Mipformat 2018 preview magazine

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PREVIEW March 2018 www.mipformats.com 069 COUV_A+E NETWORKS_PV_FORMATS

FORMAGINATION AT MIPFORMATS THE INTERNATIONAL FORMAT PITCHLive: 194 Trim: 230 ARMOZA

KEYNOTE SPEAKER THE BBC’S KATE PHILLIPS

KEYNOTE SPEAKER C4’S ALEX MAHON

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New Reality Formats

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U S I N G T H E P O W E R O F B I G D ATA T O C RAC K T H E CO D E TO LOV E

CONTENTS

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Formagination at MIPFormats – The International Format Pitch; MIPFormats keynote speakers; What formats buyers want; and more...

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13 PRODUCT NEWS

Formats for sale from around the world, at MIPFormats and onwards at MIPTV

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FEATURES

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16 The next big thing

Where’s the next hit coming from?

23 New players, new rules

New funding models for formats

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CONFERENCES & EVENTS PROGRAMME YOUR MIPFORMATS EXPERIENCE

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW •

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From the creators of the award winning Stupid Man Smart Phone

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news

Cash on offer for creatives who show Formagination FORMAGINATION at MIPFormats – The International Format Pitch, is open to creators and producers to present their new and original, non-scripted entertainment formats.

Formagination, Armoza Formats’ long-running formats competition, has teamed up with the MIPFormats International Pitch to bring the best of both events together to find the next wave of international talent in this genre.

“At Armoza Formats, we believe that creativity is the key to success in our industry,” said the Israeli company’s founder and CEO Avi Armoza. “Our hope is to find creative ideas and real creative partners with whom we will be able to fully develop their pitch into a format. This was a key point of success in Formagination throughout its seven years.”

Armoza Formats is offering $5,000 — and up to $20,000 in development funding — to the winning pitch to boost the production of

DJ Khaled, one of the panelists from US version of The Final Four that was just commissioned for a second season

a pilot. Five finalists have been selected from a competition to which entrants submitted a two-minute video pitch and then participated in a Skype interview with Armoza Formats executives. Selection criteria included creativity, originality, innovation and the capacity to return for multiple series.

“After a very exciting year with the launch and premiere of The Final Four, our primetime singing competition in the US on Fox and in Russia on CTC, we are continuing to cherry-pick new ideas that will attract audiences and have the potential to win the night,” Armoza said.

“By focusing on fresh storytelling and looking for formats that have a 360 philosophy and a potential for presence on all platforms, we believe that what we bring to MPTV will reflect the current trends in the industry. From this point of view, we are proud to partner with a British company on a format like Rage Room, the disruptive new format that will reinvent studio entertainment shows.” The final five can be seen at www.mipformats.com.

CONFERENCES & EVENTS AT MIPFORMATS

The International Format Pitch is in the Debussy at 14.15 on Saturday, April 7

Nordic formats are ‘one step ahead’ THE NORDIC Formats Showcase takes place once again during MIPFormats. Curated by Jan Salling, CEO of Denmark-based Missing Link Media and co-chair of FRAPA, the event will highlight new trends from the Nordic region, which, according to Salling, has been “a creative hotspot” for decades.

“The industry is changing faster here, due to our well-educated audiences and first-mover attitude towards new technology,” Salling said. “We are also the place in the world with the best and most widely distributed broadband. If you pool all these facts together with some great creativity you will find fresh and new ideas, formats and business-models, which

might just be one step ahead of the rest of the market.”

Salling said that in Norway online media spending exceeded TV and other media spending. “The old clients are changing their ways and many new clients have come,” he said. “Telcoms, retailers, NGO’s and in particular the FAANGS — Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google and Snapchat — are the new hot clients. Only those who are willing and able to adapt to the new-media reality will survive.”

The Nordics are always ahead, when it comes to creativity too, according to Salling. “Survivor found its first home in the Nordics, and lately we have a new twist on dating shows like Married At MIPFORMATS PREVIEW •

First Sight, Kiss, Bang, Love and new format, Beat Your Teenager, where family conflicts meet esport. He added: “The international market has always been interested in ideas from the Nordics — the same trends might just be the next thing their local clients ask for.”

