MUMBAI: As part of MipTV?s intensified programme for brands, Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner and Red Bull Media House?s CCO, Alexander Koppel, will give a MipTV Media Mastermind keynote on 9 April.

The programme also presents a Brands and Content Masterclass and MipTV?s Brand of the Year Award.

Organised by Reed Midem, MipTV will take place in Cannes, 8-11 April, and includes a specialised MipCube programme dedicated to branded content and innovation in television.

The team that achieved the Red Bull Stratos - Mission to the Edge of Space will share their experiences and some key results at MIPTV.

On 14 October 2012, Baumgartner flew 39 km into the stratosphere in a helium balloon, before free falling back to Earth, reaching the speed of 1,342 km/h and becoming the first human to break the sound barrier without any form of engine power.

Red Bull Media House was responsible for the documentation and multi-platform distribution of the Red Bull Stratos mission, which held the world?s attention in 2012 delivering the most watched live stream in history. Eight million eyeballs watched Baumgartner?s feat live on the web and it later entered the 2012 top ten of YouTube?s most viewed videos. During their joint keynote at MIPTV, called ?The Red Bull Stratos Experience?, Baumgartner and Koppel will speak together about the way such a global media event with one of the biggest global exposures has been created.

MIPCube?s Brands and Content Masterclass will gather 60 executives from brands, ad agencies, production companies specialised in branded entertainment, broadcasters, digital platforms, social networks and talent agencies. On 9 April, at the Cannes Majestic Hotel, they will share best practices from a selection of some of the best branded entertainment campaigns, through high-profile presentations, debates, and hands-on workshops.

For its third edition at MipTV, the Brand of the Year Award will recognise the best creation of original video content by a brand and its agency, and its use as a key element of a branded entertainment strategy and campaign. The competition is open until 22 February to all branded entertainment campaigns based on the creation of original video content. Fast Company?s Co.Create, the daily exploration of creativity in the converging worlds of branding, entertainment, and tech, is the official selection partner and the Brand of the Year Award will be presented to the winner during a VIP lunch on 9 April.

MUMBAI: Starz Entertainment?s new drama ?Da Vinci?s Demons? will debut as Television trade event MipTV?s 2013 World Premiere TV Screening in Cannes, France.

International buyers and media will get an exclusive international preview of the eight-part series? first episode in the Palais des Festivals? Grand Auditorium on Monday 8 April. Organised by Reed Midem, MipTV will take place in Cannes from 8-11 April.

The screening of ?Da Vinci?s Demons? will be followed by an on-stage conversation with writer and showrunner David S. Goyer , along with the series? principal cast Tom Riley and Laura Haddock . The talent will later walk the red carpet to attend the MipTV opening night party.

Produced by Adjacent Productions for Starz Entertainment, ?Da Vinci?s Demons? is being sold internationally at MIPTV by BBC Worldwide.

?Da Vinci?s Demons? is a historical fantasy following the ?untold? story of the world?s greatest genius during his turbulent youth in Renaissance Florence. The series reveals the secret history of Leonardo Da Vinci , a young man tortured by the gift of superhuman genius. The Italian painter and inventor - a bastard son who yearned for legitimacy - finds himself in the midst of a conflict between truth and lies, religion and reason, past and future.

British actor Tom Riley stars in the title role. One of his best-known roles was being in ITV?s drama series ?Monroe?. Laura Haddock plays Lucrezia Donati , the mistress of Lorenzo Medici and Da Vinci?s lover. Haddock is a 27-year-old regular of British television.

David S. Goyer, co-writer of blockbusters ?The Dark Knight? trilogy and ?Man of Steel?, is Da Vinci?s Demons? showrunner, writer, executive producer and director of some episodes.

He said, "Given that Da Vinci was the model for the Renaissance Man, these were incredibly large shoes to fill. Leonardo had to be smart, witty, and incredibly confident. He also had to be tormented, because as a true visionary and polymath he was ostracised for his ideas as much as he was celebrated. Tom came in and was able to effortlessly combine all of those elements."

Adjacent Productions head Jane Tranter said, "The young life of this incredibly complex and brilliant man had not yet been explored. With David Goyer , whose imagination has created juggernaut and iconic theatrical features, coupled with the premium presence of Chris Albrecht , Carmi Zlotnik and their Starz team, we couldn?t be more passionate about bringing this story to international audiences."

Starz will launch the show in the US in 2013. BBC Worldwide will distribute the series in international territories. Fox International Channels has acquired first window pay-TV rights in all its broadcasting markets, and is planning to premiere the series in tandem with Starz US.

Reed Midem?s television division director Laurine Garaude said, "We are delighted and honoured that Starz and BBC Worldwide have chosen MipTV to premiere ?Da Vinci?s Demons? to an international audience, in the presence of its lead cast and distinguished writer. The recurring success of the World Premiere TV Screenings at Mipcom and MipTV confirms the event?s position as a premium showcase for leading television and film companies to screen outstanding programmes to the most influential buyers, industry players, and international media from over 100 countries."

