Sport has been transformed by creator-led and fan-first content
Sport and live events took centre stage in the MIP Creative Hub on day three of MIPCOM CANNES, with pioneers in digital-first sports entertainment discussing how creators and fan content have rewritten the rules of the sector in Sports And Live Events: Creators Changing The Game.
Joshua Barnett, CEO, After Party Studios talked about how creator collective The Sidemen managed to pack out Wembley Stadium for their 2025 charity match. “The Sidemen have their own highly engaged audience and they have the ability to bring YouTube royalty into live events like this. Ahead of the match, they put out daily content right up until the match which helped drive huge expectation,” he said.
Also on the panel was Soroya Hidalgo, head of programmes and partnerships EMEA TikTok, who talked about the platform’s partnerships with events like the Summer Olympics and Tour de France. She explained how the platform can extend the cycle of fan engagement beyond the live event itself – and provide a platform for interaction between fans. “Traditionally, fans have been spectators but with platforms like TikTok they can react in real time and become co-creators,” she said.
French content creator Antoine Tourneux, AKA Totoche, from Radja Creators talked about his journey from being a comedy creator to becoming a key voice in the world of NBA basketball, even participating in a creator game during the half-time break of an official NBA match.
Robbie Lyle, CEO of GFN, has enjoyed a lot of success with a fan channel for Arsenal fans. Echoing his peers, he said there never used to be a voice for fans before social came along: “I’m a massive Arsenal fan, and I know we’re talking about the club before the game, during the game, after the game. So I created a platform that could find out who fans really were and what they were talking about. Now sports rights holders recognise the power of the approach and are doing it themselves.”
Melissa Fleming, UN under-secretary-general for global communications: “The media industry has a major role in raising awareness, showing impact and countering misinformation. You have the creativity and reach to drive change”
2025 SDG Award goes to deserving recipient Secuoya Studios
The winner of the MIPCOM CANNES 2025 SDG Award is Secuoya Studios, a future-facing production studio based 35km from Madrid Spain. CEO Brendan Fitzgerald was in Cannes to collect the award, presented in association with the SDG Media Compact.
Fitzgerald shared insights into Secuoya’s approach, which centres on the existence of a regularly updated tool called the Green Book. He talked about the many ways in which Secuoya has made a difference to the environmental footprint of its productions, ranging from the use of single locations to the reuse and recycling of sets. Reduced plastic use and increased reliance on sustainable energy also typify its productions.
The Secuoya boss also said that efforts to go green are helped by an industry-wide WhatsApp group where production teams collaborate on sustainability initiatives. “We are competitors but we share a desire to reuse and recycle.”
The award presentation was preceded by a few words from Melissa Fleming, the UN under-secretary-general for global communications. She congratulated Secuoya and said the media industry has a major role in “raising awareness, showing impact and countering misinformation. You have the creativity and reach to drive change.”
Caroline Petit, deputy director, UN global communications for Europe, echoed that sentiment, urging producers in the audience to tell stories that amplify sustainability goals as well as embrace the kind of practices demonstrated by Secuoya. “And maybe next year you could consider entering the MIPCOM CANNES SDG Awards,” she said.
The Wit’s co-founder Virginia Mouseler provided her signature analysis of the global fiction market, with micro-drama, scripted formats, real-event dramas and true crime among the hot topics at MIPCOM CANNES 2025
The Wit’s Fresh TV Fiction opened with micro-drama Breaking The Ice
FRESH TV Fiction, curated by The Wit, packed out the Grand Auditorium as always, with MIPCOM CANNES delegates introduced to new shows and brought up to speed on current trends by The Wit’s co-founder Virginia Mouseler.
In tune with one of this week’s big themes, Mouseler started by showcasing ReelShort micro-drama Breaking The Ice, a hit in the US, Canada and Brazil, among others. Based on the novel Shutout, the 70 x 1.5-minute drama tells the story of Caroline, whose first love, now a hockey star, rehires her after eight years. In a classic micro-drama twist, she has never told him he fathered her child.
Mouseler said the current wave of micro-dramas is exploring a diverse range of subjects. She cited Maria Madre De Dios, a Telemundo Studios/VIP 2000 production which explores the biblical story of the birth of Jesus.
Mouseler provided details of the current top performing scripted formats, which include Japan’s Mother, France’s Call My Agent and Spain’s Machos Alfa. She also provided details on Secuoya Studios’ Crossroad, adapted from Turkey’s Brave & Beautiful.
As at previous markets, Mouseler said book or article adaptations are by far the leading source material for original dramas, with dramas based on true events coming next. Among the latter is Keshet International’s Red Alert, which tells the story of people directly impacted by the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel.
True crime remains a top genre for broadcasters and buyers, with Mouseler picking out Estado De Fuga 1986 (Colombia) and Golden Boys (Sweden) as examples.
