It’s the end of an era for MIPTV—and the dawn of a new one for MIP London. 

Event organizer RX France announced today that it will shutter its annual MIPTV market after hosting a final edition in Cannes next month from April 8 to 10. This last hurrah is expected to attract more than 130 exhibitors, as well as producers, distributors and buyers from 76 countries. 

Rumors about MIPTV’s relocation have been running rampant lately, with destinations including London, Paris and Barcelona reportedly in consideration. But RX has instead announced that it will create a new event called MIP London, which is scheduled to run from February 24 to 27 next year at the Savoy Hotel (pictured) and IET London: Savoy Place.

“MIPTV was established in Cannes over six decades ago and is intrinsically linked to the city,” explains Lucy Smith, entertainment division director of RX France. “It was never a case of simply relocating it, but we have to acknowledge the transformation in the market.” 

The February dates are designed to meet a “continued appetite for a global content market in the first half of the year,” says Smith. And they also coincide with London TV Screenings (February 24 to 27)—making it convenient for international companies to attend both in one trip. 

The new event’s format will focus “not on exhibiting, but rather on providing international companies looking to have a presence in London with tailored, scalable options to showcase and network in one convenient spot,” according to a release. RX will provide more details about what this entails in the coming weeks.

Earlier this month, Kidscreen readers weighed in on the options for MIPTV’s potential move in a survey. Most respondents favored Barcelona (47.8%), with London coming in a very close second (41.8%) and Paris not really a serious contender at all (10.4%).

In terms of London’s advantages, ease of travel and fewer language barriers seem to be the biggest ones. However, many respondents also put the city’s temperamental weather and higher costs for visitors in the con column.

There’s “easy access for international attendees, existing hotel accommodations, a simple transportation system and universal communication through English,” says Adam Rumanek, CEO of Aux Mode in Toronto. “But the downside is that London can be quite expensive.”

Big Bad Boo Studios co-founder Shabnam Rezaei also noted the challenge of London not being very budget-friendly—but feels that it does offer a lot of upsides ranging from great food to the fact that “we don’t have a lot of industry events there.” London-based Jetpack Distribution CEO Dominic Gardiner echoed this sentiment. “Let’s give another country a shot; [there are] too many events in France already.”

Maria Romanelli, CEO of Italy’s Team Entertainment, favored Paris in the poll and questions the relevance of a British location. “London being in the UK and not in the EU does not help businesses.” On the flip side, London “will attract more investors from North America and Asia,” observes Alix Wiseman, SVP of distribution at 9 Story Media Group.

Despite many concerns raised about the weather, one anonymous respondent vouched that “April in London in springtime is glorious,” on top of other advantages like the excellent conference facilities the city has to offer.

Another anonymous respondent offered a unique take that despite its convenience, London “is so big that it loses a lot of the market feel,” compared to the more centralized experience of MIPTV in Cannes. 

But RX needed to make a big change to address an overall decline in attendance for its annual spring market. Though the event recorded a respectable 22% jump in attendance from 2022 to 2023 as the industry returned to regular business travel in the wake of the pandemic, its 5,650 delegates last year paled in comparison to the 10,000-plus it attracted in 2018.