The MIP TV market began to wind down Thursday after four days thatfocused more on convergence than traditional television.

Indeed, this year's market was subtitled "TV Reloaded," and thebuzzwords were convergence, community and content. Many attendees said this wasthe first MIP TV to substantially address the broadening scope ofmulti-platform distribution.

Alongside TV sales people and buyers, technology companies, mobileoperators, internet providers and search engines were omnipresent.

As internet providers team with TV producers to create online-specificcontent, the face of prime-time television is morphing into "my time"television. Conference speakers during the event continually noted thatconsumers want more content and they want it available on a 24-hour portablebasis.

AOL chairman Jonathan Miller wasa ubiquitous presence in Cannes, playing up theInternet giant's new In2TV feature, which allows web users to access televisionshows whenever they choose.

Joining Miller for a keynote address this week was reality televisionpioneer Mark Burnett. The pair are working together ona new web-based reality show, Gold Rush, in which anyone can participatein a search for gold buried across the US.

Burnett said he no longer considered himself a TV producer but rather a"content producer" and predicted the decline of network television's popularityin the near future. "My kids don't even know what a network is, they watch onechannel and it's called TiVo," he said, referring tothe digital video recorder platform.

There was a general consensus at the market that because consumers nowhave the ability to pick and choose programming and watch it commercial-free attheir leisure, the industry is heading for a rough period where studios aregoing to need to wake up and make content available on the internet and viamobile phones with advertisements attached.

But what does all of this mean for the film industry' According to one US producer, thestudios no longer have a choice and are facing the same situation as thenetworks. The collapse of windows and the rise of simultaneous video-on-demand(VOD) are increasing pressure. The producer added, "Itwill just be a difference of price points. You can go to the movies and pay $10or you can stay at home and watch the movie for $25."

The recent expansion of VOD companiesincluding Movielink and CinemaNowin the US supports thistrend. Warner Bros, Paramount, Sony, Universal,MGM, Fox and Lionsgate have alljumped on the download-to-own business. Still, it will remain to be seen ifconsumers are happy paying a higher price for the movie only when its DVD version willlikely sell for less and have more content.

A study released in France on Wednesdaypointed out that VOD services in Europe are also primedfor expansion with VOD platforms multiplying by tenover the past four years alone.

Recent and US films dominate the field with35%-80% of the available offer and national films taking up 4%-71% of space.

Given that telecoms, internet service providers, retailers, electronicsgiants and search engines have joined traditional outlets such as networks,satellite platforms and cable operators, some say the market is being saturated.However, one recurrent theme at the MIP market was the idea that if a TV show -or a film - reaches only 20% of the audience when it airs or is releasedtheatrically, making the product available at all times to everyone can onlyhelp to increase penetration.