CONFERENCES & EVENTS AT MIPFORMATS

The Nordic Formats Showcase is at 14.30 in the Esterel on Sunday, April 8

Jan Salling: “The international market has always been interested in ideas from the Nordics”

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neWS: MIPFORMATS BUYERS

Formats buyers want original content in a changing world BUYERS and commissioners of unscripted entertainment programming are at MIPFormats and MIPTV looking for new ideas in a rapidly changing business.

Pelin Akat, regional programming consultant at Greece’s Antenna Group, summed-up the plight of the buyer: “Instead of rip-offs or pieces of ideas, I am looking forward to seeing a format that has been fully, creatively worked on — scripted and unscripted.

We are all looking for the same.

We are all looking for the new and next big thing.”

TV viewing is changing, Akat said, and the product has to change with it. “The devices capable of screening videos, the non-linear viewing platforms online, and social media platforms, bring the viewers multiple options. That’s why understanding these changes and being able to predict what will happen in a few years’ time is very important for all of us.

There is a high demand for for-

mats and high expectations for new formats every year; but the new formats have to be more creative and more innovative.” She added: “Over the years big brother made a major change in the TV industry, and then came the talent shows, singing and dance competitions, game shows, quiz shows, dating formats, and scripted reality formats. Many genres repeated themselves, and not as many new creative ideas have come emerged as we expected.”

Anette Romer, head of acquisitions and formats at commercials-funded public broadcaster TV2 Denmark, echoes Akat’s point. “Programme trends remain much the same and the themes are stable. There are many individual takes, but the original twists are few and far between,” she said, adding: “The major change in our industry is the widespread consolidation of the production companies and distributors. We have adjusted our focus to source

formats from independent players as distributors who own local production houses pitch directly to our commissioning team.”

MIPTV 2018 marks Akat’s 40th Cannes TV market. “Twenty years in a row, non-stop, and I haven’t missed one. And as always, I will be searching for the best formats and programmes.” Programmes that “touch the audience’s hearts, because the viewers at home are very aware of what ıs real and what ıs fake in this multi-option industry.”

She lists Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds, All Together Now, Family Food Fight, Love Island and Golden Brain as formats that have caught her attention recently. “The channel’s revenue mainly comes from primetime, so that’s why our main attention is primetime. I am mainly looking for daytime, access primetime and primetime shows for each territory.”

For Romer, her buying brief has “remained quite stable. We need

big shiny-floor entertainment for the weekend and our viewers are still eager to be entertained by factual programming with takeout tips, be it concrete life hacks, health, parenting and so on.” She added: “We have recently tried our hands at reality, for example with The Farm, which went well. Most remarkable is possibly the fact that we are taking over X-Factor from a competing channel. The rationale behind our decision is the scarcity of campfire titles and the continuing popularity of this show.”

And in spite of her concerns about a lack of originality in the marketplace, Romer is very happy with what she found at MIPTV in 2017. “We had a great market last spring and picked up the Belgian format Greetings From (Lecter Media) as well as Taskmaster from Avalon (UK). Both are in production, and we are extremely excited to be launching these two shows later this year. We also picked up Doctors vs. Internet (NRK and Magnify Media). This is an example of a format which would not have been possible 10 years ago, when self-diagnostics by Googling was not common.”

Pelin Akat:

“The viewers at home are very aware of what is real and what is fake in this multioption industry”

TV2’s Anette Romer

Antenna Group’s Pelin Akat

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW •

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news

Japanese broadcasters prove there’s strength in numbers TREASURE Box Japan (TBJ) is a joint project involving Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), Nippon Television Network Corporation (Nippon TV), TV Asahi Corporation (TV Asahi), Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, Inc. (TBS), TV Tokyo Corporation (TV Tokyo), Fuji Television Network, Inc. (Fuji TV), Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), and Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation (YTV). It is designed to promote Japan’s diverse range of unscripted formats destined for the international market. Ninja Warrior, Dragon’s Den and Hole In The Wall are among the global hits to have come out of the country.

While Japanese broadcasters have individually been involved

CONFERENCES & EVENTS AT MIPFORMATS

Bringing Japanese formats to the world at MIPFormats

Korea: what’s the next big thing?

K-FORMATS: The Next Big Thing From Korea is an annual

in international markets for more than 30 years, TBJ sees eight of them join forces to strengthen the country’s overseas efforts; TBJ has actively promoted Japanese TV formats at events around the world since 2012.

