International Buyers Highly Praise MIPCHINA

2019-06-19 14:19:00

It Should Be the Most Efficient Film and Television Professional Activity in China

On June 7, the three-day Third MIP China (Hangzhou) International Content Summit (hereinafter referred to as "MIPChina") successfully concluded by the beautiful West Lake. This is another international event of the film and television and animation industries held in Hangzhou following the China International Cartoon & Animation Festival. The event attracted attention of more than 170 film and television companies from 22 countries and regions, including China, the United States, Britain, Japan, Russia and Italy, and 320 Chinese and foreign representatives gathered in Hangzhou, with the participation of international film and television giant Paramount Pictures, PBS of the United States, Gaumont of France, SBS of South Korea and iFlix of Malaysia for the first time. In the three-day activity, 919 one-on-one talks were held, with an increase of 15% than last year; 166 cooperation intentions were reached on the site, with the intention amount exceeding USD 14.5 million, an increase of 20.8% over last year; and the number of participating countries also increased by 15%.

The Third MIPChina was organized by Reed Midem and co-undertaken by China Media Management Inc. (CMM-I) and Zhejiang Huamai Network Technology Co., Ltd., under the guidance of Hangzhou Municipal People's Government, Radio, Film and Television Bureau of Zhejiang Province and Department of Commerce of Zhejiang Province. After three years of cooperation between Hangzhou and the organizers of Cannes Television Festival, the efficiency of MIPChina has been improved year by year. Domestic and overseas guests have received fruitful results from the high-level forums, efficient one-on-one talks and targeted content tasting sessions; and they also highly praised the professional services of MIPChina and the hosting level of Hangzhou. Ted BARACOS, Director of the International Market Development Department of Reed Midem, the organizer of Cannes Television Festival, said: "Holding the event in Hangzhou is very similar to that in Cannes. Looking out of the venue, there is a rippling lake. Hangzhou owns the world cultural heritage site West Lake, and Cannes has the charming blue coast in the Mediterranean Sea; and there is an international brand pedestrian street in both places which has fashion elements and cultural deposits. According to the comments of international buyers, MIPChina is the most professional and efficient film and television activity in China."

Focusing on the demand of international buyers, this year's MIPChina held 16 thematic forums such as "International Cooperation in Filming — Bridges and Pits We May Pass", "An Overview on the International Market of Procurement and Cooperation in Filming and What Kind of Content They are Looking For", "How to Adapt the Local IP to the International Market and How to Adapt the International IP to the Local Market", and "Distribution Characteristics of Different Markets in Asia", on which more than 10 international industry elites from Sony Pictures, Turner Pictures, NHK and WeKids shared their experiences and practices. Zhang Lei, General Manager of Hangzhou Ynuo Culture, spoke highly of this year's forum: "I have participated in professional interaction of different sizes in China. MIPChina not only shares successful cases, but also tells us where the 'pits' that international cooperation may encounter are through the detours that predecessors have taken. It is very pragmatic."

     Even on the last day of the One-on-One Business Negotiation Meeting (the holiday of the Dragon Boat Festival), the scene was crowded. Thirty-eight international enterprises represented by Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures and Turner, and 59 domestic film & television and animation enterprises represented by iQIYI, Huawei, Kuaishou and Bilibili conducted face-to-face communication on the spot, with an average of 23 target customers being discussed by each enterprise. Yang Jing, Deputy General Manager of 66UU, said: "MIPChina is really efficient. We talked about distribution channels in more than 10 countries in two days. If we take plane to the countries one by one, the marginal cost will be high..." Guests from Jiangsu also felt the same way: "We have been to MIPTV in Cannes, where the chance for Chinese enterprises to make offers to internationally renowned institutions is very small, but here we are the host, and we can see more cooperation with higher-end customers without going abroad. From this point of view, MIPChina in Hangzhou is a benchmark for Chinese film & television activities."

The Content Appreciation Fair is a new section of MIPChina this year. Its purpose is to invite international front-line buyers to appreciate and review Chinese film & television and animation products for "going global". Fifty face-to-face exchanges were conducted with 33 projects by Huace Film & TV, Zoland Animation, HuanYu Entertainment and CIBN East, and international buyers commented on the projects one by one. Yukari, Senior Manager of NHK, said: "Young Chinese employees are very willing to enter the international market. Such enthusiasm is rare in Japan. I have noticed many excellent and creative works, which have filled us with interests in the Chinese market." Malaysia's iflix company is a competitive content-on-demand platform in Asia. MIPChina has become a window for enterprises like it to open up the Chinese market. Paula Lara, Content Director of iflix Asia Pacific region, said: "I have seen more than 20 projects at the Content Appreciation Fair. For more than 80% of the projects, we have purchasing intention. Next, we will get in touch and communicate. I hope they can be broadcast on iflix platform. There are huge opportunities in the film & television market in China."

Three years ago, Reed Midem, the host of MIPTV in Cannes (France), realized that China, which occupies one quarter of the world's population, has a pivotal position in the international market. Today, China has become the world's second largest investment market for television content production. In 2018, Zhejiang's television production ranked first in China; the GDP of Hangzhou's cultural and creative industry, represented by the film & television and animation industry, accounted for 24.8% of the city's GDP. More and more Chinese works and enterprises are eager to "go global". MIPChina, held in Hangzhou, is becoming the best way for China's film & television to enter the international market in an efficient, pragmatic and professional manner.