MIPCOM Junior’s 14th edition presents its largest ever conference programme and a total of eight events centre on the flourishing children’s TV market. Some of the key topics scheduled to be discussed include multi-platform content, licensing and merchandising and programming strategies.
MIPCOM Junior’s conference programme is once again tailor-made to help delegates improve their knowledge of the sector. A major highlight this year will be a special discussion between two heavyweight executives, DIC Entertainment’s chairman and CEO Andy Heyward and Toper Taylor, president and COO of Cookie Jar Entertainment. The session is co-organised with Licence! Magazine and will focus on the importance of licensing for children’s TV companies.
Other key conferences include a special session on the evolving landscape of animation in India. The country is already known worldwide for its animated series in 2D and 3D for TV and DVD and this spotlight will enable potential investors to keep abreast of the developments which are attracting more and more foreign investment.
On October 7 three separate sessions, partnered with Kid screen Magazine, will demonstrate to participants the art of pitching projects to broadcasters, optimising new digital platforms and anticipating the needs of buyers.
Also on the agenda are two specialised licensing workshops; the first is in collaboration with the French consultancy agency Kazachok and is entitled “I Have a Great TV Programme, How do I Licence it?”. During the session leading experts in the licensing/merchandising field will give participants first-hand advise to help them successfully license their products. The second workshop organised by The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA), demonstrates via case studies with companies such as Nickelodeon, the mechanics of producing spin-off products parallel to the TV success of a programme.
The ever-popular “MIPCOM Junior Licensing Challenge” returns to Cannes this October 8, giving delegates the opportunity to put their property forward in full view of the TV community in the hope of finding tomorrow’s licensing star. The competition is held in association with the leading US trade publication, Licence! Magazine. Following a pre-selection process led by the Editor-in-Chief of the publication, a jury of experts, predominantly toy manufacturers, agents and broadcasters, will evaluate a total of five non-aired projects selected on the basis of their strong potential for licensing and merchandising exploitation. For those presenting, as well as those in attendance, the event is sure to be informative, eye-opening, and fun. The “MIPCOM Junior Licensing Challenge” was launched for the first time in 2004.
The number of programmes screened at the 2005 edition of MIPCOM Junior reached an all time record with the easy-to-use digital video library launched in 2004. A total of 39,134 screenings were recorded compared to 13,956 in 2004. Once again this new digital technology will offer optimal screening conditions for all the programmes listed in the MIPCOM Junior 2006 catalogue.
MIPCOM Junior 2005 welcomed, 819 participants from 497 companies and from 53 countries. 839 programmes were presented of which 462 were new.