Opinion: Me, Myself & MIPCOM

Can Cannes be more glorious than it has been this week? Temperatures of 25 degrees certainly made this the return that MIPCOM deserved. Full diaries, full restaurants and, I believe, full hearts. My only sadness… I did not get to meet the power woman in town, Alyssa Milano!

I have to type fast – because I am still in the heady happy mood of a good MIP, too little sleep and too much good food. I found heaven – it is in a plate of truffle gnocchi at La Môme.

So let’s summarise how this market was, the opinions of your always honest format friend:

• High demand for content – content is the word on everyone’s lips and we were light. Everyone is aggressively hunting content but it is not launching at the market. Dating With Dogs was probably the best buzz before the market but nothing peaked during. It really is time to be strategic when sourcing content and connecting dots, because the time of abundance has passed. If you use MIPCOM as a tool to connect people, it is essential, no Zoom will replace the follow-ups to the conversations you start here. Associated to this is IP retention – but really that should just be logic to you all now: hold onto your IP and only share when it is fair!
• The Unknown – I never made it into the room, but I heard the format details and I think All3 have done something special, they have brought magic back to Cannes. We have not felt this magic since Rising Star launched and we need the glamour and anticipation in our market. So I vote to bring the ‘what’s in the box?’ room back next MIP and every year.
• The Fresh –There is confusion about what to expect at The Fresh: Virginia and the team give us a fun, independent glimpse of the creative moment. Adjust your expectations (and your cynicism). Pick up a Wit report if you want the deep dive into all content, otherwise sit back and enjoy! The Fresh gave us a conversation starter. Applaud it.
• Education in media – This is directly linked to the demand for content and that is the rise of the student creatives. University and college courses in our industry, where ex-colleagues now teach, are being used as a pipeline of content for broadcasters and prodcos. I fully support educating the next generation and giving them the Cannes experience, but I am concerned about IP ownership models.
• MIP for momentum – some companies do not even acquire third-party content. They come to Cannes to woo their own local broadcasters. Why? Because everyone at MIPCOM must return home with a progress report – a justification for making the pilgrimage each year and so MIP serves as that essential push to broadcasters to commit to commissions. From the sounds of it, MIPCOM was a bumper year for many!
• Cannes – The official attendance count is out – apparently RX exceeded attendance expectations to reach 10800. I am going to be honest, I don’t really care about numbers – the big success for me was that I could navigate the massively improved Palais to find the nirvana that is Riviera 9 Buyers Lounge using only one set of stairs and that Cannes had done us proud and made the Caffé Roma square SO much better – meaning we can have a coffee with a smile!
• Agile – the buzzword around the market. Now let me use an example my son may use: a giganotosaurus (it’s a huge dinosaur!) and a pterodactyl (bird sized dinosaur) are competing in an obstacle course – which of these do you think is more agile? Nothing that large is agile. It is powerful – it can wipe out a forest with the swish of its tail.

I come to Cannes because it is in my blood, every six months my internal clock tells me it is time. I divide my year into preparation and follow up accordingly, and have done for 18 years. I know many have said that MIPTV will die out due to new events in our schedule, but you all have it too – an internal clock telling you that in six months you need to return again. Don’t ignore it. The personal relationships we have were formed here in Cannes will ultimately advance us professionally.

Siobhan Crawford is co-founder at Glow Media and has worked in the format business for almost two decades at firms including DRG, Zodiak, Banijay and Primitives