Record attendance at MIPCOM

According to the figures released by Reed Midem in Paris, this year's MIPCOM was the best yet, with 13,371 people attending - 17% more than last year. Significantly, international buyers were up 10% up on last year. Things look good for the "content" business.

Entertainment Master Class launches at Cannes

TV is set to remain the most important entertainment format for some time - and certainly if the Entertainment Master Class has anything to do with it. Launched during MIPCOM, this event is intended as a launch pad for new TV production and direction talent. The international format academy is an initiative of the Potsdam-based Erich Pommer Institut and offers worldwide unique training for the development, production, marketing and distribution of programme formatting for entertainment television.

At the opening reception, ITV entertainment boss and member of the EMC Advisory Board, Paul Jackson said: “With the television format business now officially worth billions of dollars worldwide, you could say we are long overdue in having a properly accredited academy where experts in the field can pass on their knowledge and insights on how the business runs. The Entertainment Master Class is the right idea at the right time.”

See Entertainment Master Class for details.

India uses MIPCOM to showcase spectacular growth

India's importance as an audiovisual producer has been growing steadily over the past ten years, reflected in the 70+ Indians that are currently at MIPCOM in Cannes. According to The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), revenues from television industry alone are expected to grow from $4.2 billion to $11 billion by 2011. "The Indian entertainment industry has outperformed the country's economy and is one of the fastest growing sectors," said Amit Mitra, secretary general of FICCI. Two key players - Subhash Chandra of Zee Network and Ronnie Screwvala of the UTV group - spoke of the country's rapidly expanding entertainment landscape on MIPCOM's opening day. The Zee network is widely known amongst the vast Indian diaspora worldwide, and India is already the world's third largest pay-TV market. But producers are looking more closely at building awareness outside this group as well.

NEWS FROM MIPCOM Junior. According to a report in the Hollywood Reporter, although business was brisk at MIPCOM Junior, producers are saying that it is becoming harder to sell new products into the market. In the UK, a downturn in commissions from ITV and BBC is pushing prodcos to look towards international partners at a time when multi-party deals are falling out of favour.

To get live news from MIPCOM, check the live interviews being conducted from MIPCOM by CNBC Europe.