MIPTV announced that its 2017 Médailles d’Honneur will be awarded to: Alexander Coridass; Viacheslav Murugov; Roy Price and Zhao Yifang.
The four will be awarded the MIPTV Médailles d’Honneur in a ceremony taking place in Cannes, France on Wednesday 5 April, 2017. The prestigious MIPTV Médailles d’Honneur are awarded to senior executives who have, through their talent, leadership and passion, made a significant contribution to the world of television and the development of the international TV community.
After studying law and journalism in Mainz (Germany) and Dijon (France) and working in different roles inside and outside the ZDF network, Alexander Coridass took over as ZDF’s head of programme sales in 1991. He was appointed VP programme distribution at ZDF Enterprises in 1992, and in 1998 became president and CEO. Under his leadership, ZDF Enterprises has evolved into a highly profitable and renowned production and distribution group focusing on drama, factual, children/youth and entertainment programming. At the same time, ZDF Enterprises handles all programme acquisitions for the ZDF network including its affiliates and digital channels, making it one of the biggest buyers in the market.
Viacheslav Murugov is CEO of CTC Media (Russia), where he oversees the strategic development and business operations of four TV channels belonging to the company and broadcasting in several countries. His 20-year career in Russian television has led him from amateur script writer to reputable media manager and content producer. In addition to creating highly successful programming, his vision and business attributes have significantly contributed to the development of CTC Media into one of the largest and most productive entertainment television businesses in Russia.
Roy Price is the Vice President of Amazon Studios, where he oversees Prime Video including content licensing and acquisition, as well as all development, production and acquisition of Amazon Original Series and Movies, such as the Golden Globe and Oscar-winning film “Manchester by the Sea”, and Golden Globe and Emmy-winning series “Transparent”. Since joining Amazon in 2004, he has worked with the Amazon video team, where he oversaw the launch of Amazon’s digital video store, integrations with TV-connected devices, and video streaming with cloud storage.
Zhao Yifang is the founder and president of Huace Group. She established the company in 2005, and over the past decade has built it into one of the biggest producers of drama series and variety programming in China. In terms of ratings, Huace-produced content accounts for more than 30 per cent of China’s top programmes, and in 2016 its shows accumulated more than 100 billion views across China’s various online broadcasting platforms. In recent years, Zhao’s “Cultural Stepping Out” programme has pushed Huace into partnerships with a number of international production houses and broadcasters, and seen more than 10,000 hours of Huace programming land on numerous platforms around the world.
“It is a great honour to recognise these four exceptional industry figures, who have each, in their own way, made major contributions to the international entertainment content sector, and whose vision and leadership have set the standards in their respective fields,” said, Reed MIDEM, director of TV division, Laurine Garaude.