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| Chakib Doghmi President chakib@redcarpetconciergeofchicago.com 773 495 5068 |
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INDUSTRY GETS CONNECTED
AS STARS HIT MIPTV
Deals Abound at Premier Entertainment Event
MIPTV-Cannes, Thursday 7 April – The new generation of entertainment content consumers, willing and able to
watch television while surfing the web, tweeting to their friends and giving their live feedback about shows to the
shows themselves, is driving change within the entertainment industry.
That was the message in Cannes this week as some 11,500 executives (including 4,000 buyers) from 4,000
companies and 100 countries gathered together at MIPTV. And in the new world of connected television, the
audience, rather than the programmer, is increasingly calling the shots.
Speaking at a MIPTV conference session, Gary Carter, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Creative Officer, FMX
FremantleMedia, advised producers not to forget that viewers are making relationships between themselves
before, during and after they watch shows. "The audience is taking the power. If we want to do real connected TV,
we have to let them be the boss," he said.
And that doesn't just mean audiences voting contestants off their favourite talent show, or a peak of 189,000
people using Facebook to play along to Endemol's 'The Million Dollar Drop' in the UK. It also involves a huge UK
online fan community advising 'Skins' participants (Channel 4) what they should or should not be doing as the
series progresses.
"The development of television, PCs, tablets and mobile technology is changing the relationship between content
providers and audiences. If companies can harness the multi-platform audience engagement they will be well
positioned to reach audiences," noted Laurine Garaude, Television Division Director at MIPTV organizer Reed
MIDEM.
Among a plethora of deals to be announced during MIPTV, CBS Studios International closed a string of international
sales on period drama 'The Borgias,' starring Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia. Neil Jordan directed the first two
episodes of the nine-part series which was sold across Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa
during MIPTV.
ZDF Enterprises posted strong sales at MIPTV with particular demand for their factual series. ZDFE President and
CEO, Alexander Coridass reported that Arctic-driller series 'License to Drill,' repo-man saga 'Repossessed' and
prison series 'Hard Times,' had been acquired by Australia's ABC, Discovery Channel EMEA, Canwest in Canada as
well as selling in Scandinavia.
In Poland, HD and 3D content from National Geographic is on its way to Polish satellite platform 'n'. The platform has
formed a partnership with Fox International Channels that adds National Geographic Channel HD to its offering of 26
HD channels, as well as picking up more than 20 hours of National Geographic Channel 3D content.
Governator Walks Camelot Talks
Day one of MIPTV saw a return to Cannes of entertainment icon and former Governor of California, Arnold
Schwarzenegger, after an eight year absence. Surprising some Hollywood pundits, the 'Terminator' star has
decided that his first entertainment project since stepping down from the governorship will be new animation
series 'The Governator,' in which his toon character is a former Governor turned superhero.
Producers Andy and Amy Heyward of A Squared Entertainment, have pulled of a regular coup by teaming Arnold
Schwarzenegger with legendary comic book artist Stan Lee. The series' lead character, who received France's
prestigious Legion of Honour from French Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand while at MIPTV, told a packed press
conference on April 4 that "The Governator" will be a comic book, 52-part animation series and 3D film, as well as
having games and merchandising interests.
Clearly enthused by his return to showbiz via 'The Governator' and about being in Cannes, Arnold Schwarzenegger
caused a stir on a crowded Croisette with an impromptu walkabout between meetings with international buyers
who are negotiating on the project.
"Obviously it's great to have such a huge name at MIPTV," commented Reed MIDEM's Laurine Garaude. "The fact
that A Squared Entertainment chose MIPTV to make the international launch of 'The Governator' is an honour and
testimony to MIPTV's international reach."
April 4 also saw MIPTV delegates treated to the first international viewing of GK-tv's Arthurian epic series
'Camelot,' starring Joseph Fiennes as Merlin, Eva Green as Morgan le Fay and Jamie Bower Campbell as King
Arthur. The trio attended a full-house World Premiere Television Screening in the Palais des Festival's Grand
Auditorium, which will be welcoming Cannes Film Festival competition pictures in May.
'Camelot,' an Irish-Canadian co-production, debuted on Starz in the United States last week and another major
series destined for Starz, the BBC's 'Torchwood: Miracle Day,' flew into Cannes with lead actors John Barrowman
and Bill Pullman accompanying. They took time out of a busy schedule to walk the MIPTV Opening Night Red Carpet
alongside 'InSecurity' talent Richard Yearwood, Natalie Lisinska and Remy Girard, 'Endgame' star Shawn Doyle and
former Miss World, Diane Hayden who toplines in new reality show 'Incredible Indian Bride.'
