10/10/2003

Today sees the start of the 19th edition of MIPCOM, one of the major international markets dedicated to TV programmes. It goes on until October 14 and more than 2,850 buyers from 1,100 companies representing 90 counties are expected to take part. The atmosphere should be slightly more upbeat than last year, following a slight improvement in the sector.

The programme includes a wide variety of conferences to analyse the main trends in the audiovisual sector. This year there will be a special focus on the emerging High Definition (HD) format, which is starting to be used in Europe by productions by the likes of the BBC, TF1 or France 2, without forgetting the upcoming launch of the first European TV channel to broadcast in HD, Euro 1080, due to be starting up in January 2004. The organised debates include: “Programming in an ever changing market” with speeches by Tim Gardam (the head of Channel 4); “The new dynamics in the DVD market” with Marc Baschet (producer of No Man’s Land); “Survival Strategies for the Independent Production Industry” organised in collaboration with PACT (the British “Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television”); “Pitching sessions, 5 magic formulas” and finally “The Media Sector and the Digital Era”.

French professionals will be taking part in these programmes together their counterparts from abroad, including a large number of delegates from Germany, a country which has a series of new and interesting quality television programmes on offer. The Culture Minister, Jean-Jacques Aillagon, will be attending the event on Saturday and Sunday, to see her himself the renewed climate of optimism in the sector. In fact according to the organisers from the company Reed Midem, programme sales and funding for new productions are on the rise, after a tough time in 2001 and 2002.

(Translated from French)