Yachts, bunkers and videotape: it's the sales bearpit of the TV industry

The Mipcom trade fair sits at the business end of the television industry - buying, selling and making programmes.

One of the most radical contributions came from Maurice Levy, the chairman and chief executive of Publicis, owner of the Leo Burnett advertising agency and media buying group Zenith-Optimedia. He warned that advertising and programming will have to change as personal video recorders and broadband make the old 30-second ad break increasingly redundant. Advertiser-funded shows and product placement are tightly regulated in Britain, and there is some pressure to lift restrictions. It is not a new debate but the call from advertisers to have a closer involvement in programming as ad slots lose their impact is becoming louder. In the future, advertising executives could be roaming with the sales teams, buyers and producers on the dealing floor.

"[Broadcasters and advertising groups] have worked very closely but with a certain distance until now. The media, most of the time, has kept advertising agencies at a certain distance because of the influence the advertising money can have on the content. We have to work more closely together while at the same time being respectful to the viewers and the content."

Read the article: www.media.guardian.co.uk