What Sells at MIPCOM: Spy Thrillers, Royal Romances and Zulu Epics

With vertical video, AI and YouTube transforming the TV business, buyers heading to Cannes are finding that everything old has suddenly become new again

How many years have the TV business been tested like this? Phone-first vertical dramas are moving from experimental to mainstream, AI-generated content is moving into the production pipeline, and creators are claiming an increasing share of viewers' time. YouTube, now the clear winner of the video wars, sets the tone, while commercial TV struggles to find new models.

All of these disruptions will be in focus during the four days of MIPCOM, the world's largest television trade show, which runs from October 12 to 15.

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While much of the discussion and debate this year will be on new TVs, it's still at the core of MIPCOM. Global buyers heading to the south of France will have their fill: franchise reboots, period dramas, espionage thrillers and even a Zulu saga alongside a fresh crop of unscripted formats hoping to become the next traitors.

Pitch public broadcasters and select broadcasters will watch this new British drama starring Dominic Cooper and Romola Garay as a couple whose passionate relationship threatens to tear apart their two families, including their teenage children's romance. Created and written by Danny Brocklehurst (Fol Me Once), the six-part drama explores class, grief and the effects of social media.

Launch of ITV and STV broadcasters (UK)

Land A This Scandinavian dating-format show features singles as knights, elves, wizards, and warriors who meet and date through grand balls, secret encounters, and romantic quests. When the costumes come off, viewers can see if the romance can survive the switch to reality.

In this eight-part adaptation of several John Le Carré novels, including the classics The Spy Who Came In From The Cold and The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold replaces Alec Guinness and Gary Oldman in the legendary role of George Smiley. An all-star supporting cast, including Charlie Hunnam, Hugh Laurie, Dan Stevens, Joe Alvin and Daniel Bruhl, should ensure this is a top pick for premium networks and broadcasters alike.

Launch of BBC Broadcasters (UK); MGM+ (USA)

Pitch Robbie G.K. (Christopher "Kip" Grady of Fierce Competition) stars alongside Maddie Phillips (Boys) in this eight-episode adaptation of the 1979 cult comedy about a failed summer camp and its tough counselors, best known for launching the careers of Bill Murray and director Ivan Reitman. The show, which airs on Canada's Heated Rivalry Crave, hopes to replicate that show's "sweet and sexy" approach and deliver another global hit.

Everyone's favorite chef is back to swear by this three-part reality series, in which Gordon Ramsay and fellow celebrity chefs Marco Pierre-White and Heston Blumenthal explore the rise of rock star cooking during the 'Cool Britain' era and how they changed the image of British food at home and abroad.

BBC One and iPlayer launch (UK)

Selling NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution

African Pitch TV has grown rapidly over the past decades, but is still searching for its global presence. StudioCanal is betting the historical drama will be one of the most expensive series ever made in South Africa and the highest rated on newly acquired African pay network MultiChoice. Over the course of three seasons — the six-episode finale airs this year — the series traces Shaka's rise from outcast to Zulu king as he builds his empire in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Launch of DStv Broadcaster (Multiple Choice Group, South Africa)

The BBC has billed Yachting as part of a "new generation of reality formats" that will be launched around the world. Twelve cruise guests compete for cash in daily challenges on a luxury yacht, but they're actually part of a social experiment, with their every interaction filmed and analyzed to examine human behavior when faced with extreme situations and luxuries.