The third day of Mipcom 2010 was not slower in people attendance and closing deals than the two previous days. It is another proof that the content business is leaving the crisis behind. Today, less activity is expected, though the whole outcome of the show will be positive for sure.

FRAPA, the Format Rights Protection Association, and C21 gave yesterday evening their traditional Format Awards. The winners were: Best branded-generated format: HP Space from (ice-TV); Best Studio-Based game show format: Minute to Win (NBC Universal); Best competition reality format: Three in a bed (All3Media); Best factual entertainment format: The Fairy Jobmother (All3Media); Best Comedy format: Benidorm Bastards (SevenOne International); Best scripted format: Ezel (Sparks Networks); Best multi-platform format: Final Punishment (beActive Entertainment). Above all, new efforts pushing a legal format industry were claimed.

Trendy opinions? Ute Biernat, CEO at Grundy Light Entertainment (Germany): ‘In the main markets, the docu-dramas and docu-soaps are going down in the afternoon slots. It seems new game shows would take the place, easy to produce and to program. For the prime time, the next step could be more economic fiction. Broadcasters' budgets can't stand bigger and bigger entertainment shows forever, and the audience average is getting older. A new mix of good fiction but lower costs has to come. Perhaps, with the TV fragmentation, we will have high quality and cheaper options… we'll see'.

Mathieu Béjot, executive director at TV France International: ‘This year our companies have recovered the numbers of 2008, it has been a very good year. Though, TV fragmentation obliges to close 50% more contracts to get the same money, there are more but weaker customers. Genres as animation and documentaries are taken from free TV to DTT, and suffer this trend. Format business is less affected, but it is difficult to compete with American series'.

Gabriel Reyes, president at RCN Television Colombia: ‘For the top Latin American broadcasters, a very important issue is co-production deals. With Sony we've made two projects and we have three more in mind. Taking big partners is a very good way to go forward within the very competitive market today, both domestic and international'.

Leng Raymundo, VP Program Acquisitions at ABS-CBN, The Philippines: ‘At Mipcom we are looking for big show formats, telenovelas, animation and young dramas, as the Korean ones. But at the top are our own fiction productions to sell abroad. We are adapting Latin American telenovela formats (Televisa, Telemundo) and we sell well from Eastern Europe to Africa. Globalization opens many doors'.

Nicolás Smirnoff/Fabricio Ferrara