"What was quite clear this week is that there are big shows out there in the market and talented actors prepared to
support those shows by attending MIPTV," said Reed MIDEM's Laurine Garaude.
Ambitious Drama Evident
In the search for audiences in the fragmented world of entertainment, some broadcasters are pinning their faith in
the pulling power of ambitious and star-driven drama. Robert Halmi's RHI Entertainment was closing territories on
two such properties, two-part miniseries 'Treasure Island,' starring Donald Sutherland, Elijah Wood and Eddie
Izzard and 'Neverland,' the prequel to the story of Peter Pan, which includes Keira Knightly and Bob Hoskins in the
cast. Both are currently in post-production and set to air on Sky outlets in the UK.
Two major co-productions were also causing a stir in Cannes. FremantleMedia brought two-part epic 'The Sinking
of the Laconia,' to MIPTV. The WWII naval drama was five years in the making, underling the complexity of co-
productions, according to FremantleMedia executives.
And French pay-television powerhouse Canal Plus brought the cast (including John Doman) of its 'Borgia' drama to
MIPTV to support sales of the €25 million series – the most expensive drama to be financed out of Europe to date.
Canal Plus COO, Rodolphe Belmer, told MIPTV delegates that his company is committed to investing in ambitious
drama to satisfy the demands of its audiences. During his keynote address he told delegates "to be strong in a
globalising television market, European television groups need world class content." The Canal Plus executive
noted, however, that ambitious projects require ambitious budgets. "€1 million an hour is not enough to make
world class drama," he said, adding that budgets needed to be nearer the €2.5 million-€3 million an hour mark.
Formats Continue to Find Favour
With the formats business continuing to move from strength to strength, MIPFormats this year was extended to two
days and deal-making activity was brisk. ITV Studios France got the ball rolling by signing with leading French
national broadcaster TF1 for a Gallic version of reality format 'Four Weddings.' TF1 has also ordered Endemol's
'Million Dollar Drop,' and FremantleMedia's 'Push the Button.'
'Big Brother' fans in the UK can look forward to a return of the show on British screens. Endemol closed a two-year
deal to bring the reality favourite to Channel 5.
Meanwhile 'Deal or No Deal' creator and MIPFormats keynote speaker, Dick de Rijk, showcased his new, altruistic
gameshow format 'You Deserve It.' Prior to MIPTV, SevenOne International sold the format to ABC in the United
States and in Cannes SevenOne completed deals in Germany, Italy and the Middle East. In a break with traditional
gameshows, 'You Deserve It' sees contestants trying to win cash for a deserving individual rather than for
themselves.
"'You Deserve It' is a great example of the ability of format specialists to evolve and develop the genre, which is
one of the reasons that formats are so popular with audiences and trusted by broadcasters," commented Laurine
Garaude.
Industry Connects
Reflecting the rapid developments in the connected world, MIPTV 2011 launched the inaugural Connected
Creativity forum – a combination of conference discussions, start-up presentations, pitching sessions to venture
capitalists and a futuristic Experience Hub.
"We launched Connected Creativity this year because the industry faces an interesting learning curb, so we wanted
to bring together television and entertainment content creators, technology experts and mobile device specialists,"
added Laurine Garaude.
According to Connected Creativity keynote speaker, Ericsson President and CEO, Hans Vestberg, such is his
company's belief in the connected business, that Ericsson is investing some €3.1 billion per year on research and
development. He told his audience that by 2020 the "networked society" will number 50 billion internet-connected
devices, eight billion mobile subscribers and that already, 70% of the time on smartphones is used for non-voice
activity.
Another communications heavyweight looking to liven up the traditional viewing experience is Orange, which
chose MIPTV to unveil its check-in TV App, TV Check. Orange's VP Digital Innovation and Communities, Patrice
Slupowski, with the aid of an iPhone, demonstrated how viewers checked into the show they were watching and
earned badges and points for doing so. TV Check joins a growing band of companies providing check-in social
features for viewers including Foursquare, GetGlue, Miso and IntoNow.
Inside the Connected Creativity Experience Hub, technology giant Intel chose to raise its profile at MIPTV this year
as part of what the company's Digital Home Group Marketing Director, Lance Koenders, described as Intel's aim "to
educate the television industry about the technological benefits that are already here and next-generation
possibilities. The Digital Home Group is increasingly involved in providing enabling products for the global TV
industry."
