A total of twelve Irish companies have registered to attend this years MIPCOM market in Cannes. Running from the 4th to 8th of October, MIPCOM is the most important event in the calendar of the television, video, cable and satellite industry. The market is focused upon the sale and purchase of international film and television programmes and consequently attracts all the key industry representatives from around the world.
The Irish delegation includes Fred Craig Paramedia Ltd, Like it Love it Productions, Magma Films, Monster Productions (Programme Media); Network Ireland Television, Piggley Poo Ltd. (Programme Media); RTE; Screen Commission; Tara Television; Telegael; TG4 and TV3.
An important development at this year’s market is the introduction of a new focus on the convergance of traditional television broadcasting and the Internet. This will be a key focus for many of the Irish companies attending as broadcasters across Europe finally come to terms with the full impact of the Internet and the role that it will play in their future business. French TV company Canal Plus is set to create a new division called Canal New Media as a base for its on-line activity. Spanish media group Telefonica has recently floated its directory publishing unit and is now considering a range of options for its Internet Service Provider (ISP), Interactiva while in the UK, the BBC have just launched their own ISP entitled Freebeeb.net.
At MIPCOM, heads of European and American companies, all pioneers in the TV and Internet industries, will participate in conferences on what are seen as global opportunities for converging media.
The keynote address will be given by the President of the French company Vivendi, Jean-Marie Messier. Vivendi holds major stakes in Canal + and BskyB and has recently set its sights on the US. Employing over 260,000 people in more than 100 countries Vivendiare estimated to attain net sales figures of 40 million Euros in 1999.
-GQ 16/9/99
