Mipformat 2016 preview magazine

MARCH 2016

mipformats

®

www.mipformats.com The official MIPFormats magazine

PREVIEW MIPFORMATS KEYNOTE

MIPFORMATS KEYNOTE

MIPFORMATS KEYNOTE

Bibiane Godfroid Newen

Gary Carter Klok

Maria Kyriacou ITV Studios

SEE PAGE 6

SEE PAGE 6

SEE PAGE 6

Also inside:

• The MIPFormats International Pitch • Formats showcases from Korea, Japan and the Nordics • World Premiere: Global Agency’s The Legend • and more...

BIG OR SMALL, BEST CHEF WINS.

MIPTV, Booth P3 C10 sales.aenetworks.com

F O R M A T S

RED HOT FORMATS THE BIG NEW FORMAT FOR

NEW REALITY FORMAT: My Diet is Better Than Yours NEW ENTERTAINMENT FORMAT: Kiss Bang Love www.redarrowinternational.tv | MIPTV Booth: P4.C10

4

Contents 6

News

MIPFormats World Premiere screening; keynote speakers; the MIPFormats International Pitch; K-Formats: What’s Trending In South Korea?; Treasure Box Japan; Best Formats From The Nordics; MIPFormats Opening Cocktail

Getting the shows from idea to screen .....................14 The next big thing .......................................................18 Formats go multiplatform .........................................22

14

11

Product News

14

Features

Formats from around the world on sale in Cannes

Keshet’s Rising Star

11

Also inside:

Ciao Darwin (Kabo International)

26 Tips & services

10 Conferences

mipformats PREVIEW The official MIPFORMATS preview magazine March 2016. Director of Publications Paul Zilk Director of Communication Mike Williams EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Editor in Chief Julian Newby Deputy Editor Debbie Lincoln Technical Editor in Chief Hervé Traisnel Deputy Technical Editor in Chief Frédéric Beauseigneur Graphic Designers Jordan Carel, Nour Ezzedeen, Carole Peres Sub Editor Joanna Stephens Contributors Andy Fry, Juliana Koranteng, Joanna Stephens Editorial Management Boutique Editions PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT Publishing Director Martin Screpel Publishing Manager Amrane Lamiri Publishing Co-ordinator Yovana Filipovic Production Assistant, Cannes Office Eric Laurent Printer Riccobono Imprimeurs, Le Muy (France) MANAGEMENT & SALES TEAM Director of the Entertainment Division Jérome Delhaye Director of the Television Division Laurine Garaude MIPTV Conference Director and Director MIPDoc and MIPFormats Lucy Smith Director of Market Development Ted Baracos Programme Director Tania Dugaro Director of the Buyers’ Department Bénédicte Touchard Brand Director Lionel Lelouch TV Division Sales Director Géraud de Lacombe Managing Director (UK / Australia / New Zealand) Simon Rhodes Director UK Sales – TV Division Matt Colgan Director UK Sales Music & TV Division Javier Lopez Senior Vice President Sales & business development Robert Marking VP Sales - TV Division José-Luis Sanchez Director of Visitors Sales Matthew Rosenstein Sales Manager Panayiota Pagoulatos Regional Sales Director Sylvain Faureau Regional Sales Director Nathalie Gastone Regional Sales Director Fabienne Germond Sales Managers Paul Barbaro, Liliane Da Cruz, Nancy Denole, Samira Haddi, Cyril Szczerbakow Sales Managers, Buyers Cyriane Accolas, Deborah Carella, Yi-Ping Gerard Australia and New Zealand Representative Natalie Apostolou China Representatives Anke Redl, Tammy Zhao CIS Representatives Alexandra Modestova English Speaking Africa Representative Arnaud de Nanteuil Germany Representative Marc Wessel India Representative Anil Wanvari Israel Representative Guy Martinovsky Japan Representative Lily Ono Middle-East Representative Bassil Hajjar Poland Representative Monika Bednarek Spain Representative Maria Jose Vadillo South Asia Representative Adam Ham South Korea Representative Sunny Kim Taiwan Representative Irene Liu Reed MIDEM, a joint stock company (SAS), with a capital of €310.000, 662 003 557 R.C.S. NANTERRE, having offices located at 27-33 Quai Alphonse Le Gallo - 92100 BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT (FRANCE), VAT number FR91 662 003 557.

Contents © 2016, Reed MIDEM Market Publications. Publication registered 1st quarter 2016. ISSN 1963-2258. Printed on PEFC Certified Paper ®

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

60’ z z z z z

Format

Visit us at MIPTV Stand P3.B38

z z z z z

A BBC production z z z z z

bbcworldwidesales.com

6

News

Maria Kyriacou

Gary Carter

Three industry heavyweights to give MIPFormats keynote presentations MIPFORMATS has lined up three key industry figures as keynote speakers during the two-day event.

Gary Carter sits on the board of Klok, the Finland-based creative agency focusing on moving images produced for targeted audiences. His experience in the formats business is vast, beginning at Action Time, one of the pioneers of the European format industry. After time at Planet 24 he joined Endemol in 1997, where he acquired the rights to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? from Celador and oversaw the roll-out of Big Brother. He joined FremantleMedia in

the early 2000s and after the merger between Shine Group and Endemol, was appointed co-CEO of international operations and led the integration of the companies in the Nordics. He joined Klok late last year.

Bibiane Godfroid has a long track record in the French content industry. After eight years with M6 as managing director of programmes she moved to her current role as CEO in charge of content at Newen Group and CEO of the Capa group, an affiliate of Newen. Before joining M6 she had roles as CEO of FremantleMedia France and

Bibiane Godfroid programme director and then executive vice-president of channels at Canal+.

Maria Kyriacou was this year named president international, ITV Studios, after having guided ITV Studios Global Entertainment (IT VS GE) and IT V’s European and Australian studios through a strong period of growth. There she leads all of ITV Studios international production companies excluding ITV America, ITVS GE and ITV’s international scripted strategy, including ITV Studios America.

The three speakers will bring their vast and varied experience to their MIPFormats keynotes, which take place in Grand Auditorium.

• Saturday, April 2, Grand Auditorium.

Bibiane Godfroid speaks at 17.00; Maria Kyriacou at 17.30 and Gary Carter at 18.00

Cannes World Premiere for The Legend T H E LEGEN D, a new format from Turkey’s Global Agency, will be premiered at MIPFormats. The show claims to turn the typical talent show on its head by giving power to the contestants.

“With most TV talent shows, it’s the jury that decides whether a contestant continues, and it’s the audience that can change their fate,” said Global Agency CEO Izzet Pinto. “But what if we enabled the contestants to write their own destiny?”

Pinto says the show aims to take “the best of the best, and give them the chance to showcase their musical talent and their character”.

He added: “We don’t just look for a great singer, we will create The Legend!”

Pinto said that the legend has a “major new twist” which puts the contestants into risk-taking positions and allows them to be in charge of the outcome. “In order for a format to be successful it must create a lot of emotions such as curiosity, excitement, joy — goose-bump moments,” he said. “This format creates all these feelings.”

Pinto added that he felt “super-excited” about the new show and expects to close deals “in at least 50 territories” this year.

“For the last four years the market has been waiting for the next big hit, and this is it.”

• The World Premiere of The Legend is on Sunday, April 3, at 18.00 in Auditorium A

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

World Premiere: The Legend

8

News

All3media back in the hunt for the next worldwide hit

Steve Macallister

Stephen Lambert

THE MIPFORMATS International Pitch invites producers and creators from around the world to pitch their ideas for new and original, non-scripted entertainment formats before the industry’s most experienced format professionals.

And for the second year the competition is once again backed by global partner all3media International, the distribution arm of the UK’s leading TV production group.

Among the judges are senior executives from

various all3media production labels, including Maverick TV, Objective Productions, Lion TV and MME/Filmpool. Stephen Lambert, head of all3media subsidiary Studio Lambert and executive producer of hit formats including Undercover Boss and Gogglebox, is jury president for this year’s competition. He will be joined on stage by senior executives from all3media production labels and commissioning editors who will offer advice and commentary on ideas pitched.

”The event is proving hugely popular in the formats community, offering a fantastic opportunity for creators to showcase their ideas for the next global entertainment hits,” Lambert said. All3media International CEO Steve Macallister added: “It’s great to see such interest in the MIPFormats International Pitch. Discovering new talent is what keeps this business moving forward and this event is a fantastic platform to meet new producers from around the world with great ideas. We’re focused on further growing the all3media International formats business this year and as always we’re on the lookout for standout concepts that will complement our catalogue.“ All3media awards a prize of €5,000 cash to the winner, plus a package worth €15,000 aimed at further developing the winning format to be ready to pitch to broadcasters. “ Si nc e w i n n i n g t he M I PFor m at s International Pitch in 2015, we were very eager to begin our collaboration with all3media International. They not only offered to be our partner but also our mentor,” said Michael Dolinsek, CEO of Austria’s Dolinsekfilm, whose pitch for 1001 Rooms — Escape The Matrix won the 2015 competition. “We are very confident that you will be seeing this format on your screen very soon.”

