MIP London Attracts More Than 80 Companies, Including Beta, Armoza, Fox, PBS

MIP London, the new content market and networking event run by the team behind Mipcom, has revealed that more than 80 companies – including distributors, buyers and producers – from 30 countries have confirmed their presence for the inaugural edition.

MIP London will run Feb. 23-27 at the Savoy Hotel and IET London conference center in London’s West-End. The event is timed to coincide with the London TV Screenings, which runs Feb. 23-28, organized by the top U.K. distributors, led by All3Media Intl., Banijay Ent., Fremantle and ITV Studios.

Among the distribution companies to confirm for the MIP London market are Armoza Formats, Beta Film, FilmRise, Fox Entertainment Global, Global Agency and PBS Distribution.

Companies sending buyers include Al Jazeera, AMC Networks Intl., Canal+, CBC/Radio Canada, France Televisions, ITV, M6, MBC, National Geographic, Netflix, Nine Network Australia, NRK, ORF, RTL Hungary, Seven One Entertainment Group, Sky, Telefonica, TF1, Thai Public Broadcasting Service, The Walt Disney Company, TV3 Group Baltics and ZDF among others.

“More people coming to London means more business done in what has become the must-attend content week in February,” Lucy Smith, director of MIP London and Mipcom Cannes, said. “Whether you are a company already hosting a screening event, planning to visit for the first time, or simply there to see more people, with this new MIP market our aim is to be complementary to existing events by providing additional opportunities to meet, showcase or discover content across the week. Plans for our centrally located hub and program are really taking shape and we are hugely encouraged by MIP London’s early momentum.”

MIP London also has announced further details of the program lineup including MIP’s Fast & Global Summit and the WIT’s Fresh TV presentation hosted by Virginia Mouseler.

As previously announced, Mipdoc and Mipformats – the markets for unscripted shows – will start on Feb. 23 in London.

Fox Entertainment Global is confirmed to join the lineup of Mipformats as presenting partner of the London edition of the Mipformats Pitch, which will seek through a worldwide call for entries to discover concepts for new entertainment formats. Submissions and full details of the Mipformats Pitch will be announced in October, and finalists will be invited to pitch their project to a Fox jury on stage in London on Feb. 24.

Also confirmed for the Mipdoc lineup are London editions of the Mipdoc Pitch and the Mipdoc Co-Production Summit, which will again explore commercial models for partnerships specific to the documentary and factual genres.

Advisory boards are in place to shape the agendas for these first Mipdoc and Mipformats London editions, comprised of unscripted executives from ARTE France, Banijay, Curiosity Inc., Fox Entertainment Global, Fremantle, National Geographic, Nine Network Australia, Off the Fence, PBS Distribution, Quintus Studios, RTL Hungary, The Bridge, TF1, TV4 and ZDF Studios.