Intel's Experience Hub neighbour, Vivendi subsidiary zaOza, has been at the forefront of using cloud technology to
drive its content-sharing platform which enables subscribers to access such content as games, films and series
whenever and wherever they want. "Vivendi is pretty good at all aspects of the media chain," commented Anne-
Carole Nourisson, zaOza Vice President of Licensing. "It has always believed that that the consumer should be
given access to content as easily as possible and the freedom to do so anywhere."
"Connected Creativity is a bit like a start-up. We wanted to bring people together and to support up-and-coming
entertainment entrepreneurs, which is why we set up CC Ventures* for start-ups to pitch their projects to a panel of
venture capitalists," reported Anne de Kerckhove, Reed MIDEM's Entertainment Division Director. "With some 500
registered Connected Creativity participants, it has been an encouraging debut and we will build on the concept in
the future."
Brands Meet Content Creators
MIPTV saw continued convergence between the production and brands communities. American Express has been
a front-runner in innovative use of music, sport and entertainment to develop brand awareness and at MIPTV the
company received the inaugural Brand of the Year Award on April 5.
As the week progressed, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide CEO, Miles Young, told the audience at his Branded
Entertainment keynote speech that branded content campaigns need to be "meticulously and carefully designed." In
particular he drew attention to the nuances of brands working with existing content and brands creating their own
content.
Generating understanding and business opportunities between brands and content creators is still in the
development stage. So at MIPTV, Endemol, Shine, Zodiak and FremantleMedia sat down with IBM, Ikea, Coke Zero
and British Airways. Prior to MIPTV, the brands had sent a marketing brief to the content creators so that both sides
could discuss proposals at a MIPTV meeting session. "The idea is not to try and strike a deal right here, but it
provides a framework and context for proper conversations," noted session organizer Patou Nuytemans, Ogilvy's
Chief Digital Officer, EMEA.
Programme buyers
Distributors and sales agents
Programme producers
Finance partners
Commissioners
Platform owners
Internet & mobile players
Solutions providers
Advertisers
Major global brands
Licensing executives
Advertising & media agencies
AS STARS HIT MIPTV
Deals Abound at Premier Entertainment Event
MIPTV-Cannes, Thursday 7 April – The new generation of entertainment content consumers, willing and able to
watch television while surfing the web, tweeting to their friends and giving their live feedback about shows to the
shows themselves, is driving change within the entertainment industry.
That was the message in Cannes this week as some 11,500 executives (including 4,000 buyers) from 4,000
companies and 100 countries gathered together at MIPTV. And in the new world of connected television, the
audience, rather than the programmer, is increasingly calling the shots.
Speaking at a MIPTV conference session, Gary Carter, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Creative Officer, FMX
FremantleMedia, advised producers not to forget that viewers are making relationships between themselves
before, during and after they watch shows. "The audience is taking the power. If we want to do real connected TV,
we have to let them be the boss," he said.
And that doesn't just mean audiences voting contestants off their favourite talent show, or a peak of 189,000
people using Facebook to play along to Endemol's 'The Million Dollar Drop' in the UK. It also involves a huge UK
online fan community advising 'Skins' participants (Channel 4) what they should or should not be doing as the
series progresses.
"The development of television, PCs, tablets and mobile technology is changing the relationship between content
providers and audiences. If companies can harness the multi-platform audience engagement they will be well
positioned to reach audiences," noted Laurine Garaude, Television Division Director at MIPTV organizer Reed
MIDEM.
Among a plethora of deals to be announced during MIPTV, CBS Studios International closed a string of international
sales on period drama 'The Borgias,' starring Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia. Neil Jordan directed the first two
episodes of the nine-part series which was sold across Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa
during MIPTV.
ZDF Enterprises posted strong sales at MIPTV with particular demand for their factual series. ZDFE President and
CEO, Alexander Coridass reported that Arctic-driller series 'License to Drill,' repo-man saga 'Repossessed' and
prison series 'Hard Times,' had been acquired by Australia's ABC, Discovery Channel EMEA, Canwest in Canada as
well as selling in Scandinavia.
In Poland, HD and 3D content from National Geographic is on its way to Polish satellite platform 'n'. The platform has
formed a partnership with Fox International Channels that adds National Geographic Channel HD to its offering of 26
HD channels, as well as picking up more than 20 hours of National Geographic Channel 3D content.
Governator Walks Camelot Talks
Day one of MIPTV saw a return to Cannes of entertainment icon and former Governor of California, Arnold
Schwarzenegger, after an eight year absence. Surprising some Hollywood pundits, the 'Terminator' star has
decided that his first entertainment project since stepping down from the governorship will be new animation
series 'The Governator,' in which his toon character is a former Governor turned superhero.
