The total exhibition space covered 22,068m", making it the largest since the creation of MIPTV, hosting 528 stands from 52 countries.

Programme buyers were out in force, an indication of the continuing competition for content. The number of acquisitions executives in Cannes was up 16% to 4,422 in 2008 from 3,817 the previous year.

"The major industry trends seen in 2007 have been confirmed in 2008," commented Paul Johnson, Director of Reed MIDEM's Television Division. "The 2008 edition of MIPTV featuring MILIA was notable for the increased participation of the new players who will be key to the future of our industry, such as digital media and advertising."

Spread over four days, the market's conference programme included 51 sessions featuring more than 140 speakers, among them, 10 top executives who came to give their views on the latest developments in the industry. These included Richard Dickson, Senior Vice President Worldwide Marketing, Media & Entertainment, Mattel Brands; Elisabeth Murdoch, CEO & Chairman, Shine Group, and Didier Lombard, CEO & Chairman, France Telecom Group.

After Yann Arthus-Bertrand in 2007, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK received the Green World Award 2008 for its commitment to raising public awareness about the environment over the last 50 years.

The third edition of Content 360,' the festival aimed at stimulating creation and innovation in the field of interactive content and services, was an unprecedented success. Ten winners took home awards this year and they will share EUR115,000 in prize money to develop their projects.

For the third consecutive year, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences joined with Reed MIDEM to present the International Interactive Emmy Awards, recognizing excellence in interactivity in all its forms.

Over five days, numerous international celebrities were present on the Croisette to present their latest product; Shirley MacLaine for the mini-series "Coco Chanel," Sam Neill for "Iron Road," Sir Derek Jacobi for "Diamonds" and the actresses from the French series "5 S'urs" (Sisterhood).

Prior to the start of MIPTV featuring MILIA, the 11th edition of MIPDOC also notched up record participation with 504 companies attending from 60 countries, a 9% increase on 2007. Some 1,415 programmes were presented at this edition, of which 920 were brand new. This year was also notable for a record in the number of programmes viewed: 30,254 compared to 24,858 in 2007, a rise of 22%. The keynote speech from director Alex Gibney, winner of this year's best documentary Oscar, and the awards presented to the five International Trailblazers', were among the highlights of this edition.

* All figures quoted are audited by the Office of Justification of Statistiques (OJS)

List of Content 360 winners:

http://www.miptv.com/en-gb/content_360.cfm

List of 3 winners of International Interactive Emmy Awards 2008

http://www.miptv.com/en-gb/emmy_awards.cfm

The photo album of MIPTV/MILIA 2008 is on line Consult and download photos from this year at:

www.online-picture.com

Login: events Password: miptv2008 Keywords: albumevents

Note to Editors:

ABOUT REED MIDEM:

Founded in 1963, Reed MIDEM is a leading organiser of professional, international tradeshows. Reed MIDEM events have established themselves as key dates in professional diaries. The company hosts MIPTV featuring MILIA, MIPDOC, MIPCOM, and MIPCOM JUNIOR for the television and digital content industries, AMAZIA devoted to the creation and distribution of entertainment content, MIDEM for music professionals, MIPIM, MIPIM Asia, MIPIM HORIZONS and MAPIC for the property and retail real estate sectors.

Reed MIDEM is a division of Reed Exhibitions, the world's leading events organiser Reed organises a wide range of events, including exhibitions, conferences, congresses and meetings. Its portfolio of over 500 events serves 47 industry sectors. In 2007 Reed brought together over six million industry professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held in 38 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and organised by 39 fully staffed offices.

CONTACT: Jane GARTON, REED MIDEM Tel: 33 (0)1 41 90 44 39 e-mail: Jane.garton@reedmidem.com Philippe LE GALL Tel: 33 (0)1 41 90 46 48 e-mail: philippe.legall@reedmidem.com Jean-Franois DANIS Tel: 33 (0)1 41 90 49 10 e-mail: jean-francois.danis@reedmidem.com WWW: http://www.reedmidem.com WWW: http://www.miptv.com

M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com.

Valentina Matyukhina, the chief editor of the Nasha Zhizn newspaper that comes out in Kaliningrad's Gvardeyskiy district, has been charged with an administrative offence for publishing excerpts from Dmitriy Medvedev's speeches on 1 March, the day of campaign silence before the 2 March presidential vote in Russia, NTRK Kaskad TV reported on 13 March. The case will be heard by the Gvardeyskiy district court of Kaliningrad. (NTRK Kaskad TV "Kaskad-Novosti" news, Kaliningrad, 2000 gmt 13 Mar 08)

More than 100 investors have shown interest in the development projects presented by Kaliningrad Region at MIPIM International Property Market in Cannes, GTRK Kaliningrad TV said on 13 March. Kaliningrad Region has taken part in the property fair for the third time. The portfolio of Kaliningrad projects is worth 170m euros; investors were found for all of them. Two contracts for construction of hotels in Kaliningrad Region, which were signed at the trade fair, are expected to yield R150m (6.4m dollars) annually in tax revenue. (GTRK Kaliningrad TV "Vesti Kaliningrad" news, 1220 gmt 13 Mar 08)

The Kaliningrad Region government has summed up one-year results of implementing a joint Russian-Danish programme for assisting the economic development of Kaliningrad Region, Baltik Plyus reported on 12 March. Specific attention was given to the involvement in the programme of consulting companies, public relations and HR firms. The regional administration and the Danish Foreign Ministry, who sponsor the programme, think that reinforcing local B2B companies with qualified personnel would provide a solid foundation for the development of small and medium-size business in the region. Today, their level of expertise leaves much to be desired. (Baltik Plyus radio, Kaliningrad, 0800 gmt 12 Mar 08)

With around 40 per cent of electricity imported from Lithuania, Kaliningrad Region might face a severe electricity shortage after the Ignalina nuclear power plant in Lithuania is shut down in 2009, the Kaliningrad supplement to the Komsomolskaya Pravda said in an article on 14 March. The second power unit of heat and power plant No 2 will not have been launched by then, which means the regional economy might seriously slow down.

"We will be short of around 800 MW of electricity. The situation will get more or less stable after the second power block of heat and power plant No 2 becomes operational. In 2013, however, we might again face a shortage of electricity if industry continues to grow as planned," Gariy Chmykhov, a member of the Kaliningrad Region of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, told the newspaper. Given the expected increase in gas prices in 2011, the region needs an alternative source of power, he said. A nuclear power plant may become one.

Chmykhov sees no risk in developing nuclear power in the region. There are six nuclear power plants within the range of 600 km from Kaliningrad. The region's neighbours Belarus, Poland, Estonia, Finland and Sweden have announced plans to build nuclear power plants. He called on the regional authorities to follow suit because an energy crisis is looming. (Kaliningrad supplement to Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, 14 Mar 08 p 20)

More than R5m is to be provided by the Kaliningrad city administration for the second stage of a seismic study of the city and its environs in 2008, Baltik Plyus reported on 13 March. The figure is up three times on 2007 when the study began. Scientists from the Moscow Institute of Physics of the Earth will make up a seismic hazard map for Kaliningrad and its suburbs which can be used as guidelines by architects and construction engineers.

A few earthquakes with magnitude 4 to 6 that occurred in Kaliningrad in September 2004 left 17 people injured and damaged 1,146 buildings. (Baltik Plyus radio, Kaliningrad, 1500 gmt 13 Mar 08)

Source: Kaliningrad Region media highlights, in Russian 16 Mar 08

BBC Mon FS1 MCU 210408 yk/ab