Animaj’s Gregory Dray and media cartographer Evan Shapiro, together with analysts from Ampere Analysis and Glance, headline MIPJunior’s 2026 agenda.
The event is convening creators, analysts, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers to explore the trends reshaping the business of kids’ and family entertainment. Expanding beyond the traditional preschool and kids’ spheres, MIPJunior will explore the entire youth landscape, including tweens and teens.
“The next generation of audiences is redefining how content is discovered, consumed, and valued,” said Lucy Smith, director of MIPCOM Cannes and MIPJunior. “Kids and family entertainment has become one of the most dynamic and innovative sectors of the media business, where new platforms, digital-first brands and evolving business models are constantly reshaping how successful IP is created, distributed and monetized. As the industry evolves, MIPJunior is evolving with it. This year’s program broadens our editorial focus to better reflect where innovation is happening across entertainment for young audiences and places an even greater emphasis on practical business insights. Our ambition is to help the industry not only understand what’s changing but learn from the companies already driving that transformation. Increasingly, the trends emerging in children’s entertainment are influencing the wider entertainment industry, making MIPJunior an essential forum for understanding where the future of content is headed.”
Dray, cofounder of Animaj and chairman of Lumee, its YouTube monetization JV with Hasbro, will deliver a keynote address on reinventing legacy IP. “Understanding young audiences today is essential to building the global entertainment brands of tomorrow,” Dray said. “As our industry reinvents how IP is created, produced, distributed, and eventually monetized, MIPJunior is the preeminent forum for bringing together the global kids and family entertainment community to share ideas and explore the trends and business models that are not only reshaping our sector, but increasingly shaping the future of the wider media and entertainment industry.”
Shapiro, meanwhile, will showcase new insights on the shifting kids and family ecosystem. Cyrine Amor, senior research manager at Ampere Analysis, will be on hand to deliver intelligence on production and commissioning trends, broadcaster and streamer strategies, AVOD and social shifts, and more. Romy Nicolas, senior manager at Glance, will explore viewership trends across youth demographics.
MIPJunior runs October 10 and 11 in Cannes. It is expected to feature some 900 delegates.
