In a year where the focus on the TV drama market was as much on ‘who buys what’ as ‘who buys who’, MIPTV in Cannes was another buoyant event for world content creators of high end drama and the first MIPTV Drama Screenings was a welcome addition to the spring TV market.

Reflecting the increased competition for premium drama, several major international groups announced shareholding stakes in indie production companies (see previous articles about Studiocanal CLICK HERE or joint ventures with new outfits (see Dramacorp article CLICK HERE) to secure the best content as early as possible. Jan Mojto, Beta Film CEO said jokingly during his company’s press brunch on Tuesday: “With people chasing companies, the new sport here is who buys who!”

Asked by nordicfilmandtvnews.com if he feared the M&A trend would harm smaller independent players, Laurent Boissel, joint CEO and founder of the boutique distribution and financing company About Premium Content said: “Indie producers are artisans, craftsmen and many do not feel comfortable working within major global groups. The essence of creativity is freedom and independence so there will always be indie producers working on quality projects, willing to collaborate with smaller distributors offering tailor-made solutions and sales strategies to their productions, “said Boissel who handles the Norwegian dramas and the upcoming premium show .

The first MIPTV Drama that platformed 12 new TV dramas from around the world, including the Finnish family drama/crime series , was attended by almost 400 acquisition executives and 50 journalists. The winning series of the MIP Markets Drama Advisory Board’s Coup de Coeur was Belgium’s sold by Zodiak Rights.

Fisher King’s co-founder and producer of Matti Halonen was pleased with the responses to his show following the MIPTV Drama exposure and Jean-Michel Ciszewski who handles sales on behalf of Federation Entertainment, told nordicfilmandtvnews.com that major deals are pending on the series.

Another MIPDrama Screening selection, the British costume drama following the early life of Queen Victoria (Jenna Coleman) and her marriage to Prince Albert (Tom Hughes) was sold by ITV Studios Global Entertainment to Nordic broadcasters TV4 in Sweden, NRK, DR and YLE. Meanwhile the Spanish suspense show is being negotiated by Filmax International for several territories including Scandinavia.

Tom Stewart (Arrow Films), long time Scandi buyer also felt that the MipDrama Screenings was ‘an invaluable and a very welcome addition to MIPTV. “I feel they [Reed Midem] could perhaps examine the possibility of adding a further day for a works in progress session,” he added.

While Laurine Garaude, Director of Reed MIDEM’s Television Division told media delegates yesterday at MIPTV’s closing press conference that the MIPDrama Screenings are ‘destined for development’, the entire TV drama industry was already preparing for the competitive platform and must event in the TV drama calendar: Series Mania in Paris (April 15-24).