MIP London is dead. Long live MIP Talks.
The organizers of the two-year-old conference have announced that MIP London will not return in 2027. Instead, RX France is launching a new two-day event called MIP Talks, which will run March 16-17, 2027 at London ExCel — concurrent to the London Book Fair.
Why MIP London Ended
MIP London launched in 2025 after the folding of MIPTV. That conference, a key event for international TV and media executives, ran for 61 editions in Cannes at the Palais des Festivals.
But MIPTV had always been the weaker of organizer RX France’s two major Cannes events. The better-attended MIPCOM took place each fall in Cannes. After the pandemic, as companies started cutting back on travel and related expenses, it became increasingly difficult to sustain two markets in Cannes. MIP London was conceived as a streamlined alternative, but it ultimately failed to establish itself in a crowded industry calendar.
The conference ran for two years. Now it is over.
MIP Talks at the London Book Fair
MIP Talks will run concurrent to the London Book Fair. The inaugural event will focus on the theme “From IP to Fandom — and Fandom to Global Business.”
The programming is described as including “headline conversations, unexpected pairings, global trends and data, cultural insight and case studies,” all delving into “an entertainment world where traditional boundaries are disappearing, audiences move seamlessly across platforms and experiences, and IP can come from anywhere.”
The aim of the conference, according to a press release, is to “bring together leading voices from across the increasingly connected worlds of entertainment, media and culture to explore what is changing, what is breaking through and where new opportunities are emerging.”
“The boundaries of entertainment have all but disappeared,” said Lucy Smith, director of the entertainment division at RX France, in a statement. “IP can come from anywhere, audiences don’t think in sectors and an idea can travel further and faster than ever before. MIP has always been about understanding where the entertainment business is going next. MIP Talks at the London Book Fair takes that curiosity further bringing together the people shaping what breaks through, how fandom is built and where new global businesses are emerging.”
That’s the keynote. The conference is about IP, fandom and global business — the same territory MIP London was supposed to cover. The only difference is the name.
What the Launchers Said
Emma Lowe, director of the London Book Fair, welcomed the partnership. “The London Book Fair is delighted to be working in partnership with the brilliant team at MIP Talks to meld together our fantastic worlds where stories are created, curated and sent out to find ever more fans, more audiences and more homes,” she said in a statement.
The partnership is a collaboration between the two fairs at the same venue. RX France is the organizer of both, so the arrangement is a natural one for the company.
The Numbers Behind the Decision
- MIP London ran for two years, from 2025 to 2026.
- The new conference is called MIP Talks.
- It will run March 16-17, 2027 at London ExCel.
- It will be concurrent to the London Book Fair.
- The theme is “From IP to Fandom — and Fandom to Global Business.”
- The event is described as a two-day conference.
The failure of MIP London was not a secret. The conference was conceived as a streamlined alternative to the two Cannes markets. But the industry calendar was crowded, and the event failed to establish itself. The organizers are now betting that a new name, a new title, and the same organizers at the same venue will work where the previous name did not.
The Verdict on the Rebrand
The move is a rebrand, not a retreat. It is also a confession of sorts. RX France organized MIP London for two years and could not make it work. Now it is putting a new label on the same thing and trying again from scratch.
The question is whether the audience will notice the difference. The venue, the dates, the organizers — all of it is the same. The only thing that changed is the name.
That is a bold bet. But it is a bet that has been made before. Companies often rebrand events to give them a fresh identity, even when the underlying product is unchanged.
Whether MIP Talks will succeed where MIP London failed is an open question. The conference has not happened yet, and there is no record of attendance or participation from the two previous years of MIP London to compare against.
The organizers have stated their goals, the venue is booked, and the dates are set. The rest is up to the audience.
The conference will run March 16-17, 2027 at London ExCel. The theme is “From IP to Fandom — and Fandom to Global Business.” The programming will include headline conversations, unexpected pairings, global trends and data, cultural insight and case studies.
It is the same conference, with a new name. The question is whether the name is enough.
Source material: “MIP London Ending After Two Years as Organizers Launch New Event at London Book Fair,” Variety.
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