programme, boosting the number of buyers at the market by 50%. It has also instituted an expanded content discovery programme that will prioritise screenings, as well as a market intelligence strand.

The revamp followed major changes to the layout of the market, which is moving all outdoor stands inside and concentrating the event across three floors, as first revealed by TBI.

MIPTV runs from 30 March to 2 April.