MUMBAI: Television trade event MipTV has announced that Global Entertainment producer Endemol president Tim Hincks will deliver a keynote speech on Monday 8 April 2013 as part of MipTV?s Media Mastermind Keynote Series. Organised by Reed Midem, MipTV will take place in Cannes, 8-11 April 2013.

In his MipTV address, Hincks will discuss how creativity is affected by the radical changes taking place in the industry today. As Endemol Group president, he is responsible for the creation and commercial exploitation of content across the company?s worldwide network. This incorporates operations in 31 territories annually producing more than 400 series in genres including entertainment, reality TV, game shows, comedy, drama, sport, kids programming, factual, docu-dramas and features.

Hincks was appointed Endemol Group president in May 2012. The company?s international shows include ?Big Brother?, ?Deal or No Deal?, ?Wipeout? and ?Your Face Sounds Familiar?. A growing drama portfolio also includes ?Hell on Wheels?, ?Hot in Cleveland? and ?Leverage?.

MUMBAI: Jerome Delhaye has been named Reed Mdiem director of the entertainment division.

Delhaye will oversee the business and strategic development of Reed Midem, which organises markets like Mipcom and MipTV in Cannes, France.

Reed Midem Television Division director Laurine Garaude and Reed Midem director of music markets Bruno Crolot will report directly to Delhaye.

MUMBAI: Global Screen, the sales & distribution joint venture by Telepool and Bavaria Media, has enjoyed massive sales success during the television trade event MipTV in Cannes, France.

The company‘s head of sales Sonia Mehandjiyska said, "The demand for our programmes remains unabated, especially in our key territories Italy, Spain and France. There we sell to all major free TV and pay TV channels."

The new season of RTL?s crime series ‘Alarm for Cobra 11‘ had already been sold to Italy, Spain, France and Belgium but now will also hit the screens in India, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Turkey, South Korea and even in Senegal.

New episodes of the telenovela ‘Storm Of Love‘ were purchased by Mediaset in Italy as well as channels in the Czech Republic, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. Danish TV 2 Charlie secured the rights to a package of three series produced for German public broadcaster ARD: ‘For Heaven?s Sake‘, ‘Beauty And The Judge‘ and ‘Circle Of Life‘.

In the field of television movies, the RTL event ‘The Hunt For The Amber Room‘ follows in the footsteps of its two predecessors ‘The Spear of Destiny‘ and ‘The Charlemagne Code‘, which were both highly anticipated by international audiences. After already having sold ?Amber Room? to Italy, Spain and France prior to MipTV, Global Screen has now completed presales with channels in Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Japan and China. The crime movie cycle ‘Vares‘, having enjoyed enormous success with theatrical release in its native Finland, has been sold to the US and Brazil.

Further Global Screen deals at MipTV 2012 were completed for ‘Finest Fairy Tales‘, comprising 26 films based on stories by the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. These were sold to France (TF 1) as well as Italy, Brazil, Benelux, Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. Another family entertainment programme, ‘The Wonderful Adventures of Nils‘, went to Latvia, Poland and the Netherlands. The documentary, ‘The Cologne Cathedral‘, will find its way to the United States, where it was licensed to National Geographic, while ‘Bulb Fiction‘ has been sold to Spain (TV3) and VRT in Belgium.

MUMBAI: New platforms and expanding global markets drove new blockbuster TV content deals at at the recently concluded television trade event MipTV, from formats and scripted series, international co-productions to factual and experimental media.

Whether it was Finnish based Rovio?s Apps to animation series, Angry Birds, or the international co-production Titanic, business was buzzing on the Croisette this week.

With 11,000 executives, including 4,000 buyers, from over 100 countries in town, representing all aspects of the new eco-system of the entertainment business, the global transformation of TV, in all its forms, was clearly visible at MipTV and offered a multitude of new business opportunities for the global TV industry.

During the market, the major studios, production companies and broadcasters rubbed shoulders with executives from the likes of Amazon, Hulu, YouTube, Twitter and Google as well as more recent players to have broken onto the scene such as Machinima, Zeebox, Maker studios and NoTube.

The transformation of the television business was at the heart of this year?s MipTV and at the centre of most conversations. People around the world are consuming more TV content than ever before, in fact consumption has grown a further six minutes per day to a total of three hours and 16 minutes a day, according to Eurodata TV?s 2011 report. However, new technologies are radically changing the way they do it and opening up great opportunities for deep consumer engagement.

Among the slew of key deals announced during MipTV were:ITV Studios Global Entertainment and Lookout Point?s eagerly-awaited drama mini-series, Titanic, presented at MipTV?s Gala Screening in the presence of cast members and scriptwriter Julian Fellowes, sold to China?s Shanghai Joy Network, one of the country?s largest online content providers. The deal takes the Titanic?s sales tally to 95
countries.

Atlantique Productions (Lagardere Entertainment) and distributor SevenOne International presented the co-production, Le Grand, in which world renowned star and French silver screen actor Jean Reno plays the lead role. Reno was in Cannes for the launch of his first TV series.

