Max roll-out plans, restructuring of conglomerate, other major issues

Another year, another shortcut to content marketing. As buyers and sellers gather in Cannes this week for Mipcom, change is once again in the air on both sides of the Atlantic.

In America, all the biggest media conglomerates are in rebuilding mode, even the mighty Disney. On the other hand, in Europe and the UK, the sense of opportunity is clear as the biggest streamers (think Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and Max) struggle to compete globally, which has opened the door to non-English language content.

The conference will open with Warner Bros. Discovery’s head of international, Gerhard Zieler, who will roll out plans for his stand-alone service Max across Europe, with local originals directed, including in France. WBD made headlines ahead of MIPCOM due to the exodus of top executives leading to a new leadership structure for global markets.

French banners like Canal+, Mediawan, Banijay, Newen and Satisfaction are also heavily represented on Mipcom. Canal+’s Maxime Saada and Satisfaction’s Arthur Essebag receive the Variety Vanguard Award and the International Formats Commercial Gold Award, respectively, while Plan B’s new owner, Mediavan, opened the market with the premiere screening of its „Zorro” series reboot. Sold in major markets. Meanwhile, Panijoy is holding a keynote speech with President of the United States Chris Abrigo and Eva Longoria.

Banijai and Mediawan are believed to be among several entities surrounding All3Media behind the „traitors”. Mike Fries, boss of All3Media co-owner Liberty Global, confirmed during the Royal Television Society conference in Cambridge in September that the sale process had begun and several companies, including ITV, had expressed an interest. Despite its $1.3 billion valuation and the size of its debt.

In the US, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Comcast’s NBC Universal and others have re-entered the traditional arena of licensing movies and TV shows in markets outside the US. On streaming platforms, majors have realized the hard way that keeping content exclusive to in-house channels creates enormous inventory costs. They cannot divert the high-margin profits that come from selling bundles of movies and TV shows to big TV and streaming players in Europe, Latin America and Asia. Visitors to Mipcom will see how much business has been announced.

Also, Disney, WB Discovery and Paramount Global have started investing in local language original content production to feed their unlimited streaming platforms in recent years. Netflix’s success with „Squid Game” and „La Casa de Papel” encouraged majors to look beyond borders. But as financial discipline has been established, Disney and WB Discovery in particular have tapped into the gaps in this area. Netflix is ​​a big exception. The streamer relies on its global content and talent to help keep the service unique.

Crochet will also talk about Israel, whose film and television industry has been shut down since the October 7 terror attack by Hamas. As the country grapples with a death toll that exceeds 1,200 on the Israeli side. With the conflict in Gaza in full swing, most major Israeli companies will avoid the market. Some banners with European divisions, such as Geshet International and Tory Media, are expected to attend. On Sunday evening, Essebach dedicated his award to Reshet and Keshet, and paid tribute to the Israeli victims on stage. The outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict also prompted Fremont to pull its Sean Penn-produced satirical series “C*A*U*G*H*T’ off the market.

Mibcom is calling its first summit “Unlocking AI” to address ethical concerns with the participation of executives and content creators from top international banners like Nuven.

Hollywood strikes: Prolonged strikes by writers and actors have disrupted production schedules. The Writers Guild of America went on strike on May 2, and on Sept. Went to work on 27th. But the biggest obstacle to getting the cameras back on is SAG-AFTRA, which has been out since July 14. People in the entertainment industry were cautiously optimistic. Last week, SAG-AFTRA leaders and management negotiators launched another public attack on production rebounding in October and November. Negotiations have been suspended, with no timetable for resuming negotiations. The only certainty is that SAG-AFTRA’s strike won’t be ending anytime soon.

Mipcom attendees will certainly be talking about the impact of Hollywood’s historic double strike in the short term — tracking changes to previously announced release schedules — as well as the long term. The five-month period of the WGA strike has fueled speculation that studios will become more selective with scripted greenlights and compensate with lower-priced unscripted and documentary series.

Overall, it will be a busy Micom with 11,000 attendees from 100 countries, 300 exhibitors, 20% of whom are expected to attend for the first time.