Netflix reveals its wishlist for unscripted
Formats Everything about content
Fall 2021
Streamers look to create a new reality
France sets its sights on int’l scripted sales
PLUS: Leading execs reflect on the rise of Korean content | Particle6 Productions eyes comedy and science
@all3media_int all3mediainternational.com
J14194_C21_240x245mm_FALL_FORMATS_SECTION_FRONT_COVER_AD_THE_LOVE_TRAP_AW.indd 1
21/09/2021 15:16
Congratulations MasterChef Celebrating 500 original seasons worldwide
J14216_MASTERCHEF_500_C21_FP_AD_AW.indd 1
23/09/2021 11:11
AHEAD A AH HE EA AD O OF FT THE HE H EC CURVE: URVE: Rea Reality alliitty y TV TV & streaming sttream s ream re amiin n ng
Channel Channe ne el 21 21 IInternational ntte nte n tter erna rn rn na atti tio iio on na al | Fall 2021
Netflix’s The Circle originated on Channel 4
Back to reality has long been the preserve of free and pay Reality TV h but how is the genre changing TV channels, c appetite for it increases and as streamers’ s viewing shifts online? view By Andy Fry
F
rom celeb franchises like Keeping Up With The Kardashians, via social experiment and adventure classics Big Brother and Survivor through to sultry reality hits such as Love Island and Are You The One?, reality has been a powerful line of defence for traditional TV against the growing might of global streaming platforms. That is changing rapidly, however, with Netflix and Amazon proving reality can also play a pivotal role in the lineup of a global streamer. For Netflix, the first foray into reality came with shows such as Queer Eye and Selling Sunset. More recently, The Circle, e, Too Hot To Handle and Love Is Blind nd have all performed well, with the latter er reported to be the streamer’s top title e in the US, Germany, UK, Australia and d Canada at launch. Not to be outdone, e,
Amazon has commissioned local versions of ITV Studios’ Love Island and Banijay’s Hunted in Europe. Tim Gerhartz, president and MD at Red Arrow Studios International (RASI), says it’s no surprise that the two camps are now going toe to toe for great reality shows. “Reality also gives streamers an opportunity to control content costs – but more importantly, it is a way to expand their subscriber offering.” Prior to the recent breakthroughs, there was some skepticism about whether SVoD’s on-demand, bingedriven model would be able to accommodate reality series. This was especially true for series like Love Island, which are typically scheduled as primetime events over several nights. But various factors appear to have coalesced to make reality viable across SVoD. Fireworks Media Group founder Jesse Fawcett has seen his reality show Big Timber play well across payy TV channel History in Canada as well as Netflix internationally.
Linear channels can’t compete with the streamers around highend drama, so reality is a cost-effective alternative that delivers strong audiences.
“
Tim Gerhartz Red Arrow Studios International
He says: “One factor that has benefited the streamers is that the distinction between scripted and nonscripted is more blurred than ever. As the production quality of reality has improved and the genre has learned from scripted, audiences don’t really mind as long as they’re watching a great story.” Avril Blondelot, head of content insight at global research firm Glance, says the streamers’ surge into unscripted TV has seen them try “a format in almost every unscripted genre. To date, dating formats seem to be what works.” “What works for the streamers overall are short, fast-paced formats where the tension is high, a lot is happening at once and episodes end in an intriguing way, just like in the scripted space. This combination is perfectly suited for a binge-watching experience,” Blondelot says. It’ss worth noting that Netflix has It staggered experimented with stagge second release patterns. The sec sseason se ason of Fremantle-produced Fremantle-produ Too Hot To Handle, for example, was streamed in two programming blocks during du 2021. As for The Circle, the 2021 US version of the show sh was scheduled over four dates, da with the final episode given its own o event-style release. While it is unclear how the streamers stream reality will develop their rea alongside portfolios alongs new distribution X
37
38
AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Reality TV & streaming
Channel 21 International | Fall 2021
Married At First Sight has been produced in 29 countries including Australia
The distinction between scripted and non-scripted is more blurred than ever. As the production quality of reality has improved and the genre has learned from scripted, audiences don’t really mind as long as they’re watching a great story.
