Short post from yesterday, which saw the second day of MIPFormats conclude to make way for MIPTV today. I only attendend some of the conferences as I was running between meetings, but here are some things I took away with me:

–       That one original show that will be big and shiny and 9pm on a Saturday night and in a genius way integrate social media while at the same time be so glamorous or dirty or fabulous or extravagant that everyone is talking about it, for good or for bad…. That show does not exist right now.

–       The Japanese do stuff in a slightly different way; this is great in one way, as it is something completely different than what Western-based companies are offering. On the other hand, I can see the Japanese companies having some difficulties breaking into the rest of the world’s TV markets on their own; would need for someone to – as has previously happened – come in and help develop for a new audience

–       I like the formats from the Nordic countries. Yeah, I might be biased, but ”Entertainment with a purpose” resonats more with me than ”… without purpose” does. Entertainment that lets us learn something and in some way move forward, either through formats like ”Bye bye bullying” or something else.

–       There is a definite need for companies to be prepared to take risks. But for this, some sort of cushion is needed; small companies with big ideas can’t bet everything on one card, not with the market being as fickle as it is today. How about VC funding for content?

–       The format business is thriving. One result of this is that many smaller companies get swallowed up by the big ones. And the big ones aren’t always the most creative ones. I think disruption of the TV industry will come from other places than the TV industry, but the TV industry should start to get prepared.

–       Stephen Lambert said that his next show is going to be all over social media and online, much before it premieres on TV. I totally agree – if social strategy fits your content, you should totally go there. Get feedback, get traction, get interest, get involved. And then launch the series.

So, some short notes from yesterday – now into the MIPTV craziness again.