Over 12,000 executives made the pilgrimage to MIPCOM in Cannes this year, which is a good number considering society is on the verge of collapse. It’s too early to know how much business they did – but there’s no question the market threw up some interesting stories.

Perhaps more than anything, it confirmed the fact that it’s no longer possible for producers to act in isolation from international or ancillary distribution channels. Here are a few examples of what I’m talking about.

FremantleMedia opens kids division

FME has built up a distribution and licensing business around entertainment brands like Idol. Now it has realized that this machinery can also be used for the rollout of kids shows – so it has brought in former studio exec Sander Schwartz to develop some.

For me this is interesting because it shows how the kids business is now more than ever predicated on the apparatus for commercial exploitation rather than creativity of producers. I know the standard line about how commercial should never dictate content. But it does. Producers who don’t adapt to this will be increasingly reliant on pubcaster money to survive.

BBC bails out ITV drama Primeval

This is another example of distribution reinventing content commissioning. Primeval had been doing well on U.K. terrestrial ITV. But ITV decided to drop it because of budgetary pressures. However, distributor BBC Worldwide stepped in and saved the show so that it could: a) play it out on its U.K. digital networks; and b) sell the show around the world. In other words, the commercial arm of the BBC saved one of its rival’s top primetime shows so it could sell it into distribution. Something like this happened with Baywatch. But increasingly, funding pressures (particularly in drama) will require producers to construct this kind of deal.

It is also interesting to note that Fremantle’s U.K. and German drama divisions are going into development together.

Scripps launches Food Network in the U.K.

It never ceases to amaze me how popular food programming is. In Australia, a local version of Masterchef is one of the best performers of all time. Then there’s the success of Iron Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, Come Dine with Me.

In the U.K., Scripps has just launched its Food Network with plans to launch more local versions in due course. The point being that there is a seemingly insatiable appetite for this kind of soft, lifestyle content. (Think also motoring, fashion, travel, etc.)

For producers, the key is to deliver shows that can work across borders, have shelf life and are repeatable. It’s not necessarily a recipe for instant riches – but this kind of content looks like it could represent a pension plan for rights holders in the area.

Cineflix unveils branded content division

Producer/distributor Cineflix has announced the launch of a branded-content division, headed by Paul Day, who has negotiated deals and created content for brands such as Nike, iTunes, Coors Brewers and Toyota. There’s no question that this move is in line with broader trends in the business. With ad revenue under pressure, there’s been a general appeal by broadcasters for more flexibility in branded-content and product-placement regulation.

Cineflix wants to create TV shows ‘for which there is a genuine broadcaster need, that don’t simply feature products but fuse a brand message into the fabric of the show.’

These days, every producer should have someone in their team who can say something along these lines.

Endemol reinvents 1 vs 100 for Xbox Live

I’m not a big games buff (though I do lose a bit of money playing online poker). But the reinvention of quiz show 1 vs 100 gave me an inkling of how TV and gaming might partner up. 1 vs 100 as a linear TV game show holds no interest for me. But put it on a live gaming platform with avatars and 150,000 people playing against each other simultaneously and I can start to feel the adrenalin rise.

Online appointment-to-view gaming probably does have a role in our living rooms and may revive some pretty ordinary formats.

Mattel and ITV to develop game brands

One of the things I’m most looking forward to about dying is that I’ll never hear or say the word BRAND again. But in the meantime, ITV Studios and Mattel have signed a deal under which they will develop Mattel board-game brands such as Scrabble into international TV formats and multi-platform properties. This speaks a little to the FME story (above) and also recalls the Hasbro/Discovery partnership announced this year.

The fact is that brands need to become experiences to engage with audiences. So producers face a choice of: a) battling against those brand expressions; or b) making brands part of their content creation strategy. You choose.

How to make people pay for content online

Sorry to mention FremantleMedia again, but CEO Tony Cohen raised a good point in a speech at MIPCOM. Paraphrased: Why is it that people are disinclined to pay for TV content online but will pay for virtual items in locations like Facebook and Habbo Hotel?

Every producer should take a day off this month and ponder this point. Who are the audiences that pay money for social networking and game-related content? And how can that be translated into the TV environment? If there’s a warning here it’s not to be sucked too easily down the voting, competition entry road – since we, as audiences, are very resentful about being fleeced by shabby call TV operations.