Early MipTV preps connected agenda

With Easter prompting an early start this year, MipFormats, MipDoc and the new MipCube kicking off on Friday March 30, and MipTV starting on Sunday April 1, Reed Midem has announced its final speaker line-up for the four Cannes events.

On the Friday, MipFormats will see the presentation of the annual C21 Formats Report, which provides a global perspective on the business. This year, MipFormats also becomes more interactive, with a series of workshops and networking sessions adding into the usual conference programme and screenings.

There is also a Formats Pitch supersession sponsored by Warner Bros, a keynote interview with Pawn Stars creator Brent Montgomery and a closing keynote from Fresh One Productions’ Roy Ackerman. Other events during MipFormats can be seen here.

New for 2012 is MipCube, billed as ‘an innovation lab for the future of TV, a two-day high-level live learning and networking event before MipTV that creates new links within the TV industry’s community of game-changers.’

This event also starts on Friday and features Cindy Gallop, founder and CEO of Ifwerantheworld; Allen Debevoise, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Machinima; and Tony Wang, general manager of Twitter UK. The two-day event wraps in Content 360 and features a broad mix of sessions. More information is here.

MipDoc sees David Lyle, CEO of National Geographic Channels, share his vision of how factual programming is having to adapt to audiences as they get used to different types of storytelling, and Adam Gee, cross-platform commissioning editor at Channel 4, consider the future of multi-platform commissioning. Further info here.

Kicking off Sunday, MipTV keynotes include Anthony Bay, VP of Amazon.com; Peter Vesterbacka, chief marketing officer at Angry Birds creator Rovio; and Jean-Briac Perrette, chief digital officer at Discovery Communications.

Digital also rides high on the MipTV agenda, with further sessions pushing the cross-platform connected content buttons. For the full MipTV agenda click here.

Laurine Garaude, director of Reed Midem’s television division, told C21: “This year is all about the continuing transformation of TV and we are really focused on bringing the traditional and new players together. We expect over 11,500 people from 100 countries and with 70 new stands are confident of a buoyant market this year.”

Clearly, the Cannes event is hoping to capture the spirit of the new digital economy, and is paying much more attention to tech and new media, while aiming to continue its role of providing an environment for traditional content business deal-making.