Paris: The rich conference programme at MIPTV includes a keynote from Ilene Chaiken, the creative force behind the hit series “The Handmaid’s Tale”, “Empire” and “The L Word”; Michael Aragon, Senior Vice-President of Content at Twitch; Anders Jensen, President and CEO of Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) in conversation with Rola Bauer, Managing Director, STUDIOCANAL TV; a keynote from David Lynn, President and CEO of Viacom International Media Networks, followed by a conversation with Rebecca Glashow and Shelley Zimmerman, Co-Heads of Awesomeness, and actress Peyton List (“Happy Together”); and an impressive line-up of leading French TV executives due to speak as part of the France Country of Honour showcase.

The international market for both TV content development and distribution, MIPTV takes place in Cannes, France from 8-11 April 2019. The MIPTV conference theme this year is “PUSHING BOUNDARIES”, which will explore how, in the era of peak TV, powerful stories and unique voices are fuelling global creative ambitions and connecting international audiences with an infinite choice of quality content. Each April, 10,000 professionals from across the international TV and digital entertainment ecosystem connect to launch and discover new content, forge partnerships, negotiate financing and distribution agreements, find co-production opportunities and explore the latest trends.

MIPTV is preceded by the biggest weekend in unscripted content (6-7 April 2019), comprising MIPDoc, the world’s largest screenings library, conference and co-production marketplace for the factual community, and MIPFormats, the discovery showcase for the global formats community.

Anders Jensen, NENT Group President and CEO, will deliver a keynote presentation, followed by a conversation with Rola Bauer, Managing Director, STUDIOCANAL TV, in a unique exchange of views between two industry thought-leaders.

Appointed NENT Group President and CEO in April 2018 after serving as CEO of MTG’s Nordic businesses, Jensen will deliver key insights from NENT Group’s path to become the Nordic region’s leading entertainment provider. Jensen will tell the story of NENT Group’s original drama productions that are now going global – and reveal what consumers and customers really want from today’s entertainment providers. He will also explain why, in an industry that’s changing so fast, coming together through partnerships, co-operation and inclusivity can build something unique.

Headquartered in Stockholm (and soon listed on NASDAQ Stockholm following the split from Modern Times Group, MTG), NENT Group reaches an audience of millions with its streaming services, TV channels and radio stations. NENT Group’s studio business, which comprises 32 production companies in 17 countries, creates engaging content for media companies worldwide. And as brand defining original content is getting more important in order to capture engagement and interest from consumers, NENT Group’s ambition is to premiere at least 20 original productions every year for its Viaplay streaming service.
Rola Bauer is a pioneer of international production and a pre-eminent global dealmaker. A Golden Globe and two-time Emmy nominated producer, Bauer has produced some of the world’s most revered English-language series and created co-productions for such hits “The Last Panthers”, Harlan Coben’s “Safe”, “The Child in Time” starring Benedict Cumberbatch and the highly anticipated Howard Overman’s “War of the Worlds” and Roberto Saviano’s “ZeroZeroZero”.

David Lynn, President and CEO of Viacom International Media Networks, will outline Viacom International Studios’ vision for an Awesome(ness) Future. Lynn will outline his thoughts on the market opportunities in content supply and the rationale behind Viacom’s acquisition of Awesomeness.

This will be followed by a conversation with Rebecca Glashow and Shelley Zimmerman, Co-Heads of Awesomeness, and actress Peyton List (“Happy Together”).

The session will explore the consumer, creative, and commercial impact of operating in a digital-first GenZ world, the ongoing shift from scheduled to on-demand viewing, and the increasing need to make and produce exceptional content for click-swipe audiences on every platform around the world.

Lynn has held a variety of roles within Viacom and its subsidiary channels, and led the acquisition of Channel 5 Broadcasting in 2014 and its successful integration into Viacom. He has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) since January 2017, giving him management oversight of all of Viacom’s media networks and related businesses outside the U.S.

Prior to her role as Co-Head of Awesomeness, Zimmerman was the Head of Awesomeness TV Studio, where she oversaw development and production of Awesomeness’ original scripted series for the company’s digital, TV, and over-the-top subscription VOD services. Her credits include the Emmy-winning series “Zac & Mia” for Hulu, “Foursome” for YouTube Premium, and “Trinkets” for Netflix. Glashow was previously Head of Worldwide Distribution at Awesomeness, where she oversaw distribution for all content including AwesomenessTV series and Awesomeness Films worldwide.

Peyton List is best known for her portrayal as Emma in Disney’s “Jessie”. With an impressive 14 million followers on her Instagram platform, List continues to captivate large audiences and dominate on-screen. She appeared in the CBS series “Happy Together”, executive produced by Ben Winston and Harry Styles.

Michael Aragon, Senior Vice-President of Content at Twitch, the leading service and community for multiplayer entertainment, will keynote at MIPTV 2019, Wednesday 10 April.

In his role as SVP of Content, Aragon leads all of Twitch’s global broadcaster partnerships, esports, Twitch Studios, content development, and content marketing. Aragon also oversees the acquisition of TV shows and movies that have aired on Twitch like “Pokémon” and “Doctor Who”.

At MIPTV, he will provide insight on interactive entertainment’s appeal to younger audiences from gaming to non-gaming content, the power of interactive live viewing formats to maximize audience engagement and create new experiences around both old and new programs, and his vision for the global entertainment industry.

Aragon previously worked at Ellation, parent company of Crunchyroll, where he served as General Manager and managed the launch of VRV. Prior to Ellation, he spent eight years with PlayStation Network as VP and General Manager overseeing digital video, music, and original content services across Sony’s mobile, desktop, living room, and game consoles in over 30 countries.