BUSINESS / GLOBAL EVENTS
Kevin Mayer, Co-Chairman and Co-CEO of next-generation media company Candle Media, and René Rechtman, Co-Founder and CEO of Moonbug Entertainment, will join forces for the keynote at the Palais des Festival in Cannes, France
RX France (formerly known as Reed Midem) has already confirmed the keynote speakers for the opening session of MIPTV this 2022, the international spring television market that will take place from April 4 to 6 at the Palais des Festivals, Cannes.
Kevin Mayer, Co-Chairman and Co-CEO of next-generation media company Candle Media, and René Rechtman, Co-Founder and CEO of Moonbug Entertainment, will join forces to deliver a keynote at MIPTV.
A giant move was Candle Media’s purchase of Moonbug last November and is one of several recent high-profile acquisitions and investments in companies vying for markets in the content sector. Since its inception in 2018, Moonbug’s digital-first approach has built a family-friendly audience through popular shows globally, including CoComelon, Blippi and Little Baby Bum, with content in 30 languages and on more than 100 platforms.
Founded by former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs with backing from private equity firm Blackstone, Candle Media’s acquisition of Moonbug followed that of Hello Sunshine, the media company founded by Reese Witherspoon. In recent weeks, the company has also completed the acquisition of Israeli production company Faraway Road Productions (Fauda) and taken a minority stake in Westbrook from Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith (King Richard, Cobra Kai, Welcome to Earth).
Lucy Smith, directora de la división de Entretenimiento de RX France y directora de MIPTV and MIPCOM
“It couldn’t be timelier to welcome René and Kevin to the Cannes stage. Moonbug has become a category leader, based on editorial values and a digital-first approach, in less than four years. The new owners are high-profile industry start-ups who invest in and support storytellers whose businesses can creatively, commercially, and technically thrive in a media landscape of the future. It will be an enlightening and entertaining session”, explained the director of the Entertainment division of RX France and director of MIPTV, Lucy Smith.
The inaugural session will cover the companies’ strategy and future along with industry insights and trends. The announcement of the speakers follows the confirmation of Cécile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios, as the winner of Variety’s International Achievement in Television Award to be presented at the market.
The 59th edition of MIPTV incorporates both MIPFormats and MIPDoc in a new three-day business show, with the premium drama showcase MIPDrama acting as the backdrop again on April 3.
The International Format Awards (in association with C21Media, FRAPA, MIPFormats & Entertainment Masterclass) return, while in parallel, the event will also host the fifth season of the international festival of television series CANNESERIES (April 1-6) and Esports BAR, the world business festival specialized in eSports.
MIPTV 2022 is full of new ideas, new agreements and new business opportunities for the sector. All with health and safety measures implemented at MIPCOM 2021.
kevin Mayer y René Rechtman