CANNES: The largest contingent of children's programme buyers ever registered in Mipcom Junior's 10-year history visted the two-day screenings event ( 5 - 6 October at Palais des Festivals, Cannes).

A total of 433 buyers - a 19.3 per cent increase compared to last year's 363 buyers - attended the event, according to an official release. At Mipcom Junior 2000, 418 buyers attended the screenings.

Buyers from the American continent represent the largest increase in the overall number of buyers (+54.8 per cent compared to last year), followed by the Asia Pacific (+40.5 per cent) and Africa/Middle East (+36.4 per cent). A total number of 685 programmes were presented at Mipcom Junior (-8 per cent compared to last year's 758 programmes).

Programme buyers made 12,052 screenings, a 3.6 per cent increase compared to last year's 11,634 screenings. The most screened category was animation with 9,851 screenings (+5.88 per cent compared to last year), followed by drama/fiction (893 screenings) and education (557). Animation also accounts for all of Mipcom Junior's 30 most screened titles .

Most screened programmes include Decode Entertainment and Sunwoo Entertainment's B-Bot Vs The Alien Posse with 79 screenings, followed by Decode's Franny's Feet (75 screenings), Millimages UK's Fire Quest (72), and Alphanim's Creepschool (71).

In all, 166 seller companies, 192 buyer companies and an overall number of 685 participants from 53 countries attended Mipcom Junior 2002.

The 10 most represented countries by company are

Programmes screened and category