At this year’s 35th mip-tv market in Cannes, the buzz was that companies had more product to shop, and buyers were eager to spend.

‘Generally people thought this market offered a lot of opportunity because of digital satellite services and new cable platforms,’ says Stephen Tapp, vp and gm of ChumCity International, which was among the reported 10,515 participants from 102 countries, including 2,649 buyers this year.

The Palais and the Riviera and Palm extensions saw a space increase of 3% (478 stands) from last year. Following France, the u.s., u.k. and Germany, Canada was the fifth most represented country, having 129 companies at the show.

Among the Canadian contingent was Atlantis Communications, whose major announcement that they reached a three-year strategic program licensing agreement with Endemol, one of Europe’s largest entertainment production and distribution companies, kept Atlantis reps very busy.

‘It changed the focus of the show for us,’ says Ted Riley, president of Atlantis Releasing. ‘We hardly left our booth. There was a lot of traffic.’ Riley says the deal will give Atlantis stability and heightened awareness in the European market.

The agreement is expected to generate $105 million in revenue for Atlantis over three years and includes the rights for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Endemol has agreed to license a portion of Atlantis’ library catalogue for Europe, Africa and the Middle East for an additional $10 million.

While the Endemol deal was the ‘most significant’ announcement at the show, Riley says there were other substantial meetings regarding purchases of Peter Benchley’s Amazon, which Atlantis is developing for a fall ’99 launch in u.s. first-run syndication. Children’s programs Sixth Grade Alien and The World of Peter Cottontail, of which Atlantis will be producing 22 episodes for ytv, gleaned u.s., u.k. and Scandinavia interest and there may be a home video deal in the works.

Atlantis also announced other ’98 projects: The Jacqueline Susann Story, a tv movie for the USA Network. The science-fiction/ action-adventure series Dragonriders of Pern will see Atlantis team with Zyntopo Productions to develop the series based on sci-fi author Anne McCaffrey’s best-selling novels for production in 1999. Atlantis’ 50% owned Calibre Digital Pictures will be heavily involved in the development of the one-hour series that Atlantis contends has strong franchise potential.

Atlantis also sold 44 episodes of Craftscapes to Japan’s nhk.

Also feeling the positive vibe was ChumCity. ‘This has been the best mip for us so far,’ Tapp says. One of ChumCity’s announcements at the show was its newly inked deal for the sale of 300 hours of programming to Japan’s Shetv, one of two thematic channels launched in Japan on March 25 by Global Japan, a division of Global Media Holdings.

Shetv is broadcast via PanAm Sat ii to Japanese cable and satellite operators and is currently distributed by DirecTV Japan.

Among the properties sold are FT-Fashion Television, Ooh La La, MovieTelevision, Bravo!’s Arts and Minds, MuchMusic’s Spotlight and Egos and Icons.

‘Renewals tend to not get as much recognition as new deals,’ Tapp comments, ‘but in this business now… renewing is as good as doing new business.’ He adds that interest in entertainment and fashion genres is heating up, particularly fashion.

ChumCity was very busy selling to other international markets including New Zealand and Iceland. It recently signed a format licensing agreement to Canal 21 in Brazil, and sold its fashion shows to Poland’s first digital platform, Wizjatv.

mip sales for Alliance Communications ‘were extremely good,’ says Jean Michel Ciszewski, senior vp of sales for Alliance Television International, calling from his office in Paris. ‘We were 50% above the last mip.’

At the show, Alliance shopped Shadow Warriors ii, a cable movie starring Terry Hulk Hogan; Total Recall: The Series; and Da Vinci’s Inquest, a new 13 one-hour crime series.

Cinar Films also had a boffo market. ‘It was probably the biggest mip we’ve ever had,’ says Louis Fournier, vp of distribution and marketing. ‘We have more product to offer and it seems we’ve become a hub for children’s buyers.’

Another show announcement, Britain’s Yorkshire Television and Toronto documentarians Associated Producers have signed a joint-venture agreement which gives them access to each other’s ideas to jointly develop and produce.

First up under the agreement is Penn and Teller’s Foreign Adventure, a three by one-hour series which will follow the American illusionists on a tour of India, Russia and North Africa. Delivery is expected for December/January. The u.k.’s Channel 4 is interested in broadcasting the programs.

With files from Cheryl Binning and Andy Hoffman.