Markets

Two of the world's most influential media companies will headline MIPCOM Cannes 2026, with Netflix and YouTube taking center stage through high-profile keynote sessions and industry presentations. Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria will receive the prestigious Variety Vanguard Award during the market's Opening Day on October 12, before joining Variety Co-Editor-in-Chief Cynthia Littleton for an exclusive conversation exploring Netflix's global content strategy, the evolution of streaming and the increasing international success of locally produced stories.

Meanwhile, YouTube returns to MIPCOM with an expanded presence designed to help broadcasters, studios, publishers and creators grow their businesses. Pedro Pina, Vice President, YouTube EMEA, will deliver the Opening Day keynote, while Justin Connolly, Vice President and Global Head of Media & Sports, together with other YouTube executives and leading media partners, will participate in sessions throughout the week.
The expanded program will focus on monetization and distribution strategies, Connected TV growth, YouTube Studio analytics, AI-powered content formats, and creator-brand partnerships. MIPCOM attendees will also have access to an enlarged YouTube View Hub and twice-daily workshops from Monday through Wednesday.

International Emmy Founders Award
Adding to an already landmark year, the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has announced that Bela Bajaria will receive the 2026 International Emmy® Founders Award, recognizing her outstanding leadership in transforming the global television business. The award will be presented during the 54th International Emmy® Awards Gala on November 23 in New York.
International Academy President & CEO Bruce L. Paisner praised Bajaria's contribution to the industry, saying: “Bela Bajaria is among the most consequential executives in television today. She has built a global content operation of remarkable scale and creative ambition, in which stories told in any language can become worldwide phenomena. Her leadership has produced some of the most celebrated programming of our era. We are thrilled to present her with the International Emmy® Founders Award.”
Bajaria said: "I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from the International Academy, whose mission reflects everything I believe about what television can be. The stories that have resonated most with audiences around the world are the ones rooted in a specific place, a specific truth — and what we have proven, over and over, is that authenticity travels. That is a gift I never take for granted, and I am so proud of the extraordinary creators and teams who make it possible every day."

As Netflix's Chief Content Officer, Bajaria oversees one of the world's largest content operations, reaching nearly one billion viewers across more than 190 countries and over 50 languages through Netflix's 325 million-plus members. Over the past decade, the company has invested more than $125 billion in productions worldwide, generating an estimated $325 billion in economic impact and supporting more than 750,000 jobs globally.