English Entertainment
MIP London debuts with strong attendance, sets sights on 2026 return
MUMBAI: The inaugural MIP London market concluded its five-day run on 27 February with metrics that suggest a respectable, if not quite revolutionary, entry into the crowded conference calendar. Some 2,800 delegates from over 80 countries descended upon the capital for what organisers hope will become a fixture in the global television industry’s peripatetic schedule.
The event, which ran from 23-27 February, appears to have established itself as a new fixture in the global television industry calendar, with the IET London and The Savoy already confirmed as venues for 2026.
“MIP London’s debut exceeded expectations. This is year one of a long-term commitment and we will be back in London next year,” said MIP London and MIPCOM Cannes director Lucy Smith. “This was new, a new format, bringing in new people, and it really feels that MIP London has found its place in this busy week.”
European delegates comprised the largest contingent, followed by North Americans, with significant representation from Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Türkiye. More than 70 companies established meeting spaces, including country pavilions from Belgium, China, France, Korea and Spain.
The event featured an extensive programme of international screenings, insight presentations, and industry matchmaking sessions. Notable highlights included presentations from YouTube and a headline conversation between Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria and David Beckham.
Attendees reflected the evolving media landscape, with traditional buyers and sales executives joined by producers, content creators, and representatives from digital-first companies and streaming platforms, including Fast, AVOD and CTV players.
Smith emphasised that the new event was designed to complement existing industry gatherings. “Our plan has always been to complement existing events, and I thank everyone who came and engaged with the market. We will listen intently to every bit of feedback to evolve MIP London for 2026 and beyond, and to deliver what the international industry says it needs.”
The 41st edition of MIPCOM Cannes, MIP London’s established sister event, will take place from 13-16 October 2025, preceded by MIPJunior on 11-12 October.
English Entertainment
Ellison takes his Paramount-Warner Bros case straight to theater owners
The Skydance chief goes to CinemaCon with promises and a skeptical crowd waiting
CALIFORNIA: David Ellison strode into a room packed with thousands of cinema owners and executives at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Thursday and did something rather bold: he looked them in the eye and asked them to trust him.
The chief executive of Paramount Skydance vowed that his company would release a minimum of 30 films a year if regulators greenlight its proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, a deal that has made theater owners deeply, and loudly, nervous.
“I wanted to look every single one of you in the eye and give you my word,” Ellison told the crowd. “Once we combine with Warner Bros, we are going to make a minimum of 30 films annually across both studios.”
It was a confident pitch. Whether it landed is another matter. Cinema operators have already called on regulators to block the deal, and scepticism in the room was hardly concealed.
Ellison pushed back by pointing to recent form. Paramount, born from the merger of Paramount Global and Skydance Media last August, plans to release 15 films this year, nearly double the eight it put out in 2025. Progress, he argued, was already underway.
He also threw theater owners a bone they have long been chasing: all films, he pledged, would run exclusively in cinemas for a minimum of 45 days, drawing applause from a crowd that has spent years fighting for exactly that commitment across the industry.
“People can speculate all they want,” Ellison said, “but I am standing here today telling you personally that you can count on our complete commitment. And we’ll show you we mean it.”
Fine words. The regulators, however, will have the last one.