“
Jesse Fawcett Fireworks Media Group
methods, Blondelot points out that Netflix has tested out a programmed linear content channel in France. Lauren Marriott, senior VP of sales and business operations at ViacomCBS International Studios Distribution, believes the streamers have pushed the creative boundaries of reality – in part because they are less restricted by regulation. This comes at a time when, in the UK at least, reality TV is under more scrutiny than ever following various tragedies that some argued were caused by a lack of proper aftercare for contestants. “Whilst the formats might be the same, streamer versions tend to have bigger budgets, more extreme casting and storylines and fewer limitations on episode duration and release pattern. I also think streamers have learned to harness the power of the water-cooler moments reality TV is renowned for,” says Marriott. The exec also believes the streamers have been shrewd to invest in local versions of shows, rather than relying on a single global version. The Circle, for example, has US, French and Brazilian versions on Netflix after it originated on Channel 4 in the UK.
“Whilst it is definitely a goal to create globally appealing reality hits,” says the ViacomCBS exec, “nothing works as well as seeing people from your own country on screen in these types of settings. We’ve seen this with our many local versions of the Shore franchise on MTV, so the shift might be towards franchises with production hubs that can create five or more local versions of the same show for streamers.” The success of reality on Netflix and Amazon raises several issues – not least of which is how traditional channels should respond. RASI’s Gerhartz says “linear broadcasters need to try to match the scale and ambition of the streamers – and they need to build brands.” He points to Married At First Sight, which has been produced in 29 countries, describing it as “a channel-defining brand for broadcasters.” Partners such as Nine Network in Australia, Channel 4 in the UK and Lifetime in the US “totally get what is required,” he says. “Aside from the main show, they have built a universe around the core show as a way of keeping viewers engaged.” In the US, Lifetime is currently on ViacomCBS’s Finding Prince Charming
season 13 and has commissioned through to season 17. “The catchup streaming numbers are huge,” says Gerhartz, “and the show airs on several platforms after Lifetime premieres it. The brand is boosted by an aftershow, special episodes and spin-offs, including Married at First Sight: Couples Cam and Married at First Sight: Unmatchables.” Further bolstering the brand, Lifetime and Channel 4 have also acquired and aired the show’s more extreme Australian version, which became a lockdown hit in the UK earlier this year. James Townley, global head of content development at Banijay, says this need for powerful reality brands explains the continued appeal of iconic series like Survivor and Big Brother. The latter is currently airing on Seven Network in Australia and has seen its episode count jump from 21 to 31 in the past year. Of course, a key question for super producers like Banijay is how to balance the opportunities presented by traditional broadcasters and global streamers. While there is clearly a lucrative business model in adapting shows for local channels, the allure of streamer cash must be mighty tempting. “The key message from Banijay,” says Townley, “is that we are willing to work with anyone – linear channels, global streamers or regional streamers. We’ve just done a deal with South African streamer Showmax on Temptation Island, for example. But it is important for our overall business model to try to retain IP.” That potentially presents a challenge when working with Netflix, which is equally eager to control IP. Ultimately, however, it comes down to the deal. If Netflix is willing to pay enough upfront – perhaps with a guarantee on the number of local versions it orders – some producers will sign up. If not, the alternative may be to launch a reality format into a single market, then negotiate rest-ofworld rights as a licence. Townley says it is important not to be too prescriptive: “What I would say is that the linear channels and streamers are taking their lead from each other, and the result is some really creative shows.” Maarten Meijs, president of global entertainment at ITV Studios (ITVS), agrees with Townley that retaining IP is fundamental for distributors. But on the issue of linear versus streamers, he says: “The situation has become much more fluid since the arrival X
New Entertainment Format redarrowstudios.com/international
RED0315_WhoIsThePhantom_FP_240x320mm_AW.indd 1
16/09/2021 10:49
40
AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Reality TV & streaming
