CANNES: They say when you hit 50 you must celebrate. And that?s what the world?s biggest TV content marketplace MipTV is doing in its 50th year. It is throwing party and having a blast in style. Sources indicate that more than 11,000 TV and film distribution, creators and show runners, mobile and digital content creators and platform owners and executives are expected to make their way to Cannes in the French Riviera in the south of France between 8 and 11 April.

Two days prior to MipTV, Reed Midem the company behind it, had already announced record attendance for its MipDoc and MipFormats festival. The first is a platform to connect documentary and factual programming producers and creators to connect with distributors and broadcasters. The second is an endeavor to create an annual gathering of the billions of dollars worth TV reality, entertainment and factual format business. More than 1400 programmes were screened at MipDoc which was held at the famed Hotel Martinez which has been home to a zillion Hollywood, international Bollywood stars.

The weather has been playing truant in the sleepy small seaside resort of Cannes which is bustling with suited and booted folks, and creative types in jeans and T-shirts since early April. Despite it being spring already, temperatures have been yo-yoing from warm to pleasant to cold from 18-20 degrees to 12-16 to 8 degrees. And to top it all, the skies opened up on occasions, sending a steady drizzle down, bringing a chill over Cannes. The hope is that the weather will stabilize and continue to be pleasant.

The inclement weather despite, there?s reason to raise the champagne at MipTV. The choppy economic climate in Europe and the US has not dampened any spirits. Hotels were reporting full occupancy, bars were overflowing and restaurants were turning away regulars as seats were not available. The Reed Midem management is already reporting its best MipTV in terms of visitors and turnover since the past three years when trends were indicating stagnation and even deceleration. These numbers are only expected to go up by the time the market ends.

India has also after a long time shown an increased love for MipTV with more exhibitors and participants.

Among those exhibiting include Zee TV, Viacom18, DQ Entertainment, Eros International, Maximus Multimedia, Shemaroo Entertainment, and Unisys exhibiting to sell their content to existing and new territories. The Association of Motion Picture and Television Programme Producers has sent its co-chairman J.D. Majethia to take a look- see and understand on how AMPTPP can leverage MipTV and Mipcom to pole-vault its members? revenues and bring them onto the global content centre stage. Close to 100 Indian TV broadcast, animation, gaming and 40 companies have made their way to the French Riviera resort.

"Korea, Russia, China and Latin America have been using these two platforms to effectively take their creative industries of television and film to a global level and to hundreds of millions of TV viewers outside of their countries," says MipTV and MipCom India representative and Indiantelevision.com group founder Anil Wanvari.

"The Indian content community is slowly understanding and this and we are seeing positive signs with the increased attendance this year. Clearly, things can go upward only."

MipTV this year has taken steps to beef up its digital content initiative MipCube with panels, discussions, networking initiatives and exhibition areas. Among those expected to highlight this event include Twitter?s head of broadcast partnerships Dan Biddle, Pixiwoo creators Sam and Nick Chapman, Machinima president and co-founder Pjilip DeBevoise, Brightcove?s Luk Gaydon, Magine founder & CEO Mattias Hjelmstedt. Special sessions have been lined up to focus on TV?s next revolution - 4K TV. Other special segment zoom-ins include: a whole range of panels on branded content and entertainment and a handful of discussions on co-productions, productions with global markets in mind.

The best, however, has been slated for MipTV. Among those expected to make their visions felt included: Discovery Networks President & CEO David Sazlav, BSkyB managing director content Sophie Turner Laing, CSI creator Anthiony E Zuiker, Homeland executive producer Howard Gordon, Prisoner of War creator, writer and director Gideon Raff, BBC drama commissioning controller, Ben Stephenson, Danish Broadcasting drama head Piv Brenth, Red Bull Media chief commercial officer Alexander Koppel, Endemol Group President Tim Hincks, Entertainment One President & CEO Darren Throop, and of course from British prime minister Gordon Brown who talked about the United Nation?s first global education initiative.

This apart, numerous parties are slated to take place between 8 and 11 April. Liquor, champagne and wines will flow, glasses will be clinked, exotic French and international cuisine knick-knacks served. Many an executive will nurse a hangover following a binge of excessive drinking as each of the 11000 attendees strives to strike deals late into the night at the Martinez or Grand Hotel Bar or at La Chunga a little further down the famed Croissette. As has been the case over the past many years at MipTV.

MUMBAI: Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, now United Nations? Special Envoy for Global Education, is to present the UN Global Education First Initiative in a MipTV conference session, scheduled for 10 April in Cannes, France.

The MipTV session will be followed by a ?Countdown for Global Education? VIP lunch, marking the start of the 1,000-day countdown to 2015, the deadline that the global community has set to have every child in school.

Organised by Reed Midem, MipTV will take place in Cannes from 8-11 April.

As MipTV celebrates its 50th anniversary, it is timely for the global content market to provide a platform for the international TV industry that demonstrates its potential to drive positive social change. The goal is that, through partnerships with the UN?s Global Education First Initiative, the whole TV ecosystem from around the world backs this campaign by aligning with the cause of education.

Brown said, "We urgently need to create a global movement which will put pressure on leaders to make education a priority and to ensure that they keep their promises. We?re seeing the beginnings of that global community already, but the television industry has a huge part to play in reaching people in every corner of the world, and communicating these issues to them in an entertaining and accessible way."

Reed Midem?s television division director Laurine Garaude said, "MipTV is committed to support this exceptional cause, which will mobilise the entire international TV and online digital ecosystem to create a real impact that will contribute significantly to the global community".

UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal said, "MipTV is an ideal venue and audience to host the UN global Education First Initiative. The UN partnership with the TV industry on education is a win-win proposition".

Featuring a video introduction from the United Nations? Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, the session will present a diverse line-up of speakers, all addressing television?s power to change. Discovery president, CEO David Zaslav will speak on the power of television to teach. Discovery, which is also marking its 50th anniversary this year, has recently given significant backing to the UN?s education initiative and other similar programmes.

Social entrepreneur and former Microsoft executive John Wood, who is Room to Read CEO and Founder, will tackle the power of television to inspire action.

The power of television to catalyse a movement will be addressed by Gucci CMO Robert Triefus which has launched the ?Chime for Change? global campaign focused on girls? and women?s empowerment. Gucci is also sponsoring the ?Countdown for Global Education? VIP lunch after the session, which will be moderated by Launsky-Tieffenthal.

The session?s audience will also hear from Ziauddin Yousafzai, the father of Malala Yousafzai. Malala is the Pakistani girl who became a figurehead for the right of girls to education when she was shot in the head last year by the Taliban for simply going to school. A long-standing campaigner for education, Yousafzai runs a network of schools in Pakistan and is an adviser of the UN Special Envoy Brown on girls? education issues.