Producers Andy and Amy Heyward of A Squared Entertainment, have pulled of a regular coup by teaming Arnold
Schwarzenegger with legendary comic book artist Stan Lee. The series' lead character, who received France's
prestigious Legion of Honour from French Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand while at MIPTV, told a packed press
conference on April 4 that "The Governator" will be a comic book, 52-part animation series and 3D film, as well as
having games and merchandising interests.
Clearly enthused by his return to showbiz via 'The Governator' and about being in Cannes, Arnold Schwarzenegger
caused a stir on a crowded Croisette with an impromptu walkabout between meetings with international buyers
who are negotiating on the project.
"Obviously it's great to have such a huge name at MIPTV," commented Reed MIDEM's Laurine Garaude. "The fact
that A Squared Entertainment chose MIPTV to make the international launch of 'The Governator' is an honour and
testimony to MIPTV's international reach."
April 4 also saw MIPTV delegates treated to the first international viewing of GK-tv's Arthurian epic series
'Camelot,' starring Joseph Fiennes as Merlin, Eva Green as Morgan le Fay and Jamie Bower Campbell as King
Arthur. The trio attended a full-house World Premiere Television Screening in the Palais des Festival's Grand
Auditorium, which will be welcoming Cannes Film Festival competition pictures in May.
'Camelot,' an Irish-Canadian co-production, debuted on Starz in the United States last week and another major
series destined for Starz, the BBC's 'Torchwood: Miracle Day,' flew into Cannes with lead actors John Barrowman
and Bill Pullman accompanying. They took time out of a busy schedule to walk the MIPTV Opening Night Red Carpet
alongside 'InSecurity' talent Richard Yearwood, Natalie Lisinska and Remy Girard, 'Endgame' star Shawn Doyle and
former Miss World, Diane Hayden who toplines in new reality show 'Incredible Indian Bride.'
"What was quite clear this week is that there are big shows out there in the market and talented actors prepared to
support those shows by attending MIPTV," said Reed MIDEM's Laurine Garaude.
Ambitious Drama Evident
In the search for audiences in the fragmented world of entertainment, some broadcasters are pinning their faith in
the pulling power of ambitious and star-driven drama. Robert Halmi's RHI Entertainment was closing territories on
two such properties, two-part miniseries 'Treasure Island,' starring Donald Sutherland, Elijah Wood and Eddie
Izzard and 'Neverland,' the prequel to the story of Peter Pan, which includes Keira Knightly and Bob Hoskins in the
cast. Both are currently in post-production and set to air on Sky outlets in the UK.
Two major co-productions were also causing a stir in Cannes. FremantleMedia brought two-part epic 'The Sinking
of the Laconia,' to MIPTV. The WWII naval drama was five years in the making, underling the complexity of co-
productions, according to FremantleMedia executives.
And French pay-television powerhouse Canal Plus brought the cast (including John Doman) of its 'Borgia' drama to
MIPTV to support sales of the €25 million series – the most expensive drama to be financed out of Europe to date.
Canal Plus COO, Rodolphe Belmer, told MIPTV delegates that his company is committed to investing in ambitious
drama to satisfy the demands of its audiences. During his keynote address he told delegates "to be strong in a
globalising television market, European television groups need world class content." The Canal Plus executive
noted, however, that ambitious projects require ambitious budgets. "€1 million an hour is not enough to make
world class drama," he said, adding that budgets needed to be nearer the €2.5 million-€3 million an hour mark.
Formats Continue to Find Favour
With the formats business continuing to move from strength to strength, MIPFormats this year was extended to two
days and deal-making activity was brisk. ITV Studios France got the ball rolling by signing with leading French
national broadcaster TF1 for a Gallic version of reality format 'Four Weddings.' TF1 has also ordered Endemol's
'Million Dollar Drop,' and FremantleMedia's 'Push the Button.'
'Big Brother' fans in the UK can look forward to a return of the show on British screens. Endemol closed a two-year
deal to bring the reality favourite to Channel 5.
Meanwhile 'Deal or No Deal' creator and MIPFormats keynote speaker, Dick de Rijk, showcased his new, altruistic
gameshow format 'You Deserve It.' Prior to MIPTV, SevenOne International sold the format to ABC in the United
States and in Cannes SevenOne completed deals in Germany, Italy and the Middle East. In a break with traditional
gameshows, 'You Deserve It' sees contestants trying to win cash for a deserving individual rather than for
themselves.
"'You Deserve It' is a great example of the ability of format specialists to evolve and develop the genre, which is
one of the reasons that formats are so popular with audiences and trusted by broadcasters," commented Laurine
Garaude.