• The MIPFormats International Pitch competition concludes on Sunday, April 3 in the Grand Auditorium at 11.00

An opportunity to discover what’s trending in South Korea K-FORMATS: What’s Trending In South Korea? is a screening session to be held during MIPFormats on Saturday, April 2. The session, which will show new and entertaining formats from the country is sponsored by the Korea Creative Content Agency, KOCCA, which supports the national content businesses as well as their promotion overseas.

As well as showing the hottest new titles from the country, KOCCA’s broadcasting industry team director Byoung-Ho Park said he hoped the event would “bring professionals together with the goal of creating quality content for the future”.

Keri Lewis Brown, managing director of

international media consultancy K7 Media, who is presenting the session, said there is growing interest in content coming out of Korea. She cited NBC’s forthcoming adaptation of Grandpa’s Over Flowers — to be renamed Better Late Than Never — as a hotly anticipated international title that originated in Korea.

“Overall, there is a lot of originality there,” Lewis Brown added.

• K-Formats: What’s Trending In South Korea is on Saturday, April 2 at 12.20 in Auditorium A, followed by a snack lunch in the Verriere Grand Auditorium at 13.00

KOCCA’s Byoung-Ho Park

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

9

News

Treasure Box Japan launches formats onto world market TR EASUR E Box Japan is back at MIPFormats with the The Japanese Formats Showcase, celebrating the continued success of Japanese programming and introducing new original content to be discovered by key industry players from around the world.

Eight Japanese broadcasters — ABC JAPAN, Fuji TV/FCC, NEP/NHK, Nippon TV, TBS Television, TV Asahi, TV TOKYO and YTV — will be showing original content during the event, which is followed by a snack lunch and networking session.

So Fujinuma, director, worldwide production and sales at Fuji Television Network said that before the launch of Treasure Box Japan, he and fellow professionals in Japan were unsure as to whether his country’s formats could break out into the international market. “However, having hosted this session for some years now, we see growth in terms of the number of people attending, as well as in the

WELCOME TO MIPFORMATS REED MIDEM and Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation (JSBC) invite all MIPFormats delegates to the MIPFormats Opening Cocktail on Saturday, April 2.

The event’s sponsor JSBC is one of the most influential media operators in Jiangsu, and in China.

The company is fast becoming a mainstream media operator as well as an internationally well-known media outlet incorporating comprehensive media services, including television channels, radio frequencies, newspapers, magazines and online services.

JSBC is also becoming an important provider of news, culture and entertainment content as well as a top provincial-level broadcasting network in China.

• The MIPFormats Opening Cocktail is in the Verrierre Grand Auditorium on Saturday, April 2, at 18.30

number of deals with the licensees.”

Sales of Japanese formats are “on the upswing”, Fujinuma said. “The format Ninja Warrior from TBS Television has been sold in many territories and the local version of Run For Money from Fuji TV was a big hit on Hunan TV in China last year, with even an early commitment for season two.” He added: “Also, beyond simple format distribution, we are adding co-production and co-development to our offer.”

Asked what type of formats are most popular right now, Fujinuma said “the trend is no trend”, for two reasons: ”Viewers have become bored with long-running formats and also by the number of format ideas that are coming from newcomers to the market.” He added: “In the next few years, apart from the regular source of formats from Europe and the US, we expect formats from the ‘second force’ — Israel, Japan, Korea or China — will make a big noise around

So Fujinuma: “The trend is no trend” the world. But to survive in this business, it is clear that originality is the key factor.”

• The Japanese Formats Showcase takes place on Sunday, April 3 in the Grand Auditorium at 12.25, followed by a snack lunch and networking in the Verriere Grand Auditorium

Best from the Nordics on show A CHANCE to see a curated selection of the best non-scripted new formats from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden is on offer at The Nordic Formats Screening session on Saturday, April 2.

According to Jan Salling, CEO of Missing Link Media — which Salling established to aid “confused producers who are having a hard time navigating a global market that’s supersizing by the month” — the Nordic territories’ proven ability to produce original formats for the international marketplace has been somewhat overshadowed by recent successes with world-quality drama coming from the region.

Salling is one of the group of leading professionals from the region who together have selected the titles for screening.

“The Nordics have been a hotbed for innovative formats for decades,” Salling said. “But in recent years our successful and award-winning dramas have been at the centre of the world’s attention, taking away the focus from our many new formats. It is about time we regain the limelight and focus on Nordic formats. As such I am proud to be heading a highly talented

pan-Nordic format group who will select the very best and most representative new formats our region have to offer. The best 10-15 of these will be presented at the MIPFormats Nordic screenings and I can already now promise the world that they have something groundbreaking and great to look forward to.”

• The Nordic Formats Screening take place on Saturday, April 2 at 16.15 in the Grand Auditorium

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

Jan Salling: “hotbed of innovative formats”

Conference & Events Programme

THINK CREATIVE CONTENT THINK CREATIVE BUSINESS

2-3 APRIL 2016 PALAIS DES FESTIVALS, CANNES

2016 HIGHLIGHTS

SATURDAY 2 APRIL, GRAND AUDITORIUM, 17.00-18.30

SATURDAY 2 APRIL, FROM 20.30

THE MIPFORMATS KEYNOTE SERIES

NEW: LA NUIT DES FORMATS*

BIBIANE GODFROID CEO IN CHARGE OF CONTENT NEWEN GROUP AND CEO CAPA AGENCY

MARIA KYRIACOU

GARY CARTER

PRESIDENT INTERNATIONAL

NON EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER

ITV STUDIOS

KLOK CREATIVE AGENCY

Celebrate the greatest entertainment formats of the past, present and future with La Nuit Des Formats.

Share and enjoy a selection of the most entertaining shows in this brand-new evening of fun. *The Formats Night

SATURDAY 2 APRIL

SUNDAY 3 APRIL

10.00-10.40

GRAND AUDITORIUM

9.00-9.30

10.50- 11.30

AUDITORIUM A

11.00-11.30

THE COMMISSIONERS’ BRIEF

11.40-12.10

AUDITORIUM A

DATA ON TV VIEWERS: THE KEY TO THE NEXT HIT? 11.40-12.10

AUDITORIUM K

THE PRODUCERS TOOLBOX #2:

TV VIEWING TRENDS

12.20-13.00

Screening followed by breakfast from 9.30 to 10.00 AUDITORIUM K

THE PRODUCERS TOOLBOX #1:

Followed by Meet the Speakers from 11.30 to 12.00, Speakers’ Lounge

10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE SELLING A PAPER FORMAT

K-FORMATS: WHAT’S TRENDING IN SOUTH KOREA?

AUDITORIUM A

9.20-10.00

AUDITORIUM A

FORMAT TRENDS ANALYSIS

AUDITORIUM A

NEW CREATIVE BOOM IN THE US 16.15-16.45

15.20-16.00

AUDITORIUM K

15.20-16.05

HOW DIGITAL HELPS CREATING NEW FORMATS?

LEARN HOW TO PROTECT YOUR IP IN 3 LEGAL CASES 10.10-10.50

AUDITORIUM A

WHEN TV FORMATS MEET DIGITAL:

SPEAKERS MATCHMAKING LOUNGE

GRAND AUDITORIUM

THE FRENCH TOUCH: FORMATS SHOWCASE

GRAND AUDITORIUM

MIPFORMATS INTERNATIONAL PITCH Global Partner

GRAND AUDITORIUM

17.00-17.25

BIBIANE GODFROID, CEO IN CHARGE OF CONTENT, NEWEN GROUP AND CEO, CAPA AGENCY

17.30-17.55

MARIA KYRIACOU, PRESIDENT INTERNATIONAL, ITV STUDIOS

18.00-18.30

GARY CARTER, NON EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER, KLOK CREATIVE AGENCY MIPFORMATS OPENING COCKTAIL

JAPANESE FORMATS SHOWCASE

GRAND AUDITORIUM

TREASURE BOX JAPAN: WORLD PREMIERE – BRAND NEW FORMATS! Snack lunch and networking from 13.15 to 14.15, Verrière Grand Auditorium 14.15-14.45

GRAND AUDITORIUM

FRESH TV: FACTUAL ENTERTAINMENT & REALITY SHOWS 14.55-15.30

GRAND AUDITORIUM

PRIME TIME ENTERTAINMENT GETS MORE PHYSICAL: ‘NINJA WARRIOR’ AND ‘REAL MEN’ CASE STUDIES

THE MIPFORMATS KEYNOTE SERIES

AUDITORIUM A

SPOT THE TALENT:

