The international TV events calendar is shifting again. In a notable reset for the industry, MIP Talks is set to replace MIP London, marking a new strategy from organizer RX as it looks to connect television, publishing, fandom and global intellectual property trends under one roof.
After only two editions, MIP London will not return in 2027. Instead, RX France is launching a new two-day conference, MIP Talks, to run alongside the London Book Fair in March at ExCeL London. For executives in TV & Video, the move says a lot about where media markets are heading: away from traditional buyer-seller formats and toward cross-sector conversations about IP, audience growth and franchise-building.
Why MIP London is ending
MIP London arrived in 2025 after the closure of MIPTV, which for many years had been a key spring marketplace for the international television business in Cannes. The idea was to create a London-based alternative that could capitalize on the momentum of the annual London TV Screenings.
But despite securing high-profile speakers and industry visibility, MIP London struggled to fully establish itself in a packed market. The event reportedly drew around 2,000 attendees this year, down from its first edition, and faced a practical challenge that many buyers and distributors already know too well: London during Screenings week is overcrowded.
Several factors likely contributed to the decision:
- Distributors already host their own screenings and meetings across the city
- Buyer schedules are tightly packed during the London TV Screenings
- The market was competing for attention with existing industry events
- The traditional stand-and-sales model continues to evolve rapidly
In short, MIP London entered a space that was already busy, expensive and difficult to differentiate.
MIP Talks signals a new direction for TV and media events
The launch of MIP Talks suggests RX is not stepping back from the media sector. Instead, it is rethinking the format. Rather than trying to replicate a conventional TV market, the new event is being framed as a conference-driven platform focused on the wider entertainment ecosystem.
According to details revealed so far, MIP Talks will bring together leaders from entertainment, media and culture to explore what kinds of IP are breaking through and where new commercial opportunities are emerging. Its first-year theme, “From IP to Fandom – and Fandom to Global Business,” makes the ambition clear.
This shift reflects broader changes across the screen industries:
- IP can originate from books, podcasts, games, social media and creator-led communities
- Fandom increasingly drives long-term monetization
- Platforms, brands and creators now influence commissioning and distribution decisions
- Story worlds are built across multiple formats, not just television
For TV executives, producers and distributors, MIP Talks could become less about floor space and more about strategic insight.
Why pairing MIP Talks with the London Book Fair matters
The decision to stage MIP Talks alongside the London Book Fair may prove more significant than the rebrand itself. The London Book Fair attracts tens of thousands of visitors annually and has increasingly become a place where publishing meets screen adaptation, rights trading and franchise development.
That overlap is where the opportunity lies. Books remain one of the richest sources of adaptable intellectual property, and studios, streamers and independent producers are all searching for stories with built-in audiences. By placing MIP Talks next to a major publishing event, RX is effectively creating a bridge between literary rights holders and the TV business.
What attendees can expect
While full programming details are still to come, the event is likely to center on topics such as:
- Adaptation trends from page to screen
- How fandom turns IP into scalable global brands
- The role of creators and digital communities in media discovery
- Cross-platform storytelling and licensing opportunities
- New revenue models for entertainment businesses
This makes MIP Talks especially relevant for anyone working at the intersection of content development, rights acquisition, co-production and audience strategy.
What this means for MIPCOM and the wider TV market
The end of MIP London does not mean the MIP brand is shrinking overall. If anything, it appears to be specializing. MIPCOM remains the major annual TV market in Cannes, and under RX France leadership it is being repositioned around broader conversations involving creators, brands, platforms and IP owners.
That matters because the classic television marketplace is changing fast. Buyers and sellers still need meeting spaces, but increasingly they also need context: Which stories travel? Which fan communities convert? Which properties can become multi-market businesses?
MIP Talks appears designed to answer those questions in a setting that feels more future-facing than transactional. It also acknowledges a simple reality: the boundaries between publishing, television, streaming, licensing and digital culture are now extremely thin.
A crowded London scene still has room for reinvention
London has not lost its importance as a media hub. Far from it. But for any event to succeed there, it needs a sharply defined purpose. MIP London tried to compete in a traditional market window. MIP Talks is attempting something broader and potentially more durable by tapping into rights, adaptation and cultural conversation.
The move also follows a wider trend of events clustering around cross-industry value rather than standalone sector identity. In that sense, the conference may appeal not only to TV executives but also to publishers, talent agencies, brand strategists and companies tracking consumer fandom.
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Conclusion
The end of MIP London is a clear sign that the old event model is under pressure, but it is not the end of RX’s ambitions in the sector. With MIP Talks, the company is betting that the future of TV & Video lies in the overlap between IP, fandom, publishing and global business development. If the concept lands, MIP Talks could become a valuable new forum for understanding how modern entertainment is created, discovered and scaled.
For industry professionals, the takeaway is simple: follow the IP, follow the audience, and pay close attention to where formats like MIP Talks are redefining the business conversation.