of the new streamers. Disney+, Discovery+ and HBO Max are all part of groups that have linear channel operations as well. And the traditional linear broadcasters mostly have ondemand services. The real question is how to produce a show that can feed into a multi-tiered ecosystem.” Meijs points to The Cabins, a UK version of Dutch format Let Love Rule. Launched in 2020, the show was a hit on linear channel ITV2, generating a 43% share of 16-34s. It also generated 800,000 consumption hours on ondemand platform ITV Hub. Love Island Italy, meanwhile, premiered on Discovery+ before transferring to Discovery’s DTT channel. In the Netherlands, Love Island has also performed well for RTL’s on-demand platform Videoland. “Everything has to fit into ITV’s 360-degree ‘more than TV’ strategy,” says Meijs. “But there’s no one-sizefits-all model for reality TV shows. We look at what we have coming down the development pipeline and work out the right roadmap.” Proof that the new streamers also see reality TV as core content is the news that HBO Max has ordered a Brazilian version of Banijay’s survival reality show The Bridge. “We’ve also secured an order from Peacock for Pride & Prejudice,” says Townley, “a dating reality show set in Regency-era England.” Elsewhere, ViacomCBS is reviving The Real World for its new streaming service Paramount+. In terms of ViacomCBS’s willingness to work with third-party streamers, Marriott says: “Reality is a core part of our strategy for Paramount+, but we’ve worked with Amazon, particularly in Latin America, where we have done two seasons of Celeb Ex on the Beach with them in Brazil.” While production revenue is a core reason why studios want to keep control of reality IP, not to be overlooked is the power of the catalogue, both as a distribution asset and in the emerging field of AVoD. Marriott says: “There is an appetite for early seasons as new fans come on board or people want to re-watch from the beginning. We see buyers revisiting titles such as The Hills and Laguna Beach, or back seasons of Jersey Shore or Geordie Shore. Streaming platforms such as Hayu provide an outlet for reality content. Our franchises lend themselves well to AVoD, SVoD and FAST [free adsupported streaming TV] channels due to their high levels of title recognition.”
DCD Rights CEO Nicky Davies Williams says her company has just joined forces with US company Runtime Media to launch a FAST channel in the UK dedicated to the Bridezillas franchise, which has more than 200 episodes. Fans of the show will be able to watch the channel via platforms including Samsung TV Plus and AVoD streamer Pluto TV. “We decided a customised channel would be an excellent way to ensure fans were able to easily access their favourite episodes free to air, whenever they wanted. It’s also a great opportunity for those who haven’t already become dedicated followers to find their way to the series,” says Davies Williams. Are there any new shows making
Channel 21 International | Fall 2021
Meijs says social experiment-based shows are still in demand, and he sees potential for reality that taps into audiences’ fascination with horror. Fireworks’ Fawcett, meanwhile, sees a trend towards hybrid shows, with reality increasingly integrated into other fact ent formats. Among his own shows is Pamela Anderson’s Home Reno Project, an HGTV Canada series in which the Baywatch star rebuilds her family home in Canada – renovation meets reality. Banijay’s Townley endorses this idea, adding: “If I had to pick out another trend it would be outdoor reality. Titles like The Bridge are in demand because audiences want to get away from that feeling of being trapped inside.”
Netflix streamed the second season of Fremantle’s Too Hot To Handle in two programming blocks this year
Disney+, Discovery+ and HBO Max are all part of groups that have linear channel operations. And the linear broadcasters mostly have on-demand services. The real question is how to produce a show that can feed into a multi-tiered ecosystem.
“
Maarten Meijs ITV Studios
their debut at Mipcom that might join the reality hall of fame? RASI’s Gerhartz points to Offline In The Woods, a new format that recently launched on RTL Germany’s ondemand platform Joyn. Banijay’s Townley, meanwhile, is upbeat about Table for Two, a new dating-based format for Dutch public broadcaster KRO-NCRV. ITVS’s Meijs has high hopes for Ready To Mingle, a reality show poised to launch on ITV2 that was heavily trailed during the recent season of Love Island. Not surprisingly, the current emphasis is on dating reality, but
Other issues to watch, says Meijs, include regulation. He argues that global streamers will need to produce more locally specific shows to meet tougher rules on content quotas. Also expect greater diversity, says Marriott. “Season eight of Are You the One? featured a sexually fluid cast, while MTV UK’s True Love or True Lies gained acclaim for its diverse cast. Our gay dating show Finding Prince Charming is in four European territories. When it launched in 2016 there was very little take-up, but since 2019 buyers have been much more receptive.”