INDIES AROUND THE WORLD AUDITORIUM A

EFFECTIVE CREATIVITY:

VERRIÈRE GRAND AUDITORIUM

LA NUIT DES FORMATS*

15.40-16.20

16.30-17.00

TRANSFORM YOUR IDEA INTO THE RIGHT SALE

17.10-17.50

Sponsored by Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation

MIPFormats thanks its Sponsors & Partners

AUDITORIUM K

11.00-12.15

Sponsored by The Nordics

From 20.30

10.20-10.50

THE BEST IDEAS

12.25-13.15

THE BUYERS’ MATCHMAKING #1

THE NORDIC FORMATS SCREENING

18.30-20.30

SPEAKERS MATCHMAKING LOUNGE

THE BUYERS’ MATCHMAKING #2

GRAND AUDITORIUM

Featuring C21’s in-depth report into the current format trends in three of the world’s leading markets 15.20-16.00

9.30-10.15

THE PRODUCERS TOOLBOX #3:

Sponsored by KOCCA Snack lunch and networking from 13.00 to 14.00, Verrière Grand Auditorium 14.30-15.10

AUDITORIUM K

BREAKFAST WITH ALL3MEDIA’S STUDIO LAMBERT

FRESH TV: ENTERTAINMENT & GAME SHOW PILOTS

GRAND AUDITORIUM

18.00-18.30

15.40-16.20

AUDITORIUM K

WHEN BRANDS CREATE ENTERTAINMENT FORMATS 16.30-17.00 AUDITORIUM K THE PRODUCERS’ TOOLBOX #4:

HOW TO WORK WITH INDIA, A NEW FORMATS PARADISE?

DIGITAL PLATFORMS: THE NEW DESTINATION FOR TV FORMAT HITS?

A night to celebrate the most entertaining formats !

WORLD PREMIERE - ‘THE LEGEND’

*The Formats Night

Presented by Global Agency

AUDITORIUM A

AUDITORIUM A

Premium Partner

Programme as of February 19, 2016. Subject to change.

Visit mipformats.com for regular updates.

11

Product News We highlight some of the formats from around the world for sale in Cannes FREMANTLEMEDIA TAKING inspiration from a competition

SMALL WORLD IFT LOS ANGELES - and London-based formats

run by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), FremantleMedia’s House Of The Year format features cutting-edge homes across the country.

The series includes interviews with the home owners and architects, with comment from experts who select a category winner at the end of each show. The finale brings together each of the category winners before a panel of expert judges who determine the outright winner. A 4 x 60 mins version of the format launched on UK’s Channel 4 in 2015. Football Nightmares, developed by FremantleMedia in conjunction with football legend Gianluca Vialli, sees two ex-professional players set out on a mission to restore the confidence and motivation of failing amateur football teams. With seven days to turn the team around, the two ex-football stars put the players through their paces, while off the pitch the club’s lifelong followers galvanise support from the local community. The Italian version of Football Nightmares features Gianluca Vialli, with his righthand man and ex-Rangers captain, Lorenzo Amoruso.

company Small World IFT debuts the interactive game show Crime Scene in Cannes.

Originally created by JTBC in South Korea — where it has been commissioned for a second season — Crime Scene is a studio-based mystery game show. Through a mixture of role play and race-against-time competition, six people are tasked with finding the real criminal.

The mystery unfolds in re-enacted crime scenes where the players discover various clues while one player — the real criminal — tries to mislead the others. If five contestants correctly identify the perpetrator they walk away with the prize. But if the criminal successfully deceives the rest of the group, it Crime Scene (Small World IFT) is he or she who takes home all the money.

House Of The Year (FremantleMedia)

KABO INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR Kabo International is

TRICON FILMS & TELEVISION CANADA’s Tricon Films & Television is

highlighting its primetime entertainment format Ciao Darwin in Cannes. Ciao Darwin (75 x 120 mins) — available as a 60- or 90-minute format — is produced by Italy’s R.T.I. Mediaset.

Each episode sees two competing teams of approximately 50 people, led by celebrity captains and made up of people who fit opposing stereotypes including men vs women, young vs old, Wall Street vs Main Street and fat vs thin. The contestants compete in acts of bravery, style and talent to win audience votes and therefore convincing them that they are fittest for the evolution of the human species. The seventh season is about to premiere in Italy.

showcasing three formats from its catalogue in Cannes. Hard Rock Medical (30 x 30 mins) follows eight first-year medical students as they confront a range of medical dilemmas and eccentric characters that they face while working in the incredible landscape of northern Canada. Food’s Greatest Hits (14 x 30 mins) is a narrated series that showcases three foods per episode that are held as special in the food world. Both funny and informative it illustrates everything you need to know about the chosen food, including its history and future potential. Humble Home Hunters (12 x 30 mins) features prospective home buyers who visit three dream homes, all ready to move into and affordable.

Ciao Darwin (Kabo International)

Hard Rock Medical (Tricon Films & Television)

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

12

Product News OHM:TV OHM:TV, based in Cologne, Germany, is offering a new format to international buyers in Cannes. Lifehunters, The Ultimate Expedition is a format that bridges online and traditional television. With a young and adventurous vibe to it, Lifehunters, The Ultimate Expedition — through an online platform — gives viewers the chance to submit challenges to the show’s hosts. The challenge that receives the most votes is the one undertaken. The challenges can be inspiring, funny and exciting, and may seem impossible. The hosts may need to conquer their fears and visit extreme places on earth, or meet bizarre people while pushing themselves to the limit. One example given by Dutch digital production company Lifehunters: starting in their own country the featured hosts must build their own submarine and try to become famous in Japan.

format where new artists are discovered by uploading a video to an open web page. The 100 most popular artists are then invited to perform in front of the A&R representatives from the country’s three biggest record labels. The 50 best artists from the showcase compete to be signed by one of the labels. Each label will at this point sign three artists, so a total of nine contestants go through to the final stage. The finalists perform live every week and the songs they sing in the show are released by Spotify immediately after their performance.

The number of streams achieved by their track on Spotify determines their ranking. Each week one contestant has to leave the competition until the most popular new artist remains.

RTE GLOBAL PLAY It By Year is a family entertainment

Lifehunters, The Ultimate Expedition (ohm:tv)

ZDF ENTERPRISES (ZDFE) GERMANY’s ZDFE is highlighting two formats from its slate in Cannes. Paula Unexpected is a 30-minute comedy format featuring 17-year-old Paula, who has searched for her biological father Oliver and eventually moves in with him. Oliver has always sought perfection, especially in his job as a chef, which resulted in a breakdown and six weeks in a clinic. Now, when he has time to re-arrange his life, along comes his teenage daughter and the chaos she brings with her. Also from ZDFE, the format Quiz Champion is a 150-minute programme that sees contestants compete with five experts in a general knowledge contest for the chance of winning half a million Euros and the title of Quiz Champion.

Paula Unexpected (ZDFE)

NORDIC WORLD THE STREAM is a new talent show

quiz format where three teams go headto-head in a time-travelling test of memory, teamwork and general knowledge, as they answer questions based on archive clips from news, game shows and talk shows. As they battle over nine rounds, two teams are eliminated. The remaining team plays against the clock to win the grand prize.

RTE Television and Format Farm teamed with Adare Productions for development and execution of Play It By Year.

Play It By Year (RTE Global) preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

13

Product News ARMOZA FORMATS ARMOZA Formats returns to Cannes with a slate of new shows, including Marry Me Now, a 60-minute format which each week features one determined woman who has had enough of waiting for a ring. She prepares her own wedding over a few days without the groom-to-be’s knowledge. On the third day she surprises her partner in her

wedding dress with an ambush proposal — if he says yes, they marry immediately. Another highlight is Local Heroes: Through The Fire, which tells the story of a city’s firefighters and paramedics, through their own eyes, as they face the challenges of working in one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.

J.O.K. FILMS SECRET Chef is a format originally broadcast on Spain’s ETB 2 and brought to Cannes by Bilbao-based producer and distributor J.O.K. Films.

The format follows a chef who is given a series of challenges in a particular town. The residents of the town make sure the chosen chef’s adventures in their neighbourhood are full of surprises. The Basquecountry company is also showcasing its new game-show format in Cannes. In Happymeter Experience, which is currently in production, the contestants evaluate their state of happiness, without the help of a coach or presenter — simply by answering the questions posed by the Happymeter, which aims to monitor their happiness and offer advice on how to increase it. Friends also give their opinions. Questions cover work, love, friendship, family, health and leisure.

