International television market MIPCOM on Thursday canceled the planned in-person version of its 2020 event. Organizer Reed Midem said the 2020 edition, set to run Oct.12-Oct. 14 in Cannes, will now be online-only.
The decision comes as coronavirus cases have been increasing in France and across much of Europe. MIPCOM had been holding out hope that conditions would improve sufficiently to allow a physical version of the TV market. Reed Midem was forced to cancel its spring market, MIP-TV, amid the first COVID-19 wave.
In place of a physical market, Reed Midem will host a digital conference and online marketplace, MIPCOM Online+, on the original dates. The virtual events will include conferences and screenings, a global upfronts program of upcoming titles, industry keynotes, and the online presentation of this year’s MIPCOM Diversity TV Excellence Awards.
“Our motivation has always been to bring together the global entertainment community around the flagship week of MIPCOM in order to support content discovery and new business deals, whether online or in-person,” said Laurine Garaude, director of Reed Midem’s television division. “We made clear [that] we would only hold the physical market if conditions permitted. Due to the ongoing uncertainty around COVID-19 and recently increased travel restrictions, we believe that MIPCOM Online+ is the most effective way to move forward and to gather the global television community around MIPCOM week.”
CanneSeries, the international TV festival that runs alongside MIPCOM, is going ahead with a scaled-back version of its physical event, from Oct. 9 through Oct. 14, and will also screen festival titles online on its new CanneSeries Live platform, Oct. 7-Oct. 21.
