MIPTV CANCELED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS

Reed Midem today announced that MIPTV 2020, scheduled to take place March 30-April 2 in Cannes, has been cancelled due to concerns related to the coronavirus (Covid-19). MIPDoc and MIPFormats, programmed for March 28-29, have also been cancelled.

On the other hand, Canneseries Season 3 of the Cannes International Series Festival, originally scheduled to run parallel to MIPTV, will now take place October 9-14, alongside Mipcom.

The next edition of MIPTV will take place April 12-15, 2021 in Cannes, with MIPDoc and MIPFormats scheduled for April 10-11, 2021. Season 4 of Canneseries will be held in April 2021 during MIPTV.

“In the current context, many of our clients have expressed concerns about travelling at this time. Rescheduling MIPTV in the coming months is not feasible so the most appropriate course of action is to cancel MIPTV for 2020,”  confirmed Paul Zilk, Chief Executive of Reed Midem.

“The well-being of our clients, partners and staff is our priority. We are grateful to clients for their support and constructive input during this challenging period. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Mipcom in October 12-15 and we are delighted that Canneseries will be at our side again at the event this year,”  Paul Zilk added.

MIPTV’s cancellation follows the French government’s ban of indoor gatherings of more than 5,000 people, declared by France’s health minister. Last year, the market welcomed 9,500 attendees.

This edition of MIPTV, which was supposed to highlight Korea as its country of honor, was meant to roll out a new Palais-centralized layout. As part of a bid to reinvigorate the market, organizers had planned to move all outdoor stands inside and concentrate the event across three floors to generate more foot traffic and create a more vibrant atmosphere. However, bringing such a large event entirely indoors proved even more problematic.

France has reported 212 cases of the Covid-19 disease, and four people have died. The first case of coronavirus in Cannes was reported on Friday.

● MORE PROBLEMS FOR THE INDUSTRY

MIPTV’s cancellation was not the only inconvenience for the industry caused by the virus. Many other events or presentations were cancelled or postponed due to concerns related to the Covid-19.

For example, Disney has cancelled the European launch event for Disney+, scheduled for this week; Fox News was the first media company to cancel its upfront, planned for March 24; Sony has closed offices in the UK and Poland; and WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal have introduced travel restrictions for their employees.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the global film industry is facing $5 billion loss amid the coronavirus outbreak.