LS L A C 4 2 , S E RS, 24 CLU
U
O H 4 2 S A H E H F
RITY B E L E C A E S TO RELEA ER. N I A T N O C D E ROM A LOCK
WILL HE MAKE IT IN TIME? BRAND NEW ADVENTURE REALITY FORMAT
www.rabbitformats.com
42 42
COUNTRYFILE: C CO OU UN NT TR RYFILE: South Korea
Channel 21 In International ntte nte n nter terrn rna n natio on nal na a all | Fall Fal Fa F a alllll 2 2021 021
The Masked Singer
Behind the masks Execs from companies including the BBC, Thames, CJ ENM and Kocca reflect on the rise of South Korean formats and discuss why they resonate wit with primetime a audiences in the UK U and beyond. By Ruth Lawes
The US adaptation of The Masked Singer is a hit for Fox
S
outh Korean IP creators are no longer the new kids on the block. The country’s entertainment formats are now a familiar sight in major broadcasters’ primetime schedules, especially in the UK. Among them are The Masked Singer, based on Korean broadcaster MBC’s King of Masked Singer, which aired on Saturday nights on commercial broadcaster ITV, and I Can See Your Voice, a mystery music gameshow created by Korean media conglomerate CJ ENM and adapted for pubcaster the BBC. BBC Entertainment commissioning editor Rachel Ashdown was drawn to I Can See Your Voice’s warmth and joyfulness. Speaking during a recent digital Royal Television Society (RTS) event on Korean formats, she said: “We look for content that has heart, humour and scale, and I Can See Your Voice had all three. It’s warm and you’re in on the joke. We’re also always looking for the next casting call, and we found that with I Can See Your Voice with bad singers.” The format’s other attractive features were its pacing and audience involvement, according to Ashdown. “When I first saw the format, what hit me was the number of reveals in it, because you see a lot of formats where everything happens at the very end,” she said. “One of the things that helped it land was the playalong factor, which was particularly important during the pandemic. It was easy to play along on your sofa with the rest of your family, as well as people you might not be with. We heard stories of people setting up WhatsApp groups.” For Thames MD Amelia Brown, executive producer of I Can See Your Voice, much of the show’s success is down to the way it introduces contestants. “One of the most important elements is the contestant walking out on stage, as you need the viewer to be interested in that person from the very beginning,” she said, also speaking at the RTS event. “The Koreans took that very
simple idea and turned it and gamefied it. It was simple but brilliant.” As for the wider appeal of Korean formats, Brown pointed to IP holders’ willingness to take risks: “I learnt that Koreans are risk-takers and super creative. They genuinely know what blue-sky thinking is and what thinking outside the box means. For them, the more bonkers something is, the better, and that’s what audiences like.” This sentiment was shared by Bandicoot MD Derek McLean, exec producer of The Masked Singer and The Masked Dancer. The Argonon-owned prodco, which was founded in 2017, was granted the rights to produce ITV’s version of mega-hit format The Masked Singer, despite being a “small, Scottish company,” according to McLean, who said this proves Korean format holders are “mavericks.” “They saw we were ahead of the game, wanted to do the show and had an idea,” he said during the RTS session. “It goes to the heart of Korean culture and sensibilities – they’re risk takers and mavericks.” This extends to producing local versions of Korean IP, according to McLean, who noted that Korean format holders aren’t overly precious with their IP. “Our Korean partners give us far more leeway to interpret the format in any way we want and to make it right for our domestic markets and right for each different market. That’s why these formats are all massively successful – Korean partners are open to changing the format to make it work,” he said. “The criticism I would have of some European format holders is that they’re hell-bent on not changing the music, not changing the title and making sure it looks exactly the same in every country. That doesn’t help sell a show into your domestic market.” European format creators, McLean continued, focus too much on breaking boundaries rather than sticking with the obvious. The beauty of Korean formats, he added, is that they don’t try to be too clever, while delivering what mass audiences want to watch on the small screen. “Sometimes we try too hard and go too far in the development process away from what the public loves,” he said. “These Korean programmes show you that you just
COUNTRYFILE: South Korea
Channel 21 International | Fall 2021
43
The BBC’s UK version of I Can See Your Voice
need a tiny turn of the wheel to make it different, and it’s important to keep the obvious tropes that viewers love.” Albert Park knows a thing or two about formats as executive of format sales at CJ ENM, the company behind I Can See Your Voice. Both buyers and creators are scrabbling for the next hit format from Korea, and Park predicts his colleagues will continue to pump out music competition shows with a twist. “Our in-house creators are thinking about combining music shows with different elements like dating,” he said during the panel session. “We currently have a format called Love at First Song, which combines a music duo competition with romance. Social experiment and reality shows are also being worked on.” It’s no surprise there are already several new Korean formats proving a hit in their home country that have yet to make a splash in international waters. Up for grabs is The Masked Singer creator Wonwoo Park’s latest music gameshow, Lotto Singer, in which 45 singers compete to be ranked in the top six, with viewers able to win money if they correctly guess the finalists. There is also EXChange, which features four separated couples living in a house together as each person tries to conceal the identity of their ex, while Sing Again gives previously popular singers a second shot at fame. “EXChange is doing really well,” said Albert Park. “And I know the UK iss hot on dating shows. shows.” Explaining the growth in demand for K-formats, Do Hyoung Lee, ee, general director of broadcasting at South Korean orean cultural agency Kocca, says entertainment ainment shows from South Korea successfully sfully combine originality and universality. This his allows them to find new stories and concepts while also gaining the empathy of people around d the world. Meanwhile, South Korean drama has been a global phenomenon menon for many years now, with wave after wave of hit shows spreading out from Asia and reaching the US and Europe in recent years. But things have certainly rtainly moved on from the good old days of Winterr Sonata, the KBS hit that put Korean drama rama on the global map almost 20 years rs ago.
