MIPCOM 2026 Takeaways: Surfing The New Wave Of TV With YouTube, ‘Baywatch’, Skydance, Banijay & More

MIPCOM is the biggest gathering in international TV. This year there were 10,000 attendees and over 3,000 buyers. The organizers have thrown open the doors to the wider world of content and distribution – and nowadays YouTube execs and creator businesses mingle with TV buyers and sellers. Deadline was out in force and here are the team’s takeaways. Surfing To Cannes MIPCOM always needs a bit of glitz and glamor and this year that largely came in the form of those beloved red shorts. Yes folks, Baywatch is back, and co-stars Stephen Amell and Brooks Nader were on board to tell us all about the reboot. Shepherded by execs from Fox and Fremantle, the pair could be seen at many of the most glamorous events along the Croisette throughout the week, while a fun stunt took place Monday night. They weren’t the only big stars in town, however, with Christie Brinkley around to talk up her new docuseries, Stephen Fry spotted at Monday drinks promoting Fox’s The Interrogator and the likes of Rafe Spall, Robbie GK and Luke Evans chatting with press. Will Skydance Open Up Or Keep The Good Stuff? The different program sales operations of Skydance hit the Côte d’Azur under their pre-existing Paramount and WB brands. Some higher ups at other distribs questioned how open for business the combined operation will be. New Skydance content sales chief David Decker was all smiles at the WBD stand, able to look over and see his new Paramount colleagues just along the beachfront. With a huge debt pile, the parts of the Skydance business that are revenue generating – such as program sales – are under pressure to deliver. With huge streamers to nurture, however, will some content stay in the family and not make it to market? Disney and others went through periods of holding back shows to bolster their SVODs. But, per the big Disney stand in the Palais des Festivals this year, they are fully back into the program sales biz. Let’s see how Skydance turns up at MIPCOM 2027. Watch on Deadline YouTube Dividing Lines Drawn The inseparable relationship between YouTube and TV was clear for all to see at MIPCOM Cannes but serious concerns from the latter remain. Traditional TV folk, who are very much on board the YouTube train, were drawing dividing lines, both privately when we chatted with sources, and on stage. BBC content boss Kate Phillips drew cheers from a packed auditorium when she said algorithms can’t create great content, noting: “If you commission based on algorithms you are literally a creative carcass.” YouTube Europe boss Pedro Pina, a fixture at these events, reminded producers that the platform won’t take work away from them by entering the production game. At times, however, it felt like the traditional players were looking to remind the world that YouTube has its limits. Banijay Wants More Drama In The U.S. The new, bigger Banijay was in town. There was a swanky post All3Media-Banijay wedding party in Cannes’ iconic Carlton Hotel and Jeff Zucker and Marco Bassetti took to the MIPCOM stage. Banijay was big already, and after merging with All3Media, has a 265,000-hour library and is huge. In Europe, that is taken as read in industry circles. Internally, the company thinks of itself as having the heft of a Lionsgate or even a Sony. That’s not, however, the perception Stateside. Fremantle, ITV Studios and others have sunk cash into scripted plays in the U.S. with varying levels of success. How Banijay cracks scripted there is a big agenda point for Bassetti, Jane Turton and Banijay Americas topper Ben Samek. Expect news. AI: From Headlines To The Bottom Line A lot of newbie AI businesses were at MIPCOM to convince the content buyers and sellers they could help streamline or monetize what they do. The focus was how AI can be integrated and optimize the existing business – rather than presentation of noisy (and controversial) slates of AI TV shows and movies. The reality of such optimization is likely fewer jobs. But there was an acceptance of another reality – AI isn’t going away. It is already part of TV production and distribution. MIPCOM is a great example of how and why humans want and need to meet, talk, network and socialize, but the question is now how, not if, AI fits into the picture. Creators Drop The Pranks And Get Serious MIPCOM was a conduit for the developing creator economy this year, with the focus switching to those YouTube and digital stars who are actually building businesses. Dhar Mann’s (pre-)opening night keynote was full of passion and promise, but most notable was how he has gone from producing from iPhones in his bedroom to owning a four-acre production campus, Creator City. It will house productions, creators and A-list brands in one place. “Five years ago nobody was taking me seriously,” he said. Creator deals unveiled at the market included Endemol Shine Brasil’s pact with Latino creator house Grupo Podpah. Microdrama Mania Plenty remain sceptical on microdrama, but this week proved there’s no doubt it’s here for the long haul. Reps from pioneers such as ReelShort were in town pressing the flesh, while a global microdrama leaders’ summit brought together the likes of COL Group, Roseberry, RJ RisingJoy and NetShort. The room was packed, which shows seriously established players are thinking about it – and traditional players such as Germany’s ZDF, Chile’s TVN and Turkey’s Kanal later engaged in a vertical video matchmaking session. TikTok, a first-time attendee, struck arguably the biggest vertical deal for microdramas, from U.S. creator house Made By Us. New Entrants Welcomed To The Club Though MIPCOM is still the domain of the distribution biz, the number of players from outside TV land and sessions on branded content and other adjacent video spaces ramped up again. The likes of TikTok, ad giant WPP and live streaming business Upstream made their event debuts, eager to speak with the increasing numbers of producers, sellers and financiers who are broadening their horizons in a tough landscape for independent players. “I’ve been hugely impressed by how much momentum there is around driving collaboration from across the disciplines both on and off the Croisette,” Jason Hughes from Sky Media, the ad arm of Sky, told us.