MIPTV will have a heavy focus on content for multiple platforms – especially mobile – when the annual TV market returns to the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, April 3-7.

Following the lead of its sister MIPCOM this past October, MIPTV is providing a number of event outside of its traditional TV-related fare, including the big-ticket Mobile Networking event – a trade floor dedicated to all things portable and watchable, occupied by outfits including Nokia, Philips and HP.

MIP is also hosting Content 360, a first-ever mobile content contest, with six separate competitions. Three Canadian outfits are among 24 finalists. Montreal’s MadeinMTL will compete in the mobile content and applications stream, while projects from Winnipeg-based Frantic Films and Toronto’s Theskonkworks will duke it out in the National Film Board-sponsored animation-for-mobile heat. The six winning projects will split 80,000 Euros in development money.

Ashley Highfield, BBC’s head of new media, and Jonathan Miller, CEO of AOL, are among the tech-focused keynote speakers.

Survivor creator Mark Burnett will present Miller with the pioneer prize at the first annual International Interactive Emmy Awards on April 5 for his innovations in interactive TV. Hosted by actor Roger Bart (Desperate Housewives), the ceremony will present awards for best interactive show, channel and TV service.

Jill Keenleyside, EVP distribution at CCI Entertainment, admits there is a steep learning curve when stepping into the new media world. Her Toronto shop is headed to MIP with a gaggle of multiplatform children’s properties, including its new Australian copro Erky Perky (26 x 30), and development properties Frankenstein’s Cat and Bottlefly, which all have interactive/multimedia and/or home-video components.

‘This whole new realm of digital activity… is something you don’t want to miss out on,’ says Keenleyside, who is now selling some CCI shows as VOD content without making traditional TV deals. ‘There’s not a lot of payout right at the beginning, but it’s an exciting opportunity to get into some different worlds of revenue generation.’

CCI will be housed in the Telefilm Canada pavilion – physically the largest stand at the market this year – along with about 70 other Cancos.

CHUM International VP/GM Kevin Byles feels efforts on the frontlines of digital content will start to pay off soon.

‘We’ve been producing a plethora of [mobile] entertainment-related content which we took to MIPCOM,’ says Byles. ‘We had a lot of interest and subsequent discussions, and hopefully at this market we’ll see some interesting sales developments as a result.’

CHUM offerings include lifestyle and entertainment-related shows including The It List (16 x 30), Peek (13 x 30) and the one-off half-hour Tahiti Model Search, among other titles, all of which have mobile versions.

Although stats were incomplete at press time, more than 11,000 delegates had already registered for MIPTV, which is a 3% jump from last year. Also, 3,400 TV buyers were already confirmed, more than the total that showed up last year. The market will be preceded by the factual content bazaar MIPDOC, running April 1-2.

www.miptv.com