MUMBAI: MIPTV 2017 will put a special emphasis on the new generation of digital content studios aiming at engaging with audiences as part of the Digital Fronts showcase.

The only international screenings showcase for digital studios and online publishers, Digital Fronts takes place in Cannes from 3-6 April as part of MIPTV, the global entertainment content market.

Launched in 2014 as the content industry’s first global distribution and acquisition market for high-quality original online productions and web series, MIPTV’s Digital Fronts’ purpose is to bridge the gap between the online video ecosystem and the traditional entertainment content sector. Digital native studios and brands that have turned into content houses themselves will be at the epicentre of the discussion on how to reach the youth audience, which is facing an ever-growing demand for screen-time attention.

Jukin Media, the global entertainment company powered by user-generated video content, and Zoomin Studios, the new production arm of MTG’s Zoomin, will be making their debut at Digital Fronts. They will join returning digital frontrunners AwesomenessTV, New Form, Studio 71 and Vice Media, who will also be showcasing their content to the MIPTV audience.

Alongside these digital studios, MIPTV will also feature a special spotlight on brands at the forefront of content creation that have launched their own studios. In a session entitled “Turning Brands into Content Studios” scheduled for Tuesday 4 April, Marriott Intl. (USA) VP Global Creative and Content Marketing David Beebe, Wargaming (Russia) project manager Valeriya Tsygankova and PepsiCo Content Studio (USA) GM Lou Arbetter will explore how brands can no longer be around the content but must be the content in a world where the audience is more solicited than ever. This panel is part of an overall brands initiative at MIPTV.