Marry Me Now (Armoza Formats)

KESHET INTERNATIONAL ISRAEL-headquartered Keshet

ALL3MEDIA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR all3media International debuts Studio Lambert’s show The Big Life Fix in Cannes.

Commissioned by the UK’s BBC Two — and available as a format, The Big Life Fix brings together a team of makers, builders, engineers and technology experts to attempt to solve real-life problems using ingenious and intriguing scientific methods. Examples include the father who can’t read stories to his children because he’s lost the power of speech, a military amputee returning to work and a small village that wants to reconnect to a nearby big city. The Big Life Fix team employs clever, accessible science and technological solutions to the problems that include tips for viewers. When the people at the heart of the story experience these life-changing moments it can be a moving experience, combining scientific creativity with the feelgood factor.

International is bringing the Korean romantic comedy You Will Love Me (16 x 60 mins) to Cannes, both as a format and finished show. Produced by Korea’s Jidam, You Will Love Me follows a young girl with a secret. In real life Ji-Ho is inexperienced in love, but in the digital world she is a hugely popular romance guru called Dr Nova, whose

blog posts are followed by millions of people who have been unlucky in love and are looking for advice. Under her guise Ji-Ho advises hopefuls on how they can make themselves more attractive to the objects of their desire.

Dr Nova unknowingly begins a makeover of her geeky neighbour, which threatens to uncover her digital alter-ego.

You Will Love Me (Keshet International) preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

14

© Photo: Xxxx credit

Feature

Korea’s Grandpas Over Flowers, remade for the US as Better Late Than Never

THE GLOBAL MARKET

The

art of getting on air

The formats industry has grown from an exclusive club into a billion-dollar global industry, responsible for some of the biggest brands on the planet. But as the business has got bigger, so too has the challenge of getting your format on air, writes Andy Fry

T

HE FORMAT business is booming. But if you think it’s easy to get into, think again. “There are a lot more potential customers for formats than when we opened for business in 2005,” says Tim Crescenti, co-founder of format broker and distributor Small World IFT. “But getting a show from idea to screen isn’t getting any easier. It’s a tough and time-consuming process.”

One of Small World IFT’s early successes was introducing Danish producer Babyfoot’s I Survived A Japanese Gameshow to ABC in the US. “That show went on to win the Rose d’Or and was adapted into about 19

territories,” Crescenti says. “But today it would be much harder to get away. Buyers now want to see much more evidence of a format’s potential. That means pilots, promo sizzles,

“Buyers now want to see much more evidence of a format’s potential. That means pilots, promo sizzles, more attention to marketing…”

Tim Crescenti

more attention to marketing…”

While conditions vary territory by territory, this shift can extend the time it takes for a show to get signed off. And that can introduce problems. Crescenti adds: “If you asked me the biggest challenges in getting a format to screen, it would be these: that your champion at the network leaves, that business affairs loses interest and kills the deal, and that too many people get involved and forget what made the idea so good.”

For all these reasons, you have to really believe in a show before you devote too much time and energy to it. “We’ve just spent four years getting a Romanian singing-talent

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

15

Feature format called Mom Made Me A Star on to CBBC in the UK [where it is called Got What It Takes]. When I saw that, I knew there was a universal idea in it, because it looks at the relationship between talented kids and pushy parents. But it also has to be something you really want to make a personal investment in.”

So what additional factors can smooth a format’s journey? Crescenti, a former Sony and Fox exec, says contacts obviously help. And, in Small World IFT’s case, specialisation is a bonus: “We’ve developed a reputation for shows that ‘jump the wall’ from Asia into the West.

So that helped us bring a Thai format called The Fan to Sky in the UK and a Korean format called Grandpas Over Flowers to NBC in the US, where it’s being remade as Better Late Than Never.”

Jeremy Fox, CEO of distributor DRG, points to the importance of market research: “We went to China as part of a UK trade mission and met a lot of local producers,” he says. “It was a steep learning curve in terms of the rules for engaging the market. But the upshot is that we have seven shows on air and three more optioned. We had to be flexible with the

“It’s an absolute rule that we won’t take a format out until it has been renewed in its home market” Jeremy Fox

structure of the formats, but that enabled us to do deals on shows like Don’t Tell The Bride and When The Orchestra Came To Town.

We found the Chinese are especially keen on celebrities.”

DRG has done a number of format deals for shows including The Farm and This Is Your Life. However, Fox is careful not to over-emphasise the importance of the format business: “The return isn’t always as great as you think it’s going to be. We always send our sales people out with both finished shows and formats, scripted and non-scripted. And it’s an absolute rule that we won’t take a format out until it has been renewed in its home market. Otherwise we find buyers aren’t that interested.”

DRG is fortunate in having a regular pipeline

of shows from the production companies owned by its parent Modern Times Group (MTG). But unlike major format players such as Endemol or FremantleMedia, it does not have a global network of on-the-ground production companies. “For us, that means it’s important to find the right production partners in target territories,” Fox says. “If you choose the right partner, it gives you a better chance of getting in front of local broadcasters, which is what happened to us with This Is Your Life in France.”

Mike Beale, director of international formats at ITV Studios, oversees a strong slate of successful formats, including Come Dine With Me, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Hell’s Kitchen, Keeping The Nation Alive and The Chase. His assessment of the market echoes Crescenti and Fox’s: “Buyers are risk averse. They’re going back to classic titles with a track record [an example being the revival of ITV’s decade-old format Love Island]. Or in the case of newer titles, they want to see one, two or three series before they decide. For us, that means being patient.”

Game show The Chase, which has now been sold to 11 territories including the US,

Thai format The Fan preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

16

Feature Australia and Germany, is a case in point.

“The show rates very well on ITV in the UK. But before we even talked to buyers about the quiz mechanics, we had to build interest in the mythology of the show, which is all about ordinary contestants taking on quiz geniuses.

Once you’ve got them to buy into that Davidand-Goliath idea, you then need to spend time getting the casting right. And then you have to wait for a slot to come free. A couple of years go by very easily…”

Keshet International managing director Alon Shtruzman also emphasises the value of having a strong pipeline of ideas, since this encourages buyers to come in search of the format owner. “Our pipeline is very prolific because of the number of shows coming out of our broadcaster parent, Keshet,” he says.

“For us, an added advantage is that our formats have a ratings history in Israel before they get to the international market. That was true for Rising Star and is now the case for our new game show Who’s On Top?, the highest rating game show launch in Israel since 2010.”

Like DRG’s Fox, Shtruzman places emphasis on partner selection: “The viewer doesn’t care if your show was successful somewhere else. You need a partner that understands the

Red Arrow International’s Kiss Bang Love went to Australia’s Seven network in the early stages local sensibility of the market; that can tweak a show to make it relevant.”

While Shtruzman recognises the need for patience when trying to get a format away, he

believes innovation and originality are currently at a premium: “A lot of the big formats are losing momentum, so an opportunity is opening up for shows that are inventive and disruptive. We are getting a lot of interest in Master Class, a musical talent show where children sing classic songs and only get positive reviews and no eliminations.”

“Buyers are risk averse.

They’re going back to classic titles with a track record. Or in the case of newer titles, they want to see one, two or three series before they decide” Mike Beale

Keshet’s Rising Star

Henrik Pabst, managing director of Red Arrow International, says that risk-aversion and innovation are both present in the market — it just depends where you look. “We see a trend for broadcasters and producers to want a longer track record before they’ll take the leap into a new format. Usually, it’s the more traditional, larger markets where we have to preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

17

Feature be patient before going in to pitch, so timing is everything. As a distributor, we may look to place the finished tape for a format into a territory in order to prove that there’s local appeal for the show prior to going ahead and launching the format.”

More evidence of buyer caution is that “returning shows also continue to do well”, Pabst adds. He cites A League Of Their Own, which is now in its 10th series on Sky 1 in the UK and has also recently travelled to Denmark and Norway.

Having said this, “it is possible to skip the queue if the idea is strong”, Pabst says: “Kiss Bang Love selling to Seven in Australia is a good example of a show secured and in production ahead of any other international version transmitting. If the idea is strong, broadcasters and producers want to come on board at an early stage in the roll-out.”

Kiss Bang Love has also been picked up by ProSieben Germany, along with broadcasters in Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Finland. Meanwhile, another new Red Arrow show — The Day The Cash Came — has been licensed to Endemol Shine Australia for Seven Network, as well as to Belgium and the Netherlands. “For these formats, the challenge was getting across the ideas behind the shows before they were on air,” Pabst says. “That’s where working closely with production companies is vital, and having tape to demonstrate the ideas and tone.”

For Pabst, breaking on to the buyers’ radar needs a mix of surface glamour and substance: “With social experiments like Kiss Bang Love and The Day The Cash Came, the top line is noisy and loud, but the content is also compelling. It’s about getting across to buyers that what seems like an out-there idea is actually a show with strong storytelling, casting and drama at its heart — something that will keep viewers coming back.”

