MIPTV 2010 – CANNES. While broadcasters and publishers are trying to find pay models for their online offerings, a new trend seemed to come from this year’s MIPTV: “Free Videos” for broadcasters.
A green sign outside the Palais des Festivals claimed “Free quality videos” from the Russian international channel Russia Today. From its website, broadcasters have free access to completely edited items about life in Russia, thus extending the reach of the Russia Today programming beyond the footprint of the channel itself. This is a former practice of international broadcasters such as Deutsche Welle and Radio Nederland, but one which has been replaced by a more commercial approach of selling these items and programmes.
Also free, but of quite a different nature, are the world famous TED talks. TED started in 1984 as a series conferences of international ‘great minds’, whose speeches have been available as online TV for the past three years. Thought leaders in Technology, Entertainment and Design (hence TED), including in the past Bono and Bill Clinton, give their talks at annual gatherings in Oxford, UK and Long Beach, California. Now these TED Talks are available for free to broadcasters around the world.
Also present in Cannes is the Audiovisual Service from the European Commission. It has been giving away the Europe by Satellite programming (EbS) for free for many years in order to boost interest in European matters, but now it is also advertising free footage from European cities and landmarks.
