MipTV Confirms London Relocation Starting in 2025
Annual Cannes-based market MipTV has confirmed its move to London, ending months of speculation.
Variety has confirmed the market will run alongside the London Screenings next February. It will be located at the five-star Savoy Hotel, as well as the IET London, a screenings venue located at Savoy Place in the West End area.
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A spokesperson for RX told Variety the event will have a different format than MipTV and confirmed the Cannes confab will have its last edition this Spring. But while MipTV will relocate to the U.K., RX said it will continue to host fall event Mipcom in Cannes in October.
The London transfer will be free for buyers and will not require a flat fee for delegates. “It will be different than MipTV, so it won’t be an exhibition market but rather focused on networking, screenings and meetings,” said a rep for RX, adding that it will cater to international distributors and companies who don’t have an office or base in London. Although RX has opted to organize their event at the same time as London Screenings, there is no deal in place between the two events. The spokesperson said the Mip conference is being designed to be “complementary” to London Screenings, which just wrapped a banner edition earlier this month.
As for Cannes Series, the festival which has been running alongside MipTV, it won’t be moving to London, the spokesperson said, instead returning to the Palais as normal in 2025.
The scale of the London event will be much smaller than MipTV since the Savoy Hotel and EIT venue can welcome only 1,300 people at a given time. By comparison, the market space in Cannes — the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès — can welcome up to 30,000 participants.
“The creation of Mip London is a direct result of clear and evidenced market factors.” said Lucy Smith, entertainment division director at RX France. “There is a continued appetite for a global content market in the first half of the year. Mip London will not only alleviate a busy events calendar but will provide an additional entry point for international companies to gather in London at the same time.”
“MipTV was established in Cannes over six decades ago and is intrinsically linked to the city,” Smith continued. “It was never a case of simply re-locating it but we have to acknowledge the transformation in the market. MipTV will bow out in April and we intend to stage a memorable final edition. Following this, all our energies on the Croisette will be focused on Mipcom Cannes and our mission to deliver the mother of all entertainment markets in partnership with the city.”
The 61st — and final — MipTV will take place in Cannes next month from April 8 to 10. The inaugural Mip London is set to take place Feb. 24 to 27, 2025. Mipcom will celebrate its 40th anniversary in Cannes this fall, from Oct. 21 to 24.
Variety‘s sister outlet Deadline first reported the news of MipTV’s relocation in London.
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