11,111 participants representing 2,776 companies from 100 countries
gathered in Cannes for the 37th edition of MIP TV which closed on
Friday April 14, 2000. The countries most represented in terms of
stands were: France (191), US (188), UK (177), Canada (85) and
Germany (76). In terms of participating companies the countries most
represented were: UK (443), France (422), US (372), Germany (173) and
Canada (139); more than 500 of them came from media and Internet
sectors. These record attendance figures show that the television
industry has entered a new area, with the linking of television and
Internet and the convergence of audiovisual content and multimedia.
Many of the discussions presented at MIP TV centered on this topic.
During his keynote address "Visions for Digital Media in the 21st
Century," Werner Lauff, president and chief executive at German media
giant Bertelsmann Broadband Group, said: "Content is king. It was, it
is, it will always be. But the context will change. The appearance,
the usage, the production and delivery of content will change. And if
you are in the content business, you should have in mind that you
might only survive if you put your content in a new context." The
future of content and programming in the digital age will certainly
be discussed again at MIPCOM 2000, the Fall rendez-vous for the
Television industry. MIPCOM 2000 will be held October 2-6, 2000 at
the Palais des Festivals in Cannes. For more information, visit