Focusing on quality is crucial, Pabst adds: “We only launch around five new key formats each market and we try to keep our catalogue streamlined with the strongest product. It’s not about bombarding buyers, but prioritising the best and focusing on building track record while maintaining quality and looking after the brand — something we did with Married At First Sight.”

The ultimate ambition of any format owner or broker is to get a show into as many territories as possible. But where do you start?

For Crescenti, the US and the UK are the

Real Men, now sold to eight-plus territories

“It’s about getting across to buyers that what seems like an out-there idea is actually a show with strong storytelling, casting and drama at its heart” Henrik Pabst

obvious places to target, since this will alert the format-buying world to a show’s potential.

DRG’s Fox agrees that the US can make a difference, “but one of our most successful formats is The Farm, which is doing great business across Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

We often find there’s a regional domino effect, meaning that success in one country will catch its neighbours’ attention.”

Shtruzman also believes a show can thrive without US or UK endorsement: “We have a show called When Do You Get Off, developed and produced in the UK for the UK. That is good for the roll-out. But our biggest hit to date is the talent show Rising Star, which broke into around 20 countries before the US. That has since been renewed in major

territories like Argentina and Brazil.”

In terms of trends, Beale sees continued demand for survival shows, with 10,000 BC an example from the ITV catalogue. “Buyers are interested in gritty, authentic shows, which is why you’ve seen demand for formats like The Island and Hunted. That said, there’s still room for glitzy shows like Love Island.”

Shtruzman also mentions survival shows, saying that Keshet International has a new title called Into The Amazon coming down the pipe. In addition, pranking shows are strong, with Final Knockout one of the titles coming to market with Keshet International.

At Red Arrow, health is also proving to be a strong area. An example, Pabst says, is Real Men, now sold to eight-plus territories, in which five regular guys embark on the ultimate health-transformation journey. Beale also cites a format called How To Lose Weight Well, which turned in a strong performance on Channel 4 UK. Not to be overlooked either, Beale adds, is the impact that scripted TV is having on the traditional format business. “Scripted is starting to encroach on slots that used to be reserved for entertainment,” he says. “That’s one more good reason why the format business really has to deliver quality shows.”

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

18

Feature

The Passion: the most successful live-event show ever on Dutch television

19

Feature

The next big thing …

THE FUTURE FOR FORMATS

Is the lack of a breakout format in recent years a sign of creative stagnation? Or is it simply a reflection of a market that no longer needs big things but a variety of smaller niche things to suit its smaller niche audiences? Joanna Stephens reports

T

HE HUNT for the Next Big Thing has been obsessing the formats industry since the discovery of the Last Big Thing — arguably Talpa’s The Voice or Keshet’s Rising Star in 2010 and 2013 respectively. All the usual suspects have been blamed for the format market’s lacklustre performance: lack of creativity, risk-averse broadcasters, digital disruption, the crash and burn of the traditional business models, too many successful format franchises clogging up the schedules, a me-too broadcast culture that no longer has the time or money to invest in development, or the patience to give shows time to take root and grow…

But actually, says Virginia Mouseler, managing director of global research agency The Wit, the real culprits are the viewers. “All over the world, from China to Argentina, TV audiences vote for talent shows,” she says. “They rule the market. The next big thing will only come when viewers reject the genres they now favour.”

The Voice, she points out, is still huge in China and the US. Meanwhile, X Factor, Idols and, in some markets, Rising Star continue to deliver strong — even growing — numbers.

“Most broadcasters have their talent show and they’re happy with that,” Mouseler adds.

“They don’t need the next big thing when they already have a big thing on air.”

What’s more, viewer taste tends to run to vanilla. Mouseler observes that all the big talent shows are essentially straightforward contests enhanced by simple drama mechanics.

Forget dressed-up versions full of “useless innovations” — audiences invariably prefer a show’s first incarnation: “Producers love inventing new twists. That’s their job and they have to try. But viewers generally favour the original formulas.”

Mouseler also suggests that the next big thing is essentially a marketing ploy — a label that will turbocharge sales and status if you can succeed

in attaching it to your show. Keshet used this device brilliantly when rolling out Rising Star, convincing the market that the show was a bestseller despite its limited traction at the time.

“The whole format licensing business was based until then on track record and the transfer of experience,” Mouseler says. “Keshet disrupted that model with Rising Star and opened the door to many new market entrants trying to sell unproven hits. That, in turn, increased the value of proven hit formats and reinforced the strength of long-lasting brands. And that helped prove that the formats business is a real IP-trading business, not only the licensing of ideas. So Keshet’s disruption took the format market to the next level.”

Most agree — Mouseler among them — that a lack of creativity is not the cause of the current mega-format famine. Phil Gurin, president and CEO of Emmy- and Rose d’Or-winning producer The Gurin Company, who also serves as co-chair of format protection association FRAPA, speaks for many when he says there’s no shortage of well-made reality, documentary, entertainment and game-show formats on the market. What’s more, people still want to watch them — just not in the numbers they once did.

This, for Gurin, is the crux: “I think the reason there hasn’t been a new ‘next big thing’ is

“Most broadcasters have their talent show and they’re happy with that.

They don’t need the next big thing when they already have a big thing on air” Virginia Mouseler

because the world works differently and consumes content differently. As creators, we’re competing for your eyeballs’ free time. With so many readily available distractions, the metrics of who’s watching what and where they’re watching it means the opportunity for some giant hit has been forever changed.”

Gurin does, however, point the finger at those buyers (“Not all, let’s be clear…”) that are “looking to keep their jobs and appear relevant” with something loud, cheap and splashy.

The result is “a vicious cycle of failure and panic, littering the landscape with stuff people just don’t want to watch. We’re creating a selffulfilling prophesy when we complain people aren’t watching television any more. We’re collectively not giving them a reason to watch.”

Then there’s the box-ticking, as producers strive to incorporate the latest trend — interactivity, second screen, a live element to entice viewers to watch in real time — into their shows. “I believe it’s magical thinking when people claim a great second-screen app or a live element will make their show mustsee TV,” Gurin says. As always, he adds, it’s “the big underlying idea” that makes a format great, “not bits of things thrown together to make a TV salad”.

But even worse, in Gurin’s view, is the tendency to throw money at ideas that have been designed to sound like a big thing but have a creative vacuum at their heart. “Viewers all over the world are smart,” he says. “They know when you’re bullshitting them.”

However, blinding audiences with the latest technology a trend that seems to have come and gone — at least at all3media. “There was a brief period when all new formats seemed to have a second-screen proposition bolted on,” says Nick Smith, the UK superindie’s senior vice-president of international format production. “Thankfully those days are over.

Now, second screen is only incorporated when

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

20

Feature it fits with, and adds to, a format.” He adds that some broadcasters are now actively nervous about shows that are reliant on an app: “Instead, they seem to be looking for formats with moments that can go viral, which will help market the show and encourage viewers to watch back on their catch-up services.”

K7’s Keri Lewis Brown: singing talent shows “could probably do with a short break”

The Wit’s Virginia Mouseler: talent shows “rule the market”

Eye2 Eye’s Jacco Doornbos: “The passion of Christ is the ultimate drama”

So what about genre? What’s in, what’s out and from which end of the creative spectrum is the next big thing likely to spring?

Keri Lewis Brown, managing director of media intelligence agency K7 Media, tips real-life dating, popular science and physical game shows as genres that “feel current right now”. Contradicting The Wit’s Mouseler, she says that singing talent shows “could probably do with a short break” — a view that is endorsed by all3media’s Smith: “Singing is out.

However, I’ve said that for the last few years and then a broadcaster somewhere commissions a new singing show…”

But for Ruth Wrigley, creative director of start-up indie Raconteur Associates, the industry’s obsession with pigeonholing is unhelpful. “At the end of the day, audiences don’t think in terms of genres,” she says. “They just want good programmes. That’s what they talk about and remember.” She points to Studio Lambert’s Gogglebox as an example of a format that defies genre classification — and, with 30-plus territories now under its belt, has hardly suffered as a consequence.

Formerly head of all3media entertainment and formats, Wrigley launched Raconteur with ex-BBC Worldwide talent chief William Miller in December to develop high-end nonscripted programming and formats for the UK and international markets. Raconteur’s model is to retain the IP while working with third-party production companies and broadcasters to deliver innovative content of scale.

By January, it had already signed its first outlook deal with BBC Worldwide.

Wrigley believes the next breakout format will be cross-genre and “naturally embrace” technology to allow viewers to interact with, drive and embed themselves in the gameplay and narrative. “I’ve become gripped by the work I’m doing in this area with a couple of big ideas,” she adds.

