MipTV puts spotlight on VR

Will TV viewers all be hooked up to an Oculus Rift in the near future?

This year’s MipTV will put the spotlight on virtual reality (VR) technology with a special session featuring Fox’s resident futurist Ted Schilowitz.

The Virtual Reality Experience Showcase will provide delegates with tips on how to get started using VR, which has been mooted as a potential game-changer for content creators in the future.

Schilowitz, who advises and creates strategy on future technology for 20th Century Fox, will discuss the potential of the tech in Cannes, having recently worked on VR experience-based features such as The Martian.

The session will take place in the Grand Auditorium in Cannes on Wednesday April 6 between 14.30 and 16.00.

MipTV organiser Reed Midem held a press conference in London this morning to preview the event, which director of TV Laurine Garaude said would host 11,000 participants, 4,000 of which will be buyers.

Guillaume de Posch, the co-CEO of European broadcast giant RTL Group, owner of FremantleMedia, is due to deliver a keynote speech on April 4.

Other keynote speakers confirmed so far include bestselling author Harlan Coben; Dominique Delport, president of Vivendi content and global MD for the Havas Media Group; and Mattel president and chief operating officer Richard Dickson.

MipTV takes place between April 4 and 7 and is preceded by MipFormats and MipDoc on April 2 and 3.

The MipFormats Keynote Series will include speeches from Gary Carter, the former CEO of international operations at Endemol Shine Group, and ITV Studios president of international Maria Kyriacou.

MipDoc, meanwhile, will feature documentary maker Morgan Spurlock and Amazon Studios head of original comedy Joe Lewis, who will be discussing the company’s recent original docuseries The New Yorker Presents.