Execs rate trade shows--Cannes' two marts are tops.

While TV executives the world over often claim that technology has rendered TV markets less important, the fact is their calendars remain filled with international TV trade shows. While some have been scrapped over the years (the Monte Carlo TV market and Milan's MIFED come to mind), executives still spend many of their work months preparing for one market or another. VideoAge polled a group of TV distribution executives to find out which of the markets are most crucial to them, and which aren't.

Whether hailing from independent distributors or studios, the executives polled unanimously agreed that Reed MIDEM's two Cannes markets--spring event MIP-TV (the longest-running TV trade show, now in its 44th year) and the fall's MIPCOM--top their lists in terms of must-attend markets, since they boast vast groups of buyers from all over the world.

Fred Haber, founding president of Alfred Haber Distribution, described MIP-TV as "the great equalizer, where the numbers [of free and pay-TV clients] are 50-50. MIP is the closest thing to taking our product everywhere," he said.

According to James Anderson, Sales manager at 3DD Entertainment--whose company also regularly attends Eastern European market DISCOP, the WAEA in-flight entertainment conference and November's American Film Market --there's another reason MIP and MIPCOM are numbers one and two. "Reed MIDEM has really taken initiative on attracting new media buyers."

On the other hand, Herb Lazarus, president, International of Carsey-Werner said, "Probably the least important market at this point is MIP-TV. If it went away, and we only had one market in France, that would be fine."

But, Claudia Sahab, director of Sales, Europe, at Televisa Estudios, insisted that each Cannes market serves a different purpose. "At MIPCOM we recap how the shows of the last year worked, and talk about new ones. At MIP-TV we close deals for the year." Sahab added that MIPCOM has become increasingly valuable to Televisa thanks to the preceding Telenovela Screenings. "Since our buyers have already seen our shows before the market starts," she said, "our meetings are much more efficient." Her company divides its show launches equally between MIP-TV and MIPCOM.

Duccio Donati, vice president of International Sales at E! Networks, opined: "Two markets are good because their timing works well. At MIPCOM we can showcase programs that launched over the summer, and at MIP-TV we can focus on the shows that launched in January."

When pressed on which of the two Cannes markets is most valuable, Sabrina Sanchez-Ayala, vp, Sales and Marketing at CABLEready, said "MIP is probably most important because of [preceding documentary screening event] MipDoc. While she placed NATPE third on her list of important markets (right above the ATF), she said "it's not necessarily a place where deals are done." She continued: "NATPE doesn't work very well for international broadcasters, as they close their budgets at the end of the year." One territory in which she sees a lot of growth at NATPE is Australia. "The region is bringing in so much programming from the U.S., and almost all of the networks go to NATPE."

3DD's Anderson said he'll occasionally attend NATPE. "It's good to attend the smaller markets to reach the buyers that don't necessarily go to a MIP-TV or MIPCOM," he said. He added that the value of smaller events (like Singapore's Asia TV Forum, or ATF, and Hungary-based DISCOP, specifically) increases thanks to the addition of "territory-specific trips," which take place after the markets.

Haber, a self-described NATPE loyalist who stayed true to NATPE in its darkest hours said, "We need producers to know we're there, and we would never not exhibit. NATPE is critical to us," he said.

But that's not the case for everyone. "NATPE is nowhere near as focused as a MIP or MIPCOM; buyers don't anchor their acquisitions around NATPE the way they do the Cannes markets," said E!'s Donati. "Timing is also a problem since it's so close to the holidays." But to Donati's delight, NATPE has announced that due in part to the booming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January, the market will take place two weeks later in 2008. "That could help," he said.

To Kevin Byles, vice president and general manager at CHUM International, NATPE could use a few minor adjustments. "It'd be great if the [three-day] convention was longer. You could deal with seminars and sessions on some days and meetings on other days."

But NATPE will always remain number one in the eyes of distributors looking to reach Latin American buyers. "NATPE is great for Latin American buyers who can't go to MIP or MIPCOM because of their finances," said Olga Romero, who handles Cookie Jar Entertainment's Latin American broadcast sales.

One market that seems to possess potential is DISCOP, which has grown thanks to being taken over by NATPE in 2006. "There was a big difference between DISCOP 2006 and the other ones," said Televisa's Sahab. "Every year it gets more important, but last year we saw more attendance and larger clients attended. The potential is there," she said.

Carsey-Werner's Lazarus was adamant that all markets serve some sort of purpose. "From the [studio-centric] May Screenings on, our business is all year long. The markets help move everything forward," he said. In the case of May's L.A. Screenings to which Lazarus refers, independent distributors defer those to the studios--the stars of the event--who use it to showcase their new seasons' scripted series. "We all know the buyers are there to meet with the studios and we have to be respectful of that," said E!'s Donati. "For us, it's more social than anything else."

Most executives seem satisfied with the number of TV events they attend (even though there are far fewer than there once were). "There aren't really any empty spots on the calendar," Donati observed. "We have enough markets. And to be honest, my preference as head of Sales is to send my people on the road to meet with clients directly in their offices."LCB The following market calendar has been developed to reflect the stations' acquisition schedules: Market Month Focused Territory Sellers'

Preference * L.A. Screenings May All (NA-studios

only) DISCOP June East/Central Europe 4 MIPCOM October All 1 AFM October/November Latin America, Asia 5 ATF November Asia 6 NATPE January Latin America 3 MIP-TV April All 2 * Markets ranked in order of importance. Information was gathered from executives polled for the story.