Reed takes MIP into China

Photo credit: Sun Xiaoming

The organisers of MIPCOM are launching MIP China Hangzhou, a new programming market that will take place in China next May.

There have been rumours a China event was in the works swrling for some time, as reported by TBI in the wake of MIPTV in April, and show organiser Reed Midem has now confirmed this will happen.

As the title suggests, the event will be held in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, which also hosted the recent G20 summit.

It will run from May 23-25 and, in a country in which local partnerships are crucial and often a regulatory requirement, is being organised in partnership with China Media Management Inc (CMM-I), which is already the official representative for MIPTV/MIPCOM in China.

The third partner is Zhejiang MegaMedia, organiser of the Zhejiang Provincial pavilion at the MIP markets in Cannes.

They said the new event will foster content development between Chinese and International production companies, and provide an educational forum for Chinese media professionals who want to learn about international TV.

There will be a Partnership Forum at which international producers and distributors will be paired up with senior Chinese media executives, and a conference designed to share best practice in production, distribution and technology. Reed said 150 delegates are expected at the latter.

MIP attracts about 11,000 delegates, with official numbers flat in recent years, and about 14,000 head to the larger MIPCOM market in October. Reed Midem has moved beyond its signature Cannes events with a Latin American market, MIP Cancun, and now the Chinese equivalent.

“MIP China Hangzhou will provide a much-needed platform for international programme professionals to meet with their counterparts from companies throughout China,” said Dong Yue, the Hangzhou mayor’s representative.

“Cross-border content development is more than ever a strategic choice for entertainment production companies looking to capture local and global audiences,” added Reed Midem chief executive Paul Zilk.

Global TV companies have long struggled to get finished shows, formats and channels launched in China, with varying degrees of success. Distributors in particular need to navigate a fast-changing regulatory landscape, with limits on foreign programmes, and permissible content, often changing, and concerns over IP protection still top of mind.