People do forget fast. Less than three years ago, everyone was so happy the world’s biggest TV market is back in Cannes and now almost everyone tends to agree that “there is no need for a second market” in April. So, what changed in two MIPTVs after “the comeback”?

The rising popularity of Series Mania and the London TV Screenings and the successful revival of NATPE proved that people are not “tired” of markets and conferences, but rather looking for those that “work”. For the past two years, MIPTV was not among them, and there was little effort by the organizers to change anything, including for the bigger MIPCOM.

Last October, in our MIPCOM 2023 edition I noted that everyone will try to avoid the relevant topics during the market, because it is too painful to talk about television as a dying business. A year earlier, I wondered why the conference program is not addressing the crisis and raising issues that truly concern the industry. It was just “more of the same” two times a year, so naturally the opinion that “once a year is enough” quickly spread among MIP goers.

Instead of working on the transformation of its two key markets, the organizers came up with the radical decision to shut MIPTV down and launch MIP London.

The business logic behind this move has not been communicated well, and there has been no effort made to explain why that would be better for the industry/clients. How would this relocation make it a relevant event? Why should people, besides those already used to going to the London TV Screenings, attend it? Would more people want to go to cold and rainy London in February than to the warm and bright Cannes in April? Does London have the facilities to host an event for tens of thousands of TV professionals in one place? Do the UK distributors who organize the London TV Screenings really need a “supporting event”?

I have my answers: No, relocation will not change anything. No, it would not attract more people. No, London is not the place for the world’s biggest TV market. No, London TV Screenings does not need another event running alongside it.

Switching MIPTV for MIP London means downsizing for RX. This is one thing we all know. The second biggest market in the world will be swapped for a “boutique” event. But even bigger problems could arise from this decision. RX now face the challenge of making MIPCOM better than ever, because once people start losing the habit of going to Cannes the fall of MIPTV could lead to the fall of MIPCOM.

And then what? Blame it on Cannes again?