MAM
Mip London sets the agenda for Docs and Factual Storytelling
PARIS: Mip London has revealed the documentary and factual highlights for its second edition, promising big ideas, bold conversations and smart insights when the international TV and streaming market returns to London from 22 to 24 February 2026.
Taking over the IET London and The Savoy, the market’s first two days will shine a spotlight on environmental storytelling, new funding models and data-driven thinking, all wrapped in a programme designed to be as accessible as it is ambitious.
One of the standout moments will see award-winning broadcaster and conservationist Chris Packham take the stage alongside physician and filmmaker Sofia Pineda Ochoa. Their feature documentary Greenwashed will be showcased on Monday 23 February, followed by a Q&A that digs into the uncomfortable truths behind environmental narratives and the urgent action they demand. Expect passion, provocation and plenty to talk about long after the lights go up.
Sunday 22 February will bring an expanded Doc and Factual Co-Production Summit at The Savoy, building on last year’s popular round-table format. Leading voices from SVT, Quintus Studios, Deep Fusion Films, LADbible Group, Zinc Media and ZDF Studios will host discussions aimed at sparking meaningful partnerships. Curated by Storyboard Studios founder Natalie Humphreys, the summit forms part of a wider push for structured networking, including speed matchmaking across the market.
Data takes centre stage on opening day too. Ampere Analysis co-founder Guy Bisson will unpack where documentary and factual entertainment is thriving, while Mothership Media Consultancy’s Beatrice Rossmanith will outline the editorial trends shaping the genre. The back-to-back sessions are designed to give buyers and producers a clear-eyed view of what works, and what comes next.
Funding in the new content economy will also be under the microscope. On Monday afternoon, filmmaker Benjamin Zand and other genre specialists will explore emerging models for factual storytelling, in a session chaired by The Bridge founder Amanda Groom.
These sessions sit within a wider Mip London conference programme covering microdramas, the creator economy, streaming and AI, all under the theme “Joining the Dots: Finding the Value”.
With more than 450 international buyers already confirmed, including executives from Amazon Studios, Netflix, BBC, Disney, ZDF and National Geographic, Mip London is positioning itself as a lively meeting point where ideas travel fast and stories find new life.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