Wrigley is also excited by the possibilities offered by mixing and matching genres to create new hybrids. ‘Dramality’, in which structured reality meets factual entertainment, is a currently hot example. “It’s still relatively new and seems to be the genre that everybody wants,” she adds. “Event TV is also

becoming more important. Look at what I’m A Celebrity… did for ITV’s figures and audience profile.”

It has been suggested — notably by K7 Media’s Lewis Brown — that the dearth of mega-formats in recent years is a natural consequence of market evolution and, as such, no bad thing.

The argument goes that, in today’s frantic, fractured media environment, most broadcasters no longer require tent-pole entertainment shows that appeal across demographics because they no longer have audiences large enough to justify the investment.

Wrigley disagrees: “I don’t agree that the broader TV landscape is the reason for no standout formats. I just think commissioners have stopped talking risks. Anything new or different seems to either scare them off of they just don’t get it… But I do sense a change coming as the need for something new grows.

Previously cautious broadcasters are starting to realise they are going to have to take a punt on something a bit bonkers or they’ll get left behind.”

Something “a bit bonkers” could possibly describe Eye2Eye Media’s The Passion, the most successful live-event show ever on Dutch television. Recently commissioned by Fox in the US and now also in development with an asyet unnamed German broadcaster, the multimedia-format-come-cultural-event is a reinterpretation of the last hours of Christ.

Well-known singers, actors and celebrities tell the biblical story in various locations throughout a city, using secular pop songs and performance skills. Meanwhile, a 1,000-strong public procession follows a giant illuminated cross through the streets. The event comes to a dramatic climax when the cross reaches the main stage, where the conviction and death of Jesus is played out in front of crowds of 20,000 or more — plus, in 2015, a massive 46.2% share of the Dutch television audience.

The Passion, repped by Nordic World, not only packs a powerful emotional punch, but it also responds to the demand for live experiences that entice audiences to watch content in real time. It is also, insists its creator and executive producer Jacco Doornbos, “absolutely not an exclusively Christian event, but a national experience that unifies and connects people of all races and religions”. He adds: “The passion of Christ is the ultimate drama.

It has all the elements — love, hate, betrayal, friendship, grief, hope, redemption... There was never a doubt in my mind that it would

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

21

Feature All3media’s Nick Smith: “The world has just moved on”

“Singing is out. However, I’ve said that for the last few years and then a broadcaster somewhere commissions a new singing show…”

Nick Smith

work on television. My only worry was whether the audience was ready to look at a biblical story from a new, modern-day perspective. My feeling was that people would either love it or hate it, but at least it would attract attention.”

Then there was the question of whether Holland’s broadcasters were ready for something so different. Doornbos created the format in 2008, but it took him three years to get it commissioned. It eventually debuted in 2011 on public-service channel NPO3, aired by broadcasters EO and KRO. The show’s first outing attracted 1.1 million viewers; by 2015, that number had soared to 3.5 million.

Doornbos believes The Passion’s success is part of a wider trend towards “urgent, unifying, not-to-be-missed TV events that are founded in great storytelling”. The trouble with such daring concepts, however, is that they require brave broadcasters willing to spend time and money on development. “And there aren’t many of those around in this day and age,” Doornbos says.

K7’s Lewis Brown agrees that engaging viewers in real time will become increasingly

The Gurin Company’s Phil Gurin: still about “the big underlying idea”

important as traditional TV competes with other platforms. “But formats don’t have to be live,” she adds. “Both Bake Off and The Apprentice manage to be event TV without being live.”

She also echoes Doornbos’ views on development, noting that the all-time greats took years to perfect. “Famously, the sound alone on Big Brother was worked on for two years,” she says. Now, however, the pressure to feed the global distribution pipeline is so intense that titles are taken to market half-cooked.

A better strategy, Lewis Brown suggests, is to allow a format to test itself on air before rolling it out internationally. Channel 4 UK’s Gogglebox and First Dates are good examples of this approach: “Both are doing very well international but neither was a hit when they first launched.”

But as successful as Gogglebox and First Dates are proving, Lewis Brown makes the point that “you wouldn’t call either of them the next big thing” — just very good medium-sized things that answer the market’s demand for more variety and less risk. As a K7 blog put it last year: “As audiences become more fragmented and niche, the need for all-consuming super-formats that hit across all demographics becomes harder — and less important — to achieve.”

All3media’s Smith is another who believes that the days of the next big thing may be over. “I’m not sure we’ll see a format hit the levels of the superformats of 10 years ago,” he says. “But I don’t think for one second that means the death of the formats industry. There are still plenty of new format hits — Gogglebox is now in 35 territories. The world has just moved on.”

Phil Gurin calls standout formats “unicorns” — creatures that the television industry desperately wants but can’t magic up at will. But that’s no reason to be pessimistic, he insists: “I’m completely positive about the future of our business and absolutely believe that the next big thing is just around the corner — as long as we modify our expectations of just how big that next big thing must be.”

WORDS OF ADVICE Virginia Mouseler: “Stop searching for something original. Search for something universal, evident, simple.

And stop twisting existing formats.

De-twist, please!”

Phil Gurin: “Everything is in and everything is out. Create what you love and try to make what you would want to watch. Ignore the rules.

Remember why you became a creative person in the first place.”

Ruth Wrigley: “I see lots of formats that claim to be the ‘next big thing’ because of the commercial opportunities. But I always say, ‘But what’s actually going to be on the telly?’ Because if a show doesn’t work for the audience, the rest isn’t going work either.”

Keri Lewis Brown: “Research your market properly. You’d be amazed how many people pitch a show to a channel that already has something similar.”

Nick Smith: “The next format hit could come from anywhere. But it will still be the case for the foreseeable future that, until a format has been successfully adapted in the UK or the US, it will not be classified as a bonafide hit.”

Raconteur’s William Miller and Ruth Wrigley: “Commissioners have stopped talking risks”

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

22

Feature Talpa’s Dance, Dance, Dance

DIGITAL EXPLOITATION

A exible approach

to formats The formats industry, like every other, is undergoing digital disruption. Shows have long been migrating from mainstream TV to apps, online video and other digital platforms. Now, writes Andy Fry, the internet could be acting as a nursery slope for the next generation of linear formats

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

23

Feature

T

V IS the medium that makes or breaks factual and entertainment formats. But if it is the only platform on which your show is available, you are missing an opportunity, says Maarten Meijs, managing director of Talpa Global: “Why would you only focus on TV when so much of the audience is connected 24/7 to mobile devices? Big brands like Coca-Cola are active on all platforms and entertainment formats should be too.”

Talpa Global has what Meijs calls “a oneproduct philosophy”. He explains: “We develop shows that appeal to the traditional viewer sitting on the couch with their remote control. But we also have digital extensions that allow viewers, mainly millennials, to connect, share and support. For us, digital is always embedded in the content creation process. It’s never bolted on at the end.”

The best example of this is Talpa’s global singing sensation The Voice, which has 60 million Facebook fans, 12 million Twitter followers and 100 channels on YouTube.

“The whole social and online profile of that show is designed to make the audience feel connected with the talent, the coaches and the music,” Meijs says.

Other Talpa shows that are utilising connectivity and interaction include Dance Dance Dance, Utopia, The Winner Takes It All and The Big Picture. “In The Winner Takes It All, there is a real-time voting app that allows people at home to vote for acts on TV and see how their support is affecting the result,” Meijs says. “The Big Picture, meanwhile, is a studio game show set up so that people can play along in real-time

at home and compete for prizes. The conversion rate on that has been amazing. In the Netherlands, 80% of app users played along. In Portugal, 20% of the total viewership downloaded the app to play along.”

In the Netherlands Talpa launched a Dance, Dance, Dance app that enables viewers to see behind the scenes on their phone or tablet while the show airs — including the judges’ reactions while the performance is happening. The company also added an augmented reality tool that with which viewers can create their own Dance, Dance, Dance performances at home, with the set and visuals from the series as the background. Meijs says that such tools are there to turn “linear TV into live events”.

The primary rationale for digital engagement, Meijs adds, is to make shows indispensible to fans and, by association, broadcasters. “The big win is to get your production renewed. So anything that can increase the stickiness of your show while it is on air — or between episodes — has got to be a benefit.”

An interesting example that supports Meijs’ point is the most recent series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! on commercial broadcaster ITV UK. For the first time, ITV introduced an app that allowed the audience to vote for free (either to evict people from the jungle or to get them to do trials). The result was a record response.

During the series, 2.7 million voters placed a total of 57.5 million votes for free via the app.

In the final, 9.6 million votes were cast — a figure that ITV claims is the biggest in-app vote result in the UK ever.

