PARIS: YouTube is pulling out all the stops for its 20th anniversary, marking the occasion with a heavyweight presence at Mipcom Cannes this October—the global television industry’s biggest annual market.
For the first time, the Google-owned platform will anchor itself at the Palais des Festivals with a branded hospitality space dubbed the YouTube Space, a daily schedule of creator economy workshops, and a headline keynote from Pedro Pina, YouTube’s vice-president for EMEA. The festivities will span both Mipcom (13–16 October) and MipJunior (11–12 October), as the platform ramps up efforts to forge deeper alliances with global TV players.
“Mipcom Cannes is where the industry is, and 2025 is the year of the global creator economy,” said Mipcom Cannes and MipJunior director Lucy Smith “YouTube’s presence is a strong signal of how creator-led content is reshaping traditional models.”
The platform’s participation ties into a broader Mipcom push to bridge the gap between digital-native creators and legacy media, with new initiatives designed to foster fresh storytelling, co-production, and monetisation models.
Chief among these is the international debut of BrandStorytelling—a summit born at Sundance and now making its European bow. The forum aims to link brands, digital creators, and producers in funding and distributing brand-backed narratives, with showcases and networking slated for 13–14 October.
The event also sees the Producers Hub reimagined as the Mip Creative Hub, transforming a beachside venue on the Croisette into a buzzing nexus for creators, studios, and brands. Meanwhile, the expanded MIP Innovation Lab inside the Palais returns with a slate of summits and demos on AI, Fast channels, CTV, and streaming. YouTube will host a series of practical workshops on audience building, monetisation, and format strategy.
Pina called the collaboration “a strategic move to bolster our international TV partnerships and showcase YouTube’s evolving role in the global content ecosystem”.
Last year’s Mipcom drew over 10,500 delegates from more than 100 countries. With YouTube now in the mix, the 2025 edition looks set to be the most creator-powered yet.