Industry Connects
Reflecting the rapid developments in the connected world, MIPTV 2011 launched the inaugural Connected
Creativity forum – a combination of conference discussions, start-up presentations, pitching sessions to venture
capitalists and a futuristic Experience Hub.
"We launched Connected Creativity this year because the industry faces an interesting learning curb, so we wanted
to bring together television and entertainment content creators, technology experts and mobile device specialists,"
added Laurine Garaude.
According to Connected Creativity keynote speaker, Ericsson President and CEO, Hans Vestberg, such is his
company's belief in the connected business, that Ericsson is investing some €3.1 billion per year on research and
development. He told his audience that by 2020 the "networked society" will number 50 billion internet-connected
devices, eight billion mobile subscribers and that already, 70% of the time on smartphones is used for non-voice
activity.
Another communications heavyweight looking to liven up the traditional viewing experience is Orange, which
chose MIPTV to unveil its check-in TV App, TV Check. Orange's VP Digital Innovation and Communities, Patrice
Slupowski, with the aid of an iPhone, demonstrated how viewers checked into the show they were watching and
earned badges and points for doing so. TV Check joins a growing band of companies providing check-in social
features for viewers including Foursquare, GetGlue, Miso and IntoNow.
Inside the Connected Creativity Experience Hub, technology giant Intel chose to raise its profile at MIPTV this year
as part of what the company's Digital Home Group Marketing Director, Lance Koenders, described as Intel's aim "to
educate the television industry about the technological benefits that are already here and next-generation
possibilities. The Digital Home Group is increasingly involved in providing enabling products for the global TV
industry."
Intel's Experience Hub neighbour, Vivendi subsidiary zaOza, has been at the forefront of using cloud technology to
drive its content-sharing platform which enables subscribers to access such content as games, films and series
whenever and wherever they want. "Vivendi is pretty good at all aspects of the media chain," commented Anne-
Carole Nourisson, zaOza Vice President of Licensing. "It has always believed that that the consumer should be
given access to content as easily as possible and the freedom to do so anywhere."
"Connected Creativity is a bit like a start-up. We wanted to bring people together and to support up-and-coming
entertainment entrepreneurs, which is why we set up CC Ventures* for start-ups to pitch their projects to a panel of
venture capitalists," reported Anne de Kerckhove, Reed MIDEM's Entertainment Division Director. "With some 500
registered Connected Creativity participants, it has been an encouraging debut and we will build on the concept in
the future."
Brands Meet Content Creators
MIPTV saw continued convergence between the production and brands communities. American Express has been
a front-runner in innovative use of music, sport and entertainment to develop brand awareness and at MIPTV the
company received the inaugural Brand of the Year Award on April 5.
As the week progressed, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide CEO, Miles Young, told the audience at his Branded
Entertainment keynote speech that branded content campaigns need to be "meticulously and carefully designed." In
particular he drew attention to the nuances of brands working with existing content and brands creating their own
content.
Generating understanding and business opportunities between brands and content creators is still in the
development stage. So at MIPTV, Endemol, Shine, Zodiak and FremantleMedia sat down with IBM, Ikea, Coke Zero
and British Airways. Prior to MIPTV, the brands had sent a marketing brief to the content creators so that both sides
could discuss proposals at a MIPTV meeting session. "The idea is not to try and strike a deal right here, but it
provides a framework and context for proper conversations," noted session organizer Patou Nuytemans, Ogilvy's
Chief Digital Officer, EMEA.
Programme buyers
Distributors and sales agents
Programme producers
Finance partners
Commissioners
Platform owners
Internet & mobile players
Solutions providers
Advertisers
Major global brands
Licensing executives
Advertising & media agencies
| Robert DE NIRO, President – Actor, Director / USA Martina GUSMAN Actress and producer / Argentina Nansun SHI Producer / Hong Kong - China Uma THURMAN Actress, scriptwriter, producer / USA Linn ULLMANN Writer, journalist, literary critic / Norway Olivier ASSAYAS Director / France Jude LAW Actor, producer / UK Mahamat Saleh HAROUN Director / Chad Johnnie TO Director, producer / Hong Kong - China THE SHORT FILM AND CINEFONDATION JURY Michel GONDRY, President – Director / France Julie GAYET Actress and Producer / France Jessica HAUSNER Director and Producer / Austria Corneliu PORUMBOIU Director / Romania João Pedro RODRIGUES Director / Portugal UN CERTAIN REGARD JURY Emir KUSTURICA, President – Director / Serbia THE CAMERA D’OR JURY BONG Joon-Ho, President – Director / Korea |
| FESTIVAL JURIES |
| Press conference at the festival |