“TBJ is a project that allows the eight competing Japanese terrestrial broadcasters to present their latest formats on the same platform,” said global business chief at TBS and TBJ organising committee spokesperson, Makito Sugiyama,. “As many global hits have originated from Japanese formats, we are confident that MIPFormats participants will find these presentations captivating. They are the seeds of the next wave of international hit TV shows.”

MIPFormats event that introduces new content from Korea

K-Formats: “Many successes have come out of this session”

to the international market, organised by KOCCA, the Korea Creative Content Agency.

“Many successes have come out of this session, including Better Late Than Never, Fantastic Duo, The Masked Singer and I Can See Your Voice,” senior manager of the broadcasting industry team at KOCCA, James Son, said. “These formats were introduced to the international market at K-Formats sessions and have since enjoyed success in territories including the US, Europe, China and Asia.

KOCCA organises a number of similar events around the world that take place throughout the year, and also supports independent producers of formats through subsidy. “This support can also be made available for projects involving Korean and foreign companies,” Son said.

“Last year a Korean production

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 10 • March 2018

Treasure Box Japan is at 12:20 on Saturday, April 7, in the Debussy. It is followed by a one-hour snack lunch and networking session at the Debussy Foyer

company joined forces with a British partner which resulted in a Korean format being produced for British audiences.”

Son cites Better Late Than Never as a good example of how Korean formats can travel. The show is an adaptation of Grandpas Over Flowers, a hit on the TVN network in Korea. In the US it is produced by Universal, airs on NBC, stars William Shatner, Henry Winkler, George Foreman and Terry Bradshaw and has gone into a second series. “It has also been remade in Turkey and Italy,” Son said.

KOCCA is participating at MIPTV at the Korean pavilion, along with Korean broadcasters, distributors and production companies.

CONFERENCES & EVENTS AT MIPFORMATS

K-Formats: The Next Big Thing From Korea is at 12.00 on Sunday, April 8 in the Debussy. It is followed by a one-hour snack lunch and networking session at the Debussy Foyer

news: MIPFORMATS KEYNOTE

‘The format is king’ KATE PHILLIPS, controller, entertainment commissioning, at the BBC is taking to the MIPFormats stage to discuss the future of entertainment formats. She spoke to the MIPFormats Preview ahead of her presentation

The BBC’s Kate Phillips

I LOVE entertainment! This is a great job, and I get paid for it. Or as my kids say, I get paid to watch television.”

It’s not quite as simple as that, but talking to the BBC’s Kate Phillips you do get the impression that she has an innate understanding of how entertainment television works, and of what the viewers want.

And her track record backs that up. Responsible for the entertainment strategy and output of BBC1, BBC2 and all digital enter tainment including BBC3 and BBC4, she oversees more than 500 hours of original programmes a year, and they include long-running hits Strictly Come

Dancing, The Apprentice, Top Gear, The Graham Norton Show, Have I Got News For You, MasterChef Dragons’ Den and many more.

“When it comes to trying to understand what the audience wants next, we keep an eye on what’s going on in the US, in Western Europe and other parts of the world, but we do mainly concentrate on home-grown formats and there are a lot of good ideas coming out of the UK right now,” Phillips said. “We have a big briefing session once a year with all the big producers — plus we have a commissioning website which we encourage people to look at.”

But sometimes the big success stories come from small beginnings. Like All Together Now, for example, a format that the BBC is hoping can compete with The Voice and other talent shows that have enjoyed success in recent years. Each episode sees performers step up to the All Together Now stage in the hope that they can impress The 100 — a group of industry representatives that include veterans from the West End stage, a Brit School teacher, a cabaret

Kate Phillips:

“Every idea’s been done before. We just need to know how people are going to do things differently”

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 11 • March 2018

host, a drag queen, a rapper and a former Britain’s Got Talent contestant.

“All Together Now was a paper treatment from Endemol Shine.

And because of that we were able to work with them from the beginning to develop the show,” Phillips said. “And we’re not worried about bringing yet another talent show to the screen because this is different. There’s no panel — there are 100 people to impress. Every idea’s been done before. We just need to know how people are going to do things differently.”

Big-name hosts are important to entertainment formats — especially in the US right now, it seems.

But a hit show can make an unknown famous too — so with Altogether Now the comparatively unknown Rob Beckett, a comedian, has been chosen as host. But there is fame in the line-up as well, with internationally known singer Ginger Spice, or Geri Halliwell — now known as Geri Horner — as one of The 100. “You want to have a big name in a new show, but we like to try and grow an unknown talent at the same time.