Online talent are not just creators, they are “storytellers, producers, entrepreneurs” said Webedia CEO Christian Bombrun
YouTubers Inoxtag and Nil Ojeda shared insights from their journeys
Wednesday morning saw French YouTuber Inoxtag join Webedia CEO Christian Bombrun on the Grand Audi stage to discuss the remarkable growth of the creator economy. Joining them live from LA was Spain’s number one YouTuber Nil Ojeda.
Under the theme Reshaping Entertainment In A Creator-Led Future, the session explored the expanding influence of content creators within the broader entertainment ecosystem. It also looked at how Webedia has established itself as a leading player in digital entertainment. Among its core activities, the company partners with leading creators like Inoxtag and Ojeda, providing them with the support and the means to produce, distribute, monetise and build their global networks.
The session began with Bombrun explaining how Webedia had embraced the digital-first opportunity to become one of the world’s leading players in the sector. He said the company “creates platforms and experiences that connect communities”.
Bombrun said there is no question that creators are “shaping the future of modern culture” — but he also stressed that the word creator doesn’t really capture their expertise: “They are storytellers, producers, entrepreneurs”.
Inoxtag (aka Inès Benazzouz) has a community of 27 million fans across all platforms. He caught the wider media industry’s attention when he decided to climb Mount Everest. The documentary about this achievement, Kaizen, was shown in cinemas and then released a day later on his YouTube channel.
He has since crossed the Atlantic in 10 days by sailboat and written a best-selling book. Discussing how his work has evolved, he said his team spends a lot of time exploring “the why” behind their choice of projects.
Ojeda, began his professional YouTube journey in Spain in 2016 at the age of 18, and now has a global community reaching more than 15 million fans. Today he is known for digital formats like 21 days and his breakout brand extension MILFSHAKES.
Asked about career landmarks, he said the first was the awareness that he could make a living out of social-media content. The second was the need for authenticity: “I realised that I didn’t have to follow all the trends on the internet. I just had to be myself, because that was what my community expected from me.”
“AI is streamlining workflows in ways we would have never imagined,” said Vimeo’s Sebastian Wegner, “saving time and money”
Vimeo is embracing AI as it seeks to partner content owners
VIMEO executive streaming EMEA Sebastian Wegner took Innovation Lab attendees on a 6,000-year history of storytelling as he attempted to persuade them that the rapid rollout of AI is not something to fear but to be harnessed.
In the same way that the arrival of photography unleashed a new paradigm in painting, he advocated that “AI, when used correctly, will unlock new pathways for creativity”.
Vimeo is one of the largest private distribution platforms in the world, generating 100 billion views a year. Wegner said the company is embracing AI as it seeks to position itself as an intelligent distribution platform for content creators, allowing them to upload anything and share it anywhere — securely and at scale.
Wegner said one of the key challenges with AI-powered content is regulatory, with inconsistent rules across national jurisdictions. He said that Vimeo had a role to play in helping IP owners navigate cross-border transactions where AI is involved.
In terms of use cases, Wegner said AI is already proving its worth in volume production, where producers work with VFX-generated sets. “The ability to use AI to change things around quickly is an absolute game changer — particularly when you are working to a tight schedule, which producers almost always are.”
While a lot of the debate is about how AI will impact storytelling, Wegner said the new tech is “streamlining workflows in ways we would have never imagined before. If you can save time and money, imagine how much more focus you can put on creativity.”
MédiaClub’Elles’ Laura Lemens Boy: “the perfect setting to bring together women from across the industry to have honest, supportive and inspiring conversations”
Mentoring across generations and borders
MÉDIACLUB’ELLES and MIPCOM CANNES hosted the 13th edition of the International Mentoring Breakfast for Women In Entertainment on Wednesday. A much-loved feature of the market, it has helped successive generations of female talent navigate their way to successful careers in the media business.
MédiaClub’Elles co-founder Laura Lemens Boy has been enjoying coffee, croissants and good company since the first edition in 2012. She said: “At that time, our ambition was to create a genuine space for women to meet, share experiences and build meaningful professional relationships. The goal from the beginning was to foster empowerment through exchange.”
Explaining why MIPCOM CANNES is the right place for the event, she said: “It is the perfect setting to bring together women from across the industry, not just to network, but to have honest, supportive and inspiring conversations.”
“We invite a group of mentors, accomplished leaders, producers or creatives to join participants from all over the world around tables. What makes it unique is that it’s an open discussion,” Lemens Boy said. “Many attendees describe it as a safe, positive space where women share, support and uplift each other.”
Over the years, the format has evolved, she added: “The conversations have become more fluid and collaborative, less about top-down advice and more about exchange. Today, we’re welcoming more creators, digital innovators and entrepreneurs.”
Lemens Boy has no doubt that is has helped women forge successful careers. “Some participants have gone on to take on leadership roles or launch new ventures after connections made that morning. Others have developed partnerships that were sparked at the event,” she said.
This year the key theme was “mentoring across generations and borders”, she said. “We also want to recognise how new technologies are transforming the entertainment industry. Our hope is to inspire women to step confidently into these evolving spaces.”