Legendary former top-model, Elle Macpherson, attended MipTV as the executive producer and host of Electus? new TV show ?Fashion Star? which debuted in March on NBC. In order to build the world?s next major fashion brands, Electus and 5x5 Media have partnered with Magical Elves and the Global Fashion Association to bring together undiscovered designers and top retailers to produce the first reality competition show in the fashion sector. Electus International has sold the completed series of ?Fashion Star? to 75 territories and has optioned format rights in many territories.

FremantleMedia Enterprises signed a deal with US filmmaker Morgan including BBC Worldwide with CCTV-9 for a new science series. The agreement marks the first time that BBC?s award winning science unit will work with the Chinese state broadcaster.

ITV Global Studios Entertainment also inked an agreement with JOY.CN, one of China?s largest content websites for a range of British drama. The multi-year output deal will see programmes such as ITV Studio?s big budgetco-production Titanic and US network drama Prime Suspect made available via video on demand.

CCTV was also awarded a Record Certificate from The Guinness Book of Records for the 500 million audience of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, the five hour show broadcasted during the eve of Chinese New Year.

At the inaugural two-day MipCube focusing on the future of TV, over 500 participants from around the globe gathered to rethink the medium?s future from creation to consumer engagement. Content creators brainstormed directly with technology providers to imagine innovative ways to deliver the best new TV experiences.

Some of the highlights over the two days included MIPCubers having the opportunity to approach new media models like Machinima with their 166 billion monthly viewers online or media moguls, Maker Studios.

In her opening MipCube keynote speech, Cindy Gallop rocked the audience with her Smashing Through the Screen presentation in which she declared that the TV industry needed to design its own future. Unveiling the latest techniques in advertising and branding was Frederic Levron from Ogilvy & Mather and Richard Welsh from UK?s Bigballs Films.

MGM president, television group and digital Roma Khanna took to the stage to give her vision of the things to come. The recipient of the first Media Architect of the Future award stated that content is king because TV is an experience not a device.

The importance of quality content was also underlined by Josh Sapan, President and CEO of AMC Networks when he said that the only answer to the question, What will keep them watching? was iconic content.

Connecting with your audience was also something Coca-Cola VP, global ad strategy and content excellence Jonathan Mildenhall stressed in his Media Mastermind Keynote speech. Together with Ogilvy and Mather?s Paris office, the Coca-Cola Company are taking branded entertainment to a totally new level with the launch of a new global dance movement called Toe Tappy.

The third MipFormats conference, pitching and matchmaking forum welcomed some 600 participants from 54 countries. This year?s programme was the most ambitious yet, with more screenings, market analysis, networking opportunities, conference sessions, workshops and master classes than ever before. In his highly anticipated keynote, Fresh One Productions? Roy Ackerman shared the Jamie Oliver ownedcompany?s trade secrets to creating successful shows but warned that successful branding was largely down to the authenticity of someone like Jamie Oliver who truly believed in what he did.

The Canadian company Antica Productions won the MipFormats Pitch with Looking For Love (L4L) and was awarded ?25,000 to develop the project by exclusive sponsors of the event, Warner Bros. International Television Distribution.

Production was at the heart of MipTV 2012 and the number of producers attending rose by 25 per cent with over 1,220 international television production companies in Cannes of which 326 were first time attendees. Fueling this trend is the increasing quest of producers to find international financial partners and funding.

The growing importance of co-production was the focus of the two-day Drama CoProXchange for commissioners, producers and deal-brokers involved in international production. The programme included a closed-door Drama CoProXchange Summit where new collaborative ideas were explored.

The summit was aimed at speeding up the process of drama co-productions at the beginning stages, where many of the critical creative, production, design, development and funding decisions are made.

Among producers attending MipTV this year was Lain Canning, the Oscar-winning producer for ?The King?s Speech?. Canning presented his new upcoming drama ?Top of the Lake?. The six-part drama series will be directed by Oscar-winner Jane Campion.

Bafta Award-winning, British TV writer and producer Paul Abbott was also in Cannes to present his new project ?Hit and Miss?.

Erwin Schmidt, who produced Wim Wenders? Oscar-nominated dance film ?Pina? in 3D, outlined during MipTV?s 3DTV Focus sessions, how he sees 3D as a creative tool offering a new visual language. He also unveiled a new European 3D documentary series featuring exceptional buildings and entitled Cathedrals of Culture. The series will be executive produced by Wim Wenders.

A brand new initiative called Producers to Watch was launched this year. Four young producer?s that embody the next generation of talent were honored at MipTV: Harry Tordjman, (Myboxprod created in 2009) from France; Olmo Figueredo Gonzalez-Quevedo, (La Claqueta, created in 2002) from Spain; Pauli Kopu, (founding partner of KLOK Creative Agency, created in 2009) from Finland; and Micho Marquis-Rose (La Presse Tele) from Canada.