Things have changed even from the more recent crossover hits like The Good Doctor, another KBS show from 2013 that was successfully adapted for ABC in the US in 2017. Since then, the streaming boom – both within South Korea and internationally – has changed the landscape for Korean drama in a number of ways. Over to Lee to explain how: “The popularity of Korean drama has continued globally this year, just as it did in 2020. As competition has been getting more fierce among domestic and foreign online streaming services, such as Netflix, Disney+, Wavve and TVing, demand for Korean drama has increased and there has been more investment in production. This trend has stimulated the diversity of Korean drama.” South Korea certainly still produces romantic sagas and romcoms, like the ones that initially defined the Korean Wave. However, it now also produces a much more varied slate of drama, including edgier crime series, sci-fi, horror, comedy and other genres. Another factor driving the Korean drama boom is the popularity of webtoons as a source of IP for liveaction series. “Webtoons and web novels have become the essence of the content industry. This year has been dominated by dramas based on webtoons, such as Love Alarm 2 [Netflix], Navillera [tvN] and Taxi Driver [SBS],” says Lee. “Almost 20 webtoon-based originals are being produced p pr od o duced this year. It is much easier to make shows from webtoons, w we btoons, as they can serve as the storyboard and producers can better predict whether the show will be a hit based bas on how well the webtoon performed.” Crucially, the range of content types on offer from South Korean suppliers is broadening, helping to boost content amount of exports in the exports. “The total amoun content industry for the year ye 2020 was about US$10.83bn, an increase of 6.3% year-onincluded not just film year,” says Lee. This total inc and TV content but also al gaming, music highlighting and character design, de the many diffeerent ways global being influenced by culture is be Do Hyoung Lee Korea. South Kore
Koreans are risktakers and super creative. They genuinely know what blue-sky thinking is and what thinking outside the box means. For them, the more bonkers something is, the better, and that’s what audiences like.