There is a difference between talent and personality — and famous or not, Rob Beckett has talent.”

Meanwhile delegates will be wanting to know what Phillips is looking for in a great format, so they can pitch her at some point in the future. So what are the ingredients for the perfect entertainment show? Answer: “An original USP, a strong compelling format at its heart, longevity and a great host. But the format is king.”

CONFERENCES & EVENTS AT MIPTV

Kate Phillips’ Keynote is at 11:00 on Sunday, April 8, in the Debussy Theatre

news: MEDIA MASTERMIND KEYNOTE

‘The best work comes from partnerships’ Alex Mahon, CEO of British public-service broadcaster Channel 4, is in conversation with Gary Carter of Finnish content agency KLOK for her keynote presentation at MIPFormats — where she will also receive the Gold Award, given annually by C21, FRAPA and MIPFormats, in recognition of outstanding achievement and contribution to the formats business. She spoke to the MIPFormats Preview ahead of her appearance “NO LARGE super format has emerged since perhaps The Voice in 2010 and the industry remains ever-poised for the next one of this scale to appear,” according to Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon. But she doesn’t see this as a problem.

“The format trade has been with us since the last century, and while in terms of certain kinds of measurement the industry might have peaked between 1999 and 2008, it certainly is not a bursting bubble!”

When new genres emerge, which is seldom, they tend not to disappear, Mahon said. “Rather, they settle into the schedule. In this way we have seen, say, soap operas emerge, dominate schedules, and settle into them. Reality television formats are of particular importance because they allow members of the public to portray themselves rather more freely than in some other unscripted genres — like game shows. Audiences like to see extraordinary people doing ordinary things, and ordinary people doing extraordinary things and that is one of the joys of reality as a genre for the audience. I also think that over the last decade the audience has moved to an expectation of authenticity and ‘knowing’ the people we see on screen and the structure of reality plays to that.”

Channel 4 is known in the UK for introducing formats that are on the edge, dealing with difficult and controversial subjects — sometimes with a view to addressing social issues, other times simply to provide entertainment.

So is there a clear strategy here?

“Well, the key is to have the doors open and positive and supportive relationships with producers,” she

said. “We are reliant on them, in partnership with us, for creating the alchemy of new ideas together and to do that we need to take creative risks jointly. It is my belief that the best work comes out of that partnership, out of a producer and a broadcaster working together to make something outstanding for the audience.”

And those partnerships can come from anywhere. “Innovation is not the exclusive domain of any part of the industry,” she said.

“I am no believer in notions like ‘Country X makes the best television’, not by nature, and certainly not given the remit of Channel 4, which focuses on difference and therefore diversity.”

is difficult, but critical. Difficult because we both make it and work in it, and critical because we need to try to understand the forces which are operating, and which generally we call ‘disruption’,” she said. “The challenges facing broadcasters are critical to producers, and vice-versa, because we work so closely with each other. I am going to MIPFormats because I want to share some of my and my team’s analysis and perspective, and because it is vital that all parts of the in-

“Audiences like to see extraordinary people doing ordinary things, and ordinary people doing extraordinary things” That said, Mahon does have a fondness for some of the work coming out of the Nordic territories. “I loved to see Skam from Norway move so rapidly and get pick-up and interest,” she said. “I am always interested to see what’s new from the Nordics as they are such brilliant contributors across the creative industries.”

So what will the MIPFormats audience hear from Alex Mahon during her keynote conversation with Gary Carter? “Understanding where the industry is going MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 12 • March 2018

dustry engage in open dialogue about where we are, and where we are going. Understanding the future is not something we humans are good at, particularly, but I know that many of the best brains in the business will be there, and I look forward to engaging with them.”

CONFERENCES & EVENTS AT MIPTV

Alex Mahon’s Keynote is at 15:45 on Saturday, April 7, in the Debussy Theatre

product news

DRG

FOX NETWORKS GROUP CONTENT DISTRIBUTION

DRG’S format slate is headed by Crime Master. In a series that combines drama with reality and competition, nine celebrities move to a remote village where a murder has been committed. Each week, viewers learn about the murder through dramatic scenes that the celebrities never see. The stars have to piece together clues arising from a series of challenges. However one of them is a saboteur, with a mission to throw everybody else off the trail, in order to win cash. At the end of every episode the celebrities file a report and the one furthest from the truth gets eliminated. In the final those remaining need to crack the case, expose the mole and reveal the murderer.