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

24

Feature The Big Picture (Talpa)

POWER IN THEIR HANDS

The decision to go with a free voting app meant giving up a potential paid-for revenue stream. But it opened the gateway to numerous forms of engagement in the shape of polls, quizzes and prediction games. It also offered gossip, photos and videos from the show, and the ability to share content across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Not only did this add to the show’s immersive qualities, but it also meant that the new sponsor, Aunt Bessie’s, was able to create in-app advertising and engage in social-media activity. So while one revenue stream was sacrificed, another was supported.

According to Meijs, producers and broadcasters need to make a show-by-show decision about how to monetise their digital activities. But the cardinal rule is to ensure that

Talpa’s Maarten Meijs: “a one-product philosophy”

“For us, digital is always embedded in the content creation process. It’s never bolted on at the end” Maarten Meijs these activities don’t alienate the audience from the TV show. “In fact, the ideal situation is to work with sponsors to make the overall experience more innovative and exciting for the audience. That’s how we work with Philips on The Voice, for example.”

Israel’s Armoza Formats is another company that has placed a strong emphasis on the digital dimension of its shows. Company CEO Avi Armoza agrees with Meijs that integrated interactivity has a key part to play in audience loyalty and retention. “Of course, you can add elements of interactivity to an existing format, but the most successful interactive shows are the ones where it is part of the programme’s DNA, conceived from the beginning,” he says.

“Interactivity should be seen as added value that further engages viewers with the content. Broadcasters are currently in a situation whereby they are losing younger viewers, and this is a way to maintain or bring them back.”

Armoza’s lead interactive format is The People’s Choice, a studio entertainment show where “the viewers are the game”. In simple terms, contestants are presented with a list of either/or dilemmas based on current or trending topics. They are then asked to guess how

THE SINGER Takes It All is an interactive music talent show created

by Endemol for Channel 4 UK. Wannabe singers, known as hopefuls, upload a 40-second clip of themselves singing to the show’s app. Other app users can then vote them a hit or a miss. If a hopeful gets enough hits, they are invited on to a live TV show to perform on a catwalk-like stage.

This performance is also judged in real time by app users. Meanwhile, the catwalk functions like a two-way conveyor belt. If app users vote hit, the contestant is propelled forward into a “gold zone”, where they stand a chance of winning a cash prize. If they vote miss, the contestant moves backwards and disappears off the stage. The voting begins just before the performance and continues throughout, so it is possible to see a contestant move forwards and backwards depending on the audience’s changing mood.

Channel 4’s multiplatform commissioning editor for entertainment and comedy, Jody Smith, says: “We’ve invented a brand new way of voting that gives viewers control over what they’re watching in a way that no other show has dared.

The Singer Takes It All is a massive step for second screen and social viewing. The show just couldn’t exist without the audience’s involvement.” the audience at home would respond to the same dilemmas based on information provided by the studio audience. “The show translates the essential experience of social media to a live weekly TV event,” Armoza says. “By allowing the viewers to generate elements of the show’s content, the show provides the instant validation that has virtually become an inherent need for most of us. Not only that, but anyone who plays has the chance to win cash prizes.”

One of the challenges with connected formats is that they need to be capable of functioning across territories. Not all countries have the same digital profile or penetration. And the level of in-house technical expertise varies

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

25

Feature The People’s Choice (Armoza Formats)

Avi Armoza: “the viewers are the game”. from channel to channel. The People’s Choice, for example, has aired on Turkey’s ATV and is set to air on Brazil’s Globo — two very distinct markets. The answer, Armoza says, is to provide options: “With The People’s Choice, broadcasters can build the digital architecture themselves, but we also provide a fully developed solution for broadcasters who prefer to take the existing technological capability.”

Of course, getting the digital piece right can be daunting for companies that are working 24/7 to get their shows on air. Red Arrow Entertainment’s response has been to set up Ripple Entertainment, a dedicated digital division in Los Angeles. The company’s CEO is Gayle Gilman, previously executive vice-president of digital content at FremantleMedia North America, where she launched the digital studio Tiny Riot. “Ripple has two main areas of activity,” Gilman says. “Firstly, we are creating original video content for digital platforms in the form of multi-channel networks [MCNs]. Secondly, we are working with Red Arrow’s production companies on their own digital-content strategies. A lot of producers don’t have the time and resources to explore this area properly, which is where a dedicated unit comes in.”

Echoing Meijs, Gilman says the latter part of the remit is primarily about supporting and enhancing TV brands: “A lot of Red Arrow’s producers are creating great video content for TV. So we want to see how some of that can play a role in building the brand by being used as social and sharable video.”

In her previous role at Tiny Riot, Gilman was involved in an interesting project that involved reinventing classic FremantleMedia for mats for the company ’s YouTube

channel Buzzr, examples being Beat The Clock, Password and Body Language. This process involved taking the core of the idea and dressing it up in a way that appealed to the YouTube generation. Typically, Gilman says, the new-look formats came in at eight to 18 minutes in length.

This begs the question of whether platforms like YouTube could be used to invent new formats for TV, acting as a kind of nursery slope? Gilman says it’s possible, but she stresses that “the more likely scenario is formats that evolve out of behaviour. The way

this world works is that someone posts a video, like a Burrito Eating Challenge, and it goes viral. At this point you can start to see the basis of a coherent format start to emerge. If you want to see that in action, you don’t need to look further than pranking.

That’s a formattable genre that blew up on YouTube and is now the subject of numerous TV shows.”

As a new-media specialist, Gilman’s starting position is very different from most format producers. But the good news is that she is convinced that TV will continue to play a central role in the format business. “TV is not dead, it’s just different. Producers and broadcasters just have to understand where the audience is and what it takes to connect with them.”

In terms of exciting future developments, Talpa’s Meijs says virtual reality and holograms have the potential to add excitement to the TV entertainment industry, though he is wary about shows putting the technology ahead of the idea.

Avi Armoza agrees: “The industry is still working on this and has yet to get the right balance of engaging the viewers with a combination of the correct content, the most relevant form of interaction and sufficient monetisation for the broadcasters.”

THINKING SMARTER I AM SMARTER Than…, a pilot quiz format that appeared on the BBC’s online channel BBC Taster, is good example of how the internet can act as a test ground for format ideas.

The formula is technically quite complex but simple to use. Users choose a category of questions — comedy, music, soaps — and then play against one of a number of possible celebrities. The celebrities have been asked all the questions in advance and filmed answering them. They have also been filmed once they know whether they got an answer right or wrong. In addition, they have been filmed as if their opponent has got each question right or wrong. This means that all possible variants of celebrity response can be used during the course of the game. The result is that users becomes emotionally engaged because it feels as though they really are playing in real time against the celebrity.

Explaining the process via a blog, format development producers Jenny Springett and Aniello De Santi said they developed the project based on the capabilities of a piece of software called Interlude. “We upload our footage in chunks and Interlude lets us link these chunks to several others: which video follows the one you’re currently watching depends on the answers you pick. It does all this seamlessly. We created quite a complex tree of links but it gave us the ability to show the celebs reacting in real time to how well you’re doing,” De Santi says.

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

26

Tips & Services

Welcome to MIPFormats!

Thank you for attending the show this year. There is much to think about to be fully prepared for this exciting edition, so we’ve designed this tips & services section to help you make the most out of MIPFormats

To ensure you start off on the right foot, please refer to our Quick Checklist

Inside

1• USEFUL TIPS Things to do before the Show O Have you prepared your transportation?

Have you arranged your transfer to Cannes?

O Have you booked your accommodation?

If not, book now at www.miptv.b-network. com and choose from a wide selection of hotels and apartments at special rates

O Have you connected to the Online Database on Mymip to find out in advance who else is attending the show, to set up meetings and discover projects?

before the show to save time on your badge collection at Registration

GETTING TO MIPFormats

O Have you checked the full show

programme of MIPFormats screenings, events, matchmaking, keynote and networking sessions not to be missed?

Find answers to all these questions on the following tips & services section. For more details please refer to my-mip.com

O Remember to print out your e-ticket

GETTING TO THE FRENCH RIVIERA

2• SERVICES CLUBS & CONFERENCE ROOMS FACILITIES

3• 1 BADGE / 2 EVENTS

1• USEFUL TIPS

SPECIAL OFFERS

GETTING TO THE FRENCH RIVIERA

BY AIR The nearest airport is Nice Côte d’Azur International (NCE), which provides direct flights to many cities around the world.

Promotion code (Air France and KLM): 27053AF www.airfranceklm-globalmeetings.com

Nice airport benefits Present your MIPTV badge to benefit from a 10 % discount in the Nice airport stores.

TAXI

For more information visit www.my.mip.com

BUS FROM THE AIRPORT You have several options for bus travel. Tickets must be bought beforehand.