“
Amelia Brown Thames
46
SVOD PROFILE: N Netf etf e tfllix tf lix ix
Channel Ch Cha C hanne ha nn nn ne el 21 21 IInternational n rnational | Fall 2021 nte
Nailed It
Competition time Daisy Lilley and Ben Kelly, Netflix’s UK-based managers of unscripted series, are calling for pitches with warmth, humour and heart. By Clive Whittingham
F
Culinary competition The Final Table
or some time now in the formats world the debate has been about how and when the streamers – inevitably led by Netflix – will change the business, having already had a huge impact on drama, feature documentaries and factual. The big, live, shiny-floor, Saturday night talent show, much like live sport, is still seen as one of the few weapons traditional linear television can use against their allconquering online rivals. The need to watch such shows live or risk missing out on the watercooler conversations the following day doesn’t really fit in with streaming’s ‘binge watch at your leisure’ model. One theory, as expressed by former American Idol showrunner Trish Kinane, is that Netflix’s breakthrough in this area will almost certainly involve a technological turn
of the wheel of some sort, and sure enough, the streamer has made exactly that sort of move into the dance competition genre. Dance Monsters will use VFX, live motion capture and facial recognition to enable people passionate about dancing to compete against each other while transformed into loveable and fantastical monsters that come to life in front of an expert panel of judges and a studio audience. All3Media-owned Lime Pictures is working on the format. Dated & Related, meanwhile, is Netflix’s latest foray into the booming dating show genre. The show takes pairs of siblings searching for love together and finds out whether they make the ultimate wingmen or scupper each other’s chances. The series is being filmed in France by All3Media labels Great Scott Media and Main Event Media. Dating reality series Too Hot To Handle has also been renewed for a third season, produced by Talkback. Finally, Snowflake Mountain from Fremantle-owned Naked is described as a funny and warm reality show that takes a bunch of clueless ‘kidults’ who aren’t yet living to their full potential and puts them through their paces at a wilderness survival retreat to try to kickstart them into standing on their own two feet. The back-to-basics camp is a rude awakening to just how pampered their lives have been so far. At stake is a transformative cash prize for the lucky winner. These recent UK commissions join others such as Sexy Beasts, another dating show but with an eye-catching twist, which comes from All3Media-owned Lion Television and had its first run in the UK on the BBC back in 2014 before being rebooted by Netflix earlier this year.
SVOD PROFILE: Netflix
Channel 21 International Interna atti tio ion io na nal a all | Fall Fal Fa F a alll 2 2021 02 02 021 211
Sexy Beasts
Dance Monsters sounds like a big show, and Netflix has gone for scale in formats before with the likes of The Final Table, its search for the best professional chef in the world. But Daisy Lilley and Ben Kelly, managers of unscripted series at Netflix in the UK, warned delegates at the recent Edinburgh TV Festival not to go for “scale for scale’s sake” when pitching. Kelly explains: “It’s about themes more than scale. Warmth, heart, comedy, humour, transformation – those things are more important to us. We do occasionally get pitched scale for scale’s sake, just bigger and more expensive versions of things, and we’d prefer to talk about thematic areas rather than ‘this has got to be massive.’ Big doesn’t necessarily mean better or more watched. “My message to producers is come to us with shows of all scale, not just with shows that have to cost millions. We’re drawn to shows of all shapes and sizes.” Kelly also advises producers to avoid cruel or exploitative ideas, particularly when pitching dating formats. “We don’t want edgy for the sake of edgy. Slightly provocative or an unusual entry point is good, but it needs a warmth to it as well, not just weirdness for the sake of it. We love a bit of wacky but we love substance, humour and heart too. People, when they come to Netflix for unscripted, don’t want that conflict and shouty stuff. The stuff that has done well for us, without exception, has had comedy and warmth about it.” Lilley adds: “We lean into ideas with authenticity at heart. They feel warm and definitely have humour – thoughtprovoking ideas, leaving the audience with something to think about afterwards, but optimistic and with a human story at their heart. “Think about the proposition. We look for ideas that have a timely or pertinent question. They do need a provocative or hooky way in because there’s so much competition, but it’s not just that. We want ideas that have a transformative or deeper, wider narrative you uncover as you go. Really think about that, work up the idea, think of the questions we might ask. “We always take ideas on face value – docu-soap, property, food, we’ll take pitches for everything. But it’s about finding our unique spin on an idea that sets it apart from things sitting on other platforms. Nailed It is a fresh take on baking, Too Hot To Handle is a fresh take on dating.”
There have been questions asked for some time about the welfare of contestants on dating shows, such as ITV’s Love Island, which has lost two former participants and presenter Caroline Flack to suicide. Lilley says welfare is very high on the agenda when Netflix is commissioning shows in the dating arena. In the UK, the ethics of reality TV are under more scrutiny than ever, with a recent episode of Love Island sparking almost 25,000 complaints to media regulator Ofcom, a record for the show. Unlike ITV and other UK broadcasters the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5, Netflix does not currently fall under Ofcom’s jurisdiction, as its European headquarters are in the Netherlands. However, it emerged over the summer that the UK government is looking to change this, which would also impact other US streamers such as Amazon Prime Video and Disney+. “We have rigorous protocols in place to ensure the safe keeping through the process and afterwards as well. They are supported as long as they’re needed. It’s an ongoing conversation, as it should be, and we take welfare very seriously,” Lilley says. Too Hot To Handle’s first season was released all at once, as per the traditional Netflix model, but season two came out in two batches, and Kelly says producers should think about how their idea would sit on the platform. “We think about it a lot. Season one was all at once, season two we felt if we batched it it would increase the conversation and the length of time there would be buzz around the show. Love Is Blind went out in three batches. We do play around with the release and we would say to producers really think about how your pitch might be released. All at once is the Netflix model but we are open to anything,” he says. As a final bit of advice for would-be pitchers, Kelly adds: “People should come with one idea they’re really passionate about, not a telephone book of top-line ideas. Come with pretty evolved ideas that speak to an understanding of how Netflix works and how the content has to be consumed differently. We don’t have the luxury to let shows build gradually over weeks. We have to come out of the blocks fast. We’d ask producers to consider and come with an understanding of that rather than a cookie-cutter approach that you’ve taken to a linear broadcaster.”
