MIPCOM 2007
October 8 -12th, 2007, Cannes

This year at MIPCOM 2007, held at Cannes from October 8 -12th, 2007, FICCI took a 70-member delegation and organized a conference on the first day, which was the officially designated India Day. India was the 'Country of Honour' at MIPCOM this year and in keeping with the upbeat mood, reports from MIPCOM 07 show India's statistics to be very impressive. This year there were 59 Indian companies at the event, as opposed to the 12 exhibiting companies last year, showing a growth of almost 392 per cent. India figured amongst the top 10 participating countries at MIPCOM 2007.

Paul Johnson, Director, Television Division, Reed Midem, said, "This is the first time that India has made it to the top 10 countries in terms of exhibiting companies." Johnson stated, "We have been analysing India for the last two years, and with the way the broadcast companies there have been growing, we expect these numbers to grow even more in the coming years." He said that India already had a large pay TV market and was expected to be the largest pay TV market in the coming years. He further said, "India has a rich history like that of some of the big markets today, so there is a combination of the creative support and economical growth, which gives a good position on the global map."

MIPCOM kicked off to a flying start on October 8th with India Day, focusing on the growth story in the Indian Media and Entertainment space. FICCI organized a conference in the morning called "Indian Content on the Move", which was opened by HE Ranjan Mathai, India's Ambassador to France. Mathai in his address said even as content was on the move, India could be credited with content creation in every language, every genre, directed at almost every target group. "Content is a function in which one cannot follow the leader," he said. "If you see ancient Indian history, there is evidence of exchange of ideas even then, and given our rich culture, India has a lot to offer. In today's times, the economic growth of the country has made an impact in every sector, and media and entertainment have been no different, with content playing a more critical role than ever."

His address was followed by that of Kunal Dasgupta, CEO, SET India and FICCI Entertainment Committee Co-Chair, who gave an overview on the Indian market with a focus on media and entertainment. The growth of the Indian entertainment and media industry indicates that the industry stands at $12 billion and is expected to grow at 18 per cent per annum CAGR. With the economy doing well, the industry is expected to out-perform the growth of the economy by a significant margin in the coming year due to a large consumer base, rising income, escalating demand for content and a variety of new technology platforms.

Dasgupta informed the audience that television had the highest share in the Indian industry followed by print. He also took the audience through the trends in the film, music and the radio industries, explaining piracy problems in music and the growth story of radio.

This was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Neeraj Roy, MD and CEO, Hungama Mobile. The opening address of this session was given by Ashok Rajgopal, Partner, Business Advisory Services, Ernst & Young. Rajgopal took the audience through three key points - the global market for Indian content; the need for differentiated content with the increasing demand in content; and India becoming a global hub for content creation.

Vishal Gondal, Founder and CEO, Indiagames, stated, "TV is boring. India is a very young country, and for the youth, just watching television is no longer interesting." Gondal cited examples to prove that digital was where the revenues were headed for any big media company today. He said that the need in India was to close in gaps like being able to offer micro-transactions in media like gaming where it was easier to lure the youth to it.

Soundarya Rajnikanth, MD, Ocher Studios, gave the animation perspective. Citing her forthcoming movie 'Sultan, The Warrior' as an example, she elaborated that the Indian animation industry in India was growing. She said, "There is a lot that can be done still, but we are on the right track. The attempt is to prove that animation is for all ages, and that original animation can be produced in India, which is not just on mythologies, but also can be stories like we see otherwise."

DQ Entertainment's Tapas Chakravarti stated that the DQ experience showed that the company had worked with French companies, and companies based in the US and Canada in the animation domain. He pointed out that India was already producing content for global markets and added, "It is time Indian companies searched for partners rather than just outsourcing services, and I think that will drive the future growth."

Anuraddha Prasad, MD, BAG Films & Media spoke on the importance of a 360-degree approach in content. She spoke of growth coming from a digital democracy, the formation of infrastructure of a knowledge economy and that every aspect of content today was becoming 'consumerable'.

This was followed by the much-awaited keynote addresses by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL) Chairman, Subhash Chandra, and UTV Group Founder and CEO, Ronnie Screwvala.

Chandra spoke on his expectations to see consolidation in the Indian media sphere, given the proliferation that the market was seeing at present. He also stated that as more new media came into play, it would see further co-existence of various media. He cited the example of television and movies, saying that the advent of TV had only improved the movie experience.

One of the most significant points he made was about TV2.0 being around its making Indian companies global. He also reiterated the need for regulation in the Indian media industry.
In his address titled, 'The Indian Market Explosion - What does the Future Hold?", Chandra pointed out three areas which were critical for the way forward for India. These included the future revenue models, the evolution in content and the role of Indian media companies in the global industry. Zee was already reaching 500 million viewers across the world, in 128 different countries.

Ronnie Screwvala had a word of caution for the companies that made it to India. While some might have experienced success initially, they eventually suffered if they were short of a well thought-out India strategy. He said that the companies should be clear on what value they would add to the Indian market if they wanted to operate in India. Giving the macro view, he explained that the lack of regulation had been one of the reasons that the years 1991 to 2006 had been a dream run for television in India. He further said that a few guidelines and a Broadcast Bill would not dampen this.

He also said, "We have seen consolidations and mergers, but no one has shut shop in India." He identified the wave since 2007-08 as the second wave of television and said that from here, the game was set to change, and it would be interesting to see how.

During the seminar, FICCI and Ernst & Young unveiled their survey 'Indian Content on the Move'. The survey was formally launched by HE Ranjan Mathai. This report, which throws light on the opportunities and challenges of Indian content in the overseas market, was created especially for MIPCOM 2007 by FICCI along with EY.

As part of the India Day celebrations, the morning sessions were followed by an exclusive networking luncheon, hosted by the Mayor of Cannes at the Mayor's Residence, for select Indian and international delegates, which was helped in being organized by FICCI. The lunch was a resounding success with each table having a healthy mingling of Indian and international delegates. The Grand Finale of the day was of course the glittering India Party hosted jointly by FICCI and REED which took place in the elegant Majestic Bariere Hotel amidst a resplendent décor specially crafted with India as the theme. FICCI gave out colourful Indian stoles to every guest which were greatly appreciated.

FICCI had also taken up a stall in the MIPCOM Exhibition space which was called the India Pavillion, in association with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India.