Discover a variety of exclusive offers in and around Cannes, selected by our partner cannesi-get.com (spas, restaurants, golf and more).

For more information go to: my-mip.com/cannes-offers

BY TRAIN The Cannes train station is a short walk away from the Palais des Festivals.

T: +33 (0)8 92 35 35 35 www.tgv-europe.com

GETTING TO MIPFormats T: +33 (0)4 93 99 27 27 or book online: www.taxi-cannes.net/en/reservation

Where to get tickets: Desk at Terminal 1: outside arrivals, Gate A0.

Opening hours: 8.00 – 23.00 Desk at Terminal 2: outside arrivals, between gates A1 and A2. Opening hours: 8.00 – 24.00 • The Nice AirportXpress line to Cannes (bus N°210) goes to and from Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport and the Cannes bus station via Le Cannet everyday from 8.00 to 20.00 every 30 minutes.

Journey takes 50 minutes.

A one-way ticket costs €22 and a return ticket costs €33.

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

27

Tips & Services Where to catch it: Terminal 1: gate A0, platform 3 Terminal 2: between gates A1 and A2, platform 3

UPON YOUR ARRIVAL USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT CANNES

• Bus N°200 also goes to Cannes from Monday to Saturday at 20.45 and 21.55.

Where to catch it: Terminal 1: platform 3

The Palais des Festivals is on the seafront at the end of the famous Croisette. It is clearly signposted throughout Cannes.

To get to the Nice train station from the airport, go to Terminal 1, gate 6, take bus 23, direction Vallon des Fleurs (€1,50). Buses depart every 5 to 12 minutes.

Disembark at Gare SNCF Saint Augustin (second stop). The station is just a few meters walk. Trains for Cannes depart every 30 minutes.

A one-way ticket costs from €5,90.

Book your train tickets at www.tgv-europe.com or by calling +33 (0)8 92 35 35 35

Address: Palais des Festivals Esplanade Georges Pompidou 06400 Cannes Country dialling code: +33 Time zone: GMT +1 Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50 Hz. Round two-pin plugs are standard Measurement system: Metric Currency: Euro.

Security measures for MIPFormats: Please be informed that bag checks will be undertaken at the entrances to the zone. If you have suitcases or other luggage with you, you will be requested to leave them at our complimentary left luggage facilities.

Thank you for your assistance. These measures are installed in accordance with French government’s Plan Vigipirate security regulations.

CAR RENTAL

YOUR MIPFORMATS BADGE

If you wish to rent a car, our official partner Sixt Rent a Car can provide you with preferential rates.

Promotion Code (up to 10% discount): 9963828* T: +33 (0)1 44 38 55 55 www.sixt.com

Access MIPFormats with your specific MIPFormats badge.

Your badge is your primary means of identification during the market. It provides access to the conference sessions and networking events during opening hours.

Please carry it at all times, and be ready to show it at entry points and security checks around the area.

Do not exchange your badge with anyone. Even if your photo does not appear on the badge, it will appear on security guards’ monitors when they scan it. Shared badges will be confiscated and not returned.

• Noctam’Bus N°200 will get you to Cannes in the evenings. It is available Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and travels from 23.30 to 4.10 every hour and a half.

Where to catch it: Terminal 1: platform 3 TRAIN FROM THE AIRPORT

*Please note that this reduction is subject to availability.

HELICOPTER Our official partner Azur Helicoptère operates regular 7-min flights between Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport and Cannes. A shuttle takes you from the Cannes heliport to your destination.

Show participants benefit from a negotiated rate of €160 per person.

T: +33 (0)4 93 90 40 70 www.azurhelico.com / info@azurhelico.com

BADGE COLLECTION Registration Croisette 21 Opening hours

PRIVATE TRANSFERS For short or long trips, from 1 to 8 people, rent a private car with driver and save over 20% with our official partner Chabé.

Airport shuttles from Nice to Cannes: €120 (sedan) or €140 (luxury van – up to 8 pax) Evening offer* (4 hours): €340 *For quotes and bookings, visit www.chabe-limousines.com/en/events/miptv For more information: riviera@chabe-grandsud.com T: +33 (0)4 93 43 90 91

• Saturday 2 April: 9.00-19.00 • Sunday 3 April: 8.00-19.00

MIPFORMATS OPENING HOURS • Saturday 2 April: 9.30-19.00 • Sunday 3 April: 8.30-19.00 PLAN YOUR SHOW BE SURE YOUR SCHEDULE IS SET

• Increase your own visibility by completing your company and personal profiles • Showcase and identify projects of interest • Schedule and plan meetings • Select the conferences and events you want to attend EVENTS FOR ALL DELEGATES • Snack & Screen K-Formats: In association with What’s trending in South Korea?

Saturday 2 April, 12.20-14.00 Auditorium A Snack Lunch, Verrière Grand Auditorium • MIPFormats Opening Cocktail In association with Saturday 2 April, 18.30-20.30 Verrière Grand Auditorium • La nuit des Formats Saturday 2 April from 20.30 Grand Auditorium • Breakfast & Screen Sunday 3 April, 8.40-9.10 Auditorium A

In association with

• Snack & Screen: Japanese Formats Showcase

In association with

Treasure Box Japan: World Premiere – Brand New formats!

Sunday 3 April, 12.25-14.15 Grand Auditorium

2• SERVICES LOUNGE, CONFERENCE & CONTENT ZONES MIPFormats LOUNGE

In association with

Palais 3 Open to all participants.

CONFERENCE ROOMS Grand Auditorium: Palais 1 Audi A: Palais 3 Audi K: Palais 4 SCREENINGS LIBRARY Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez For factual and documentary programming.

Access for MIPFORMATS buyers with badge.

FACILITIES

Make appointments and contacts before arrival.

COFFEE BAR

SHUTTLES TO OUR PARTNER HOTELS

Pro tip: Connect to the Online Database, the best way to schedule meetings in advance!

Verrière Grand Auditorium Complimentery service.

MIPFormats offers you free shuttle service to and from our partner hotels if you are staying outside Cannes during the market. Timetable available on my-mip.com.

Visit my-mip.com/my-database to: • Identify and contact the right people to meet among all attendees

INFORMATION POINT Palais 3

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

28

Tips & Services BUSINESS CENTRE

3• 1 BADGE / 2 EVENTS

Palais 3 Self service computers and Internet plugs.

LEFT LUGGAGE A left-luggage service is available on the main concourse along the seafront. Open from Saturday 2 April at 8.00.

Your MIPFormats badge gives access to the MIPDoc conferences as well as for MIPFormats buyers to the MIPDoc Screenings Library. The MIPDoc screenings Library is located at the Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez.

MIPFORMATS SELLERS

SCREENINGS LIBRARY

CLOAKROOM A cloakroom for coats and small bags is located at the entrance to MIPformats Palais 1.

CONNECTIVITY Free Wi-Fi is available in the Palais des Festivals during MIPFormats on the “Palais des Festival Wi-Fi” network. You can connect one device at a time.

Password: use the badge number on the bottom right corner under the barcode. You can review a list of the programmes & projects you have screened during the event. This list is available at the dedicated stations in the Delegates Lounge. It will be sent to your mail box (if you have filled it in in the contract) at the end of each day.

Access the unique Screenings Library of international Factual and Documentary programming including Reality and Lifestyle categories.

All “Co-production projects seeking funding” are now included in the MIPDoc Screenings Library.

Receive the list of the buyers who screened your programmes/projects at the end of each day by email. If you wish to check on-site your buyer’s list, please log in to the dedicated stations in the MIPDoc Delegates Lounge with the login & password indicated on your badge: Login: use the 6 digits displayed on the top left corner after @ Password: use the badge number on the bottom right corner under the barcode. This list will also be sent to your mail box (if you have filled it in the contract) at the end of each day.

SCREENING HOURS • Saturday, 2 April: 8.30 -19.00 • Sunday 3 April: 8.30 -19.00 MIPFORMATS BUYERS Log in to the Screenings Library with the login & password indicated on your badge: Login: use the 6 digits displayed on the top left corner after @

Important: At MIPTV, final lists of buyers who have screened your programmes and/or projects during MIPDoc and Programme/project lists for buyers will be available by request at the Palais des Festivals (Help Desk – Palais 0).

Sea

Beach

MIPTV shuttle

2UJDQLVHUťV 2ƢFH & Protocol

Port

MIPFormats Registration

Access to MIPFormats

Press Club

La Croisette

Sponsored by

10

min

Carlton Hotel

Majestic Hotel La C roise t

13

min

The Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez

te

Train Station

preview magazine I March 2016 I www.mipformats.com

MIP *

formats

You are invited to the

MIPFORMATS OPENING PARTY Saturday 2 April 2016

Verrière Grand Auditorium – 18.30-20.30

In association with