Stage set for the 21st edition of Mipcom

Stage set for the 21st edition of Mipcom

MUMBAI: The stage is set for the 21st edition of the television event Mipcom. The event takes kicks off on 17 October and runs till 21 October in Cannes, France.

Over 11,000 delegates from 92 countries will be in attendance for what is a packed five days. Over 1,440 companies will be exhibiting their offerings. 3410 companies have registered for the event.

One of the highlights this year will be prominent CEOs discussing the future of television at the first ever Mipcom Superpanel. The Superpanel will be held on 18 October. The theme for the Superpanel is, The Changing Landscape of Television - The Threats and Opportunities.

The speakers which include hit Entertainment CEO Greg Dyke and NDS CEO Abe Peled will share their views on the critical developments facing the fast-changing audiovisual landscape, and focus on how traditional television networks and companies are facing up to the opportunities and threats posed by the proliferation of such new applications as internet TV, mobile 3G and Video-On-Demand.

Other highlights from Mipcom's 21st edition include three keynote speeches from Endemol's Peter Bazalgette, Howard Roffman from Lucasfilm Licensing and Dan Romanelli of Warner Bros. Worldwide Consumer Products. Bazalgette who will open Mobile TV Day at Mipcom, rejects the term 'new media' and comments, "The first TV broadcast on the internet happened 11 years ago in 1994; the first video-enabled mobile phone was available over two years ago, it's time to get on with it and start considering digital media as a place to sell more shows."

Also high on the agenda are the first Mobile TV Screenings and Awards and the Mipcom DVD Awards. Cisneros group of companies chairman and CEO Gustavo Cisneros will receive the Mipcom 2005 Personality of the Year Award. There will also be an HDTV track. This will be in the form of workshops. Companies that will have the biggest stands are Discovery, Warner Bros. Intl TV Distribution, CBS Paramount Intl Television, FremantleMedia, Beta Film, Horizon Quebec, NBC Universal TV Distribution, Sony Pictures TV International.