We don’t want edgy for the sake of edgy. Slightly provocative or an unusual entry point is good, but it needs a warmth to it as well, not just weirdness for the sake of it. We love a bit of wacky but we love substance, humour and heart too.
“
Ben Kelly Netflix
47
Channel 21 International | Fall 2021
NEXT NE N EXT XT BIG THINGS: French scripted formats
A dramedy examining modern intergenerational relationships and a suspenseful thriller involving a piece of rope are among the French scripted formats being aimed sc at a the international market.
Hashtag Boomer
B By Nico Franks
French fancies T
he recent Series Mania event in Lille, France, saw some of the country’s top producers and distributors reveal the recent scripted projects they believe are ripe for international adaptation. These ambitious and innovative concepts are aiming to follow in the footsteps of hit shows such as Call My Agent, which is set to be remade in markets including the UK, Canada, India, Turkey, Russia and Germany after the French original was discovered by millions on Netflix internationally. Earlier this year, TV France International (TVFI), the organisation that connects French TV companies with the international market, merged with UniFrance, the country’s publicly funded film promotion arm. The latter now acts as the single national body aiming to promote France’s audiovisual content abroad. “For about 10 years, French series have enjoyed growing interest internationally and have been more and more recognised at festivals. While programme sales are on the up, the commercialisation of formats remains an opportunity with room for further development,” says Sarah Hemar, the former MD of TVFI who is now deputy MD at UniFrance. Produced by Mesdames Productions, Hashtag Boomer (8x26’) is among the shows bring primed for an international remake ahead of its debut in France on pay TV network OCS, where it will air alongside US imports such as The White Lotus and Scenes from a Marriage. Written by Constance Maillet and distributed by Balanga, it follows four 30-something Parisians and examines how the relationship between parents and children, the boomers and the digital natives, is being impacted by digital technologies’ increasing centrality to our day-to-day lives. Christophe Bochnacki, president at Balanga, says: “It’s a universal and contemporary story, with innovative editing, graphics inspired by social media and YouTube-like tutorials where protagonists break the fourth wall.” Another show dealing with contemporary issues is Marion Séclin and Niels Rahou’s Diana Boss (5x20’), which is produced by La Belle Télé for streaming service France TV Slash and follows an apprentice in a law firm who is a rapper by night. In both cases, she is committed to fighting social injustice, but it is only a matter of time until her two passions clash and she is forced to choose between them. Code-switching, when someone – usually a person of colour – adjusts their style of speech, appearance and behaviour depending on the situation they are in, is a key part of the show, says La Belle Télé’s Sébastien Folin.
Wild Bunch TV, meanwhile, is shopping The Rope (3x52’), a series from Les Films de l’Instant and Versus Production that will air on Arte and is set at a scientific observatory deep in a forest. The drama starts when its work is disrupted by the discovery of a seemingly endless rope that intrigues the community so much that six of them decide to follow it to find the other end. A show set to be as short as it is sweet is 6.30pm (22x5’), a series for Arte’s streaming platform Arte.tv made by La Blogothèque, which rose to prominence shooting indie bands live on the streets of Paris. At 6.30pm, Eric and Mélissa leave the office where they both work to walk to the bus stop and, for five minutes a day, share their various concerns. Shot in continuous takes, the series is described as a cross between a romantic comedy and drama and is being distributed by Lukarn. Elsewhere, Pascal Breton’s French drama producer Federation Entertainment, which is setting up a new operation in London with Polly Williams and Arielle Gottlieb at the helm, continues to seek international versions of The Bureau (50x52’), which it produces with The Oligarchs Productions. The Canal+ spy thriller has drawn praise for its realistic depiction of secret agents’ complex lives and contemporary geopolitical issues, with US and South Korean versions potentially on the horizon as the French scripted format industry looks to grow its international footprint.
