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RX France today announced that Esports BAR Cannes, the world’s esports business arena, is to join forces with MIPTV to bring the Metaverse and NFTs to the conversation in Cannes (4-6 April) by staging two dedicated conference tracks to realising IP opportunities in these exploding areas.

The 59th MIPTV spring international television market will host Esports BAR (4-6 April) in Cannes’ Palais des Festivals. The Metaverse and NFT cross-over sessions form part of a programme which, alongside core esports themes, encourage further opportunities and future revenue streams between global esports and TV industries.

The 10th edition of Esports BAR will again bring together the whole esports ecosystem from games publishers and developers, teams and leagues, VCs and investors, broadcast and media service providers and consumer brand partners. Just some of those confirmed to attend to date include (in alphabetical order) Engelbert Strauss, Excel Esports, Google, Konix, Le Coq Sportif, Ninjas in Pyjamas, PepsiCo, PUBG, Razer, Riot Games, Shikenzo and Ubisoft - with more being added daily.

Confirmed to host a roundtable exploring the Metaverse, which alongside a session on NFTs will be one of two staged jointly with MIPTV, is Co-Founder and President of LA-based Crypto-enabled TV engagement specialists, Sator, Chris Martin, whose unique experience spans the worlds of open source P2P platforms, global currency markets and scripted comedy.

These future-focused sessions will complement a comprehensive 3-day Esports BAR programme hooked around content creation/production, innovation, investment and monetisation, with additional workshops spotlighting further crossover opportunities for the sector within TV. Throughout, Esports BAR delegates will have the opportunity to meet with TV execs and content buyers attending the re-shaped MIPTV market.

“Esports, NFTs and the Metaverse represent huge opportunities for TV producers and programmers and we are leading the charge in Cannes with Esports BAR taking place alongside MIPTV,” commented RX France Entertainment Division Director, Lucy Smith. “This is our first physical MIPTV in two years. We need to do more than bring everyone back together; we want to help the international TV industry chart a course for the future!”

Distributors, studios, buyers and producers spanning more than 30 countries have, to date, confirmed their presence in Cannes for MIPTV. These include over 100 companies set to exhibit with more to be added in the run into April.

Both Esports BAR and MIPTV are also reinforcing their established health and safety protocols to include proof of full COVID-19 vaccination for all delegates to access the Palais des Festivals, in line with current French health measures.