The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) has announced plans to partner with Reed MIDEM, the organizers of MIPTV 2005, MIPCOM 2005 and MIPCOM Junior 2005 to position licensing as a vital component in the TV programming mix. LIMA will produce licensing seminars as part of the conference program, held in Cannes, France in April and October, to provide insight into the lucrative opportunities in brand building.

“We are very excited to form this new partnership with Reed MIDEM. The business of licensing has always gone hand in hand with programming content. This is the perfect forum for the licensing industry to reach out to the key decision makers in the TV, audiovisual and interactive fields,” notes Charles Riotto, president of LIMA. “As in many other industries, licensing can help TV producers build brand awareness by generating additional exposures which bring characters and properties to life and in turn can generate additional revenue streams.”

“Licensing is an integral part of the television production process,” says Paul Johnson, Director of Reed MIDEM’s Television Division. “Understanding the licensing potential of a new programme or property is essential. LIMA brings a wealth of expertise in this field and the Association’s willingness to communicate this expertise to the MIPTV, MIPCOM and MIPCOM Junior participants is a real bonus.”

The seminars will be moderated by top level licensing executives in the field of Entertainment and will offer a basic understanding of licensing and why it has become such a vital element in the entertainment equation in terms of television properties