MIPCOM Director Lucy Smith this morning called this week’s TV industry event “the biggest shift in a generation,” as she announced attendance numbers and plans for MIP London in 2026.
Smith said “just over” 10,600 delegates from 107 countries had attended the market this week, with 88 out of 350 companies exhibiting doing so for the first time.
Attendee numbers at MIPCOM is always a source of chatter among delegates as a means of assessing success, but this week has felt buzzy and deals have been getting done, such as Richard Gadd’s Half Man selling into Australia and Canada, as we revealed this morning.
Numerous players from the branded content and creator economies have be presented, adding a different flavor to the atmosphere. Smith said the new players had made the market feel “energized.”
At a press conference on the penultimate day of the event, she added: “This has been the biggest step change in a generation for MIPCOM. We’ve brought the Creator Economy into the heart of the market, welcomed YouTube for their first major presence at the market, and staged our first brand funded content summit in BrandStorytelling which alongside a resurgence of sales and distribution activity has made for an energised market.”
“MIPCOM is unique, the only time when the whole TV industry is in one place annually with every part of the industry truly represented. It’s often said MIPCOM is where you can take the pulse of the global industry, and with the succession of deals announced this week, it feels like a tipping point for the industry.”
MIP said the the overall total number was “marginally” up on 2024’s overall figure of 10,500, with delegates from the UK making up the bulk, followed by the U.S., France, Germany, Türkiye, Canada, Spain, Italy, Japan and South Korea. The number included 3,340 buyers attending, the most hailing from the US, followed by the UK, Germany, France and Spain.
“It’s often said that when you come to MIPCOM you can take the pulse of the industry, and from feedback and conversations here, and the succession of deals announced between traditional and creator economy areas this week, its feels like a tipping point for the industry,” said Smith.
“Because from change comes opportunity, I genuinely believe the industry is resilient and it regenerates. The fact that this definitive global market has been held here every year for the last four decades is testament to that.
The next edition of MIPCOM Cannes, its 42nd, will take place 12-15 October 2026 with MIPJuniorreturning in its pre-market slot 10-11 October 2026.
MIP London
Meanwhile, dates have been confirmed for the second edition of MIP LONDON, It will take place in February 22-24, 2026, again at the adjacent IET and The Savoy London venues.
The three-day event will include a market running Sunday-Tuesday, a conference programme with showcases and screenings that will feature the creator economy and brands in a similar approach to this year’s MIPCOM Cannes, and a “revised layout, enabling more meeting, networking and mixing opportunities across both venues.”
Smith is director of MIPCOM Cannes and MIP London, both of which are operated by RX France.
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