Clockwise from top left: Wild Bunch TV’s mystery mini The Rope, shortform series 6.30pm for Arte.tv, spy thriller The Bureau and Diana Boss, about a lawyer with a second life as a rapper
49
50
Channel 21 International | Fall 2021
Development slate Particle6 Productions Raj Kalra
U
K-based Particle6 Productions was started by Eline Van der Velden in 2015, shortly after the Dutch comedian and producer found success with her online comedy sketches, including a parody of a terrible first date. Given Van der Velden’s comedic prowess and years spent studying physics at Imperial College London, it’s unsurprising that Particle6’s slate focuses on science, comedy and a combination of the two. Brought in to spearhead the company’s US expansion earlier this year, Raj Kalra, VP of content and US distribution strategy, says a Particle6 show is always “fun,” irrespective of the subject. “There’s a comedic sensibility to everything we do, and when we approach science projects, whether it be hard science or social science, we think about how to make it fun,” he adds. “We want people to leave our programmes feeling like they’ve learnt something but not like they’ve been taught something. Commissioners don’t want programmes to hit audiences over the head with issues; people still want to have fun.” Kalra knows a thing or two about what buyers want, having joined Particle6 from A+E Networks, where he was director of international programming. He was previously director of global content distribution strategy for Marvel Television and has also worked in brand management for The Walt Disney Company. For Kalra, formats need to be “fun, repeatable and accessible,” rather than involving advanced tech gimmicks or costing the earth. “If you look at a format like The Masked Singer, which has been really big, it’s not a technologically advanced format. It feels, to me at least, retro,” he says. “I don’t think the next big format will be some kind of industrydefining programme. It won’t be novel; it will be fun.” Nor does Kalra think the global streamers will necessarily dominate the genre in the way they currently do with premium drama, for example. “As a consumer, I watch a lot of formats at home on the streaming services, but I’ve not seen anything that has been like, ‘Wow, they really did something new.’ Anything I’ve seen on the streamers, I could have easily watched on a broadcaster or cable network,” he says. What Kalra does believe is crucial to a successful format, however, is the cast. “It really does come
Raj Kalra, VP of content and US distribution strategy at Particle6 Productions, discusses why being outlandish is not the key to a format’s success as the company explores comedy and science. By Ruth Lawes down to who is in the show. It’s the casting that keeps us tuned in,” he says. “Formats where we’ve been iffy on the presenter means we will switch off, while compelling judges mean we will keep coming back.” Founder Van der Velden stars in and developed comedy Miss Holland, commissioned as a 5x6’ series by UK pubcaster the BBC. In it, she plays a beauty queen from Holland who sets out to explore British culture and find her Prince Charming. Among
We want people to leave our programmes feeling like they’ve learnt something but not like they’ve been taught something. Commissioners don’t want programmes to hit audiences over the head with issues.
“
Raj Kalra
Particle6 founder Eline Van der Velden in Miss Holland
other activities, she is taught to be classy by a former royal butler and gets a makeover with Love Island star Chloe Crowhurst. Spotting the potential in the character that Kalra compares to a female Borat, Particle6 has now developed Miss Holland from a shortform series into a series consisting of 30-minute episodes. It is also being adapted for international markets, including France and New Zealand. In the French version, for example, Miss Holland finds herself getting engaged at the Eiffel Tower and trying to replicate the Mona Lisa. “The character can really go anywhere,” Kalra says. “She is funny and brilliant, and it’s refreshing to see that kind of character from a female perspective.” In the unscripted space, Kalra says the firm is looking to develop projects that tackle human rights and the environment. “We want to make shows that speak to those issues, whether it’s climate change or food scarcity, and that put entertainment first,” he adds. Finally, entertainment-driven but also educational kids’ programming is Particle6’s other main development area. Kalra points to Hypatia’s Mathematical Maze, produced by the firm for BBC Teach, as an example of the shows Particle6 wants to produce more of for young audiences.