MIPCOM Nordic focus in five take aways - buyers are back, but risk averse

On Wednesday MIPCOM, the biggest autumn content market attended by more than 10,600 delegates from 106 countries, reached its penultimate day after two days of intensive deal-making and networking in Cannes under a splendid blue sky and in summer temperatures.

Slightly different in tone with a new focus this year on the creator economy and branded content, MIPCOM was more muted in eye-popping star-driven series launches - except Sony Pictures Television’s dramedy The Miniature Wife starring Matthew Macfadyen, and ZDF Studios’ latest instalment in its epic family saga Ku’damm 77’ - after Ku’damm 56, 59 ,63, which aired in over 30 countries and earned an International Emmy nomination.

From the Nordics, Swedish event series backed by Nordisk Film & TV Fond (NFTVF) that had market screenings include Beta Film’s family pick Astrid Lindgren’s Seacrow Island (Vi på Saltkråkan), produced by SF Studios and Astrid Lindgren AB for Sweden’s SVT, and the sci-fi original We Come in Peace (Vi kommer i fred), due to premiere November 6 on TV4 Play.

Producer Piodor Gustafsson of Black Spark was on hand at the packed Olympia cinema screening with heavyweight US-born London-based writer/producer Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files) and the series concept director Jens Jonsson, who directed Blinded (Fartblinda) and Easy Money 3 - Life Deluxe (Snabba cash III - Livet deluxe).

Thanking the creative team before the preview of two episodes, Studio TF1’s Chief Distribution Officer Rodolphe Buet said: “You’ve delivered something that is exactly what we need in Europe; a bold, extremely interesting show with high production value.”

Studio TF1 is one of the key sales representatives of Nordic content that shared their insights at this year’s MIPCOM. Here are some take-aways:

MIPCOM in numbers

At a press gathering on Wednesday, Lucy Smith, Director of MIPCOM Cannes and MIP London, said attendance figures at 10,600 were “marginally up on 2024” (10,500), with the strongest delegations originating from the UK, followed by the US, France, Germany, Türkiye, Canada, Spain, Italy, Japan, and South Korea. More than 3,340 buyers were on hand, mostly from the US, the UK, Germany, France and Spain. The Pre-MIPCOM market for kids and youth, MIP Junior, welcomed 940 delegates from over 60 countries. Smith also confirmed the dates for MIP London (February 22-24, 2026).

Buyers back in business, playing it safe

"The market is definitely more selective than a few years ago,” said Camille Dupeuble, Studio TF1’s EVP International TV and Digital Distribution. “Budgets are under strong pressure, and broadcasters/streamers tend to be cautious with pre-buys. They often wait until the project is at a very advanced stage - scripts ready, strong cast, confirmed local broadcaster - before committing. That said, when the project has a strong hook or is based on a big IP, a clear audience, and international potential, buyers can still be reactive,” she said, adding: “For finished content, there is still room, but competition is tougher. Buyers are increasingly data-driven, and expect proven results in the local market before committing for their market.”

Tom Misselbrook, SVP, Scripted Sales and Development at Cineflix Rights, concurred: “Buyers gravitate towards more tried and tested genres which are considered safe bets or are led by big IP, and series with top-tier talent attached.” Vanda Rapti, Viaplay Group’s EVP, Viaplay Select & Content Distribution, also welcomed the “renewed optimism” in the market. “Budgets are still tight, but there’s a growing sense that buyers are more open again, and they’re looking for distinctive stories with identity.”

Both Paris-based Oble co-founder Katia Sol and Copenhagen’s REinvent Yellow Director of Sales and Marketing Helene Aurø underlined the need for “smart windowing strategies” to optimise rights.

Remake bonanza

All sales agents underscored the strong appetite of buyers for remake rights. “[That interest] has always been there, but it’s certainly accelerating, and format rights will double for sure,” said Aurø, who cited strong interest for remakes in the Finnish crime show Deception (Kerma) and award-winning romcom Out of Touch (Handen på Hjärtat) from Sweden.

DR Sales’ Camilla Maria Saabye Bjerregaard, Senior Format and Sales Executive, confirmed that the Indian version of the iconic Danish crime show The Killing (Forbrydelsen) recently premiered on Disney+ Hotstar. She also mentioned Cry Wolf (Ulven kommer), being developed by FX for Disney’s global platforms, and top-financed by NFTVF, The Legacy (Arvingerne), optioned in US “with a great team and hopes for a greenlight next year”, and Home Ground (Heimebane) and Splitting Up Together (Bedre skilt end aldrig), optioned in Germany and the UK respectively. “Even our documentary The Mole: Undercover in North Korea (Muldvarpen - Undervover i Korea) is optioned for an adaption into fiction in the UK,” said the TV executive, adding that DR sales is “also exploring new models for international adaptation by working directly with US showrunners and packaging teams. This more collaborative approach helps position our stories more effectively in highly competitive markets.”

Hot titles-what sells

Misselbrook, who gave Cineflix Rights clients a first glimpse of the Finnish/Icelandic crime show Hildur, based on the best-selling books by Satu Rämö, confirmed buyers’ hunger for crime, procedurals and contemporary thrillers, ”but also shows that feel original and authentic, with a clear audience”. Oble’s Paris based executive Sol, whose line-up was headlined by the Norwegian, NTVF-backed comedy/family drama Nepobaby from showrunner Henriette Steenstrup, said: “Because of the current state of the world, people want lighter stuff, with engaging characters. Broadcasters and streamers alike are looking for fewer titles, but with higher quality, returnable and with remake potential, and this is what the Nordics do really well.”

“For us, Nordic storytelling continues to be a trusted hallmark,” Rapti said, underlining interest on the market for young adult content on top of Nordic noir. “Streamers and broadcasters alike, especially those with older core audiences, are seeking to re-engage younger viewers with grounded, emotional stories that feel authentic rather than formulaic,” she said, citing Viaplay’s Threesome, The Architect (Arkitekten), and Thunder in My Heart. DR Sales’ Freja Johanne Nørgaard Sørensen said the strong DR brand was key in building trust with clients. Three new Scandi shows supported by NFTVF attracted strong interest: DR Drama’s Harvest (Høst), Norwegian hospital drama Still Breathing (LIS), produced by Rubicon TV for NRK - both part of the New8 alliance - and the Swedish legal drama Burden of Justice, produced by Strive Studios for SVT.

Birth of REinvent Yellow

Announced on the eve of MIPCOM, the merger of REinvent - one of the Nordics’ leading sales, packaging and production mini-studios - with the Finnish powerhouse Yellow Film Studios, was the talking point among Nordic delegates at MIPCOM.

Speaking to Nordisk Film & TV Fond, REinvent founder and the group’s Deputy CEO Rikke Ennis said the new European studio, which also encompasses the Helsinki-based AI-driven 255 Pix and Dublin-based prodco Newgrange Films, will be “a win-win” affair for Nordic professionals. It will offer a unified hub for production, sales, financing, and innovation, and most importantly much stronger financial muscles to invest in more content, both in the English language and Nordic languages. “Basically, it’s business as usual in the Nordics, but we’re scaling up and offering an add-on with quality English-speaking films and series,” added Aurø.

In Cannes, buzzy REinvent Yellow titles included the Norwegian crime show The Pushover (De Troskyldige), the true crime thriller Escaping Bolivia (Flukten fra Bolivia) (top-financed by NFTVF), as well as the Danish crime series Oxen, season 2.