Dhar Mann to open MIPCOM as Cannes market chases creators, brands and AI
Dhar Mann will open television’s biggest sales week in Cannes next month, as MIPCOM puts online creators, brands and artificial intelligence at the centre of its 2026 edition.
MIPCOM Cannes 2026 will take place 11-15 October 2026 in Cannes, according to organisers. The market, organised by RX France, is where producers, channels and streamers buy and sell rights to shows around the world. Proceedings start on Monday, with a pre-market headline session on Sunday.
That Sunday opener will come from Dhar Mann Studios. Founder Dhar Mann and chief executive Sean Atkins will jointly keynote to kick off the week, Deadline reported. The session is scheduled for Sunday 11 October at 17.00 in the Grand Auditorium of the Palais des Festivals, billed as a first-ever pre-opening headliner slot, according to MIPCOM.
It signals a wider push into the creator economy, meaning stars who built audiences on YouTube, TikTok and other platforms. YouTube had its biggest-ever presence at MIPCOM in 2025 and will be even more visible in 2026.
Lucy Smith runs the market as director of MIPCOM Cannes and MIPJunior. Her first MIPCOM was in 2006. Twenty years on, she told Deadline in a market preview that distribution, the business of licensing shows to different buyers, is back in fashion, with the market also leaning into creators.
What makes this stand out is how the old sales floor is stretching. RX France is launching MIP BrandWorks at MIPCOM to cover branded entertainment, shows and formats funded with advertisers. Last year it partnered with BrandStorytelling in that area. Dentsu is the first MIP BrandWorks headline partner for 2026, MIPCOM said in a statement on 8 September.
A new conference and market will also run under the MIP AI Entertainment Forum banner. Versos AI and Protégé are partners for the strand, which aims to connect AI developers with studios, streamers, producers, creators, brands and owners of programme ideas.
The traditional TV side remains in place. BBC leaders behind Bluey, Doctor Who and Top Gear will headline sessions. The darkly comedic Cold War thriller Honey, from Sid Gentle Films, part of BBC Studios, and made for BBC iPlayer, BBC One and ZDF, will get its world premiere, with FIFTH SEASON distributing globally.
MIPCOM has also unveiled a Microdrama and Vertical Content Programme, for short episodes made to be watched upright on phones. For viewers, this means more of what starts on a phone screen could end up on television.
