Mipcom Cannes closes with 10,100 delegates as buyer numbers dip

Mipcom Cannes 2026 wound down on Wednesday with 10,100 delegates, about 500 fewer than last year.

Mipcom chief Lucy Smith confirmed the final count as the market closed, according to Variety. The market is the annual international gathering where studios and distributors sell series, formats and rights to channels and platforms. That makes the buyer number the one the business watches most closely.

Some 3,150 buyers attended this year, down about 150 on last year. Buyers are the channels, broadcasters, streamers and platforms that come to license programmes, meaning shows that are finished or in development. A shift of 150 in that group matters because those are the delegates who sign the deals.

The reach was a little narrower as well. Delegates came from 104 countries this year, compared with 107 last year. The difference is small on paper. Across a market hall, it can mean fewer meetings booked and fewer territories covered in a single week.

The children's showcase held ahead of the main market also eased back. MipJunior drew 600 delegates this year, including 165 buyers. Last year it drew 700 delegates, including 190 buyers.

MipJunior is the dedicated kids' TV event that runs just before Mipcom. It focuses on animation, live-action series and formats for young audiences, an area with its own buyers, co-production partners and release windows. A drop of 100 delegates there, with 25 fewer buyers, follows the same pattern as the main market.

Smith, who serves as Director of MIPCOM CANNES and MIPJUNIOR, had set out the week's programming in advance. That included a session with leaders from the BBC and BBC Studios, scheduled for Tuesday 13 October from 12:00 to 12:30 in the Grand Auditorium.

For viewers, none of this changes what is on screen tonight. For the crews of up to 200 people behind a series, and the writers' rooms trying to secure a next season, it sets the context in which shows are bought and sold. Fewer buyers in the room can mean more follow-up calls after everyone flies home.