DESIGN HQ is a new 30-minute lifestyle format. In each episode a high-profile interior designer visits a celebrity home and chats to the owner about the house, its design and their own style influences. The host then gives simple DIY tips and styling advice for creating similar, cost-effective looks for viewers’ homes. Originally produced by Conde Nast for Fox Life India, the format focused on Bollywood stars and is now in its second season.

Crime Master (DRG)

Design HQ (Fox Networks Group Content Distribution)

HAT TRICK INTERNATIONAL (HTI)

LINEUP INDUSTRIES AMSTERDAM-based Lineup Industries is launching 40 Days Without Sex at MIPTV, a new reality format developed and produced by Dutch public broadcaster EO, featuring six young, self-confessed sex addicts, whose lifestyle has got in the way of forming any lasting relationships. The host takes on the mission help the youngsters abstain and reflect for 40 days, with the support of a life coach. Through weekly catch-ups, social media and phone tracking the series follows their progress.

UK DISTRIBUTOR Hat Trick International is showcasing the format Rich House Poor House at MIPTV, a show originally produced by Hat Trick Productions for Channel 5 in the UK. In each episode one family from the richest 10%, another from the poorest 10%, trade homes, budgets and lives for a week, following each other’s spending patterns and weekly schedules. The thought-provoking and insightful format proves also to be warm, entertaining and uplifting.

ARMOZA FORMATS SINCE its launch last MIPTV, Armoza’s singing competition, The Final Four (13 x 90-120 mins), has aired in the US on Fox and in Russia with CTC. The Final Four begins with four finalists, who have been selected by a trio of music-industry judges. In each episode new hopefuls try to steal one of their seats. Armoza is also highlighting new game show Rage Room. In each episode the host and a guest celebrity meet two angry contestants, who each pitch to the jury the issue that makes them see red. After the jury’s verdict the winner is awarded a room designed to represent their rage in which they get the chance The Final Four (Armoza Formats) to destroy it all.

Rich House Poor House (HTI)

RED ARROW STUDIOS INTERNATIONAL RED ARROW’s new formats slate for MIPTV includes Code To Love, a new Danish reality experiment exploring the power of big data to understand what makes some relationships so long-lasting. Then using data sourced from successful couples an attempt is made to create an algorithm that can be applied to match singles. Another Red Arrow priority is State Of Hate, created and produced by Snowman Productions for Kanal 5 in Denmark, a new show that looks to end bitter rivalries between groups of people through a series of intense challenges.

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 13 • March 2018

product news

MY ENTERTAINMENT

AVALON DISTRIBUTION

MY ENTERTAINMENT, from New York, US, presents Crowd Flippers at MIPTV, a format that builds on the trend for strangers to come together to fund a flip — jointly buying, renovating and hopefully turning a profit on a property in their town. In each episode, one cash-strapped individual, who has identified a great real-estate opportunity, teams up with four strangers to share the risks, hard work and the rewards, while coping with all differing opinions in the group.

THE BUTTON — an Avalon production for the UK’s BBC One and brought to Cannes by Avalon Distribution — is a new game show from the creators and producers of the international format Taskmaster. The Button features the host, a sidekick and a banker. In each episode the interactive Button is placed in five different households who then face spontaneous challenges against the clock to win a cash prize. Teams must keep an eye on the Button, which turns from green to red when it’s time to play, because it’s a race against time to hit the Button and start the game. The Button delivers the task, interacts with the players and reveals their rivals on screen as well as the results.

3C MEDIA CHINA’s 3C Media brings new format Words Of Life (12 x 70 mins) to Cannes, a primetime show with a live audience, which aired on Chinese broadcaster CCTV-1. The format features celebrities interpreting timeless true stories by reading letters from well-known and unknown people. Together with the celebrities, the host explores the historical background of the letters using archive photos, videos and stage effects. The set, a giant wave-shaped construction of cubes, transforms as information is revealed by state-of-the-art 3D and CGI projection in order to tell each story. Words Of Life is produced and distributed by 3C Media.

Crowd Flippers (MY Entertainment)

BBC WORLDWIDE THE ORIGINAL Generation Game game show ran for over 30 years in the UK and attracted audiences of over 20 million, and now the format is returning. Brought up to date with a selection of new games and challenges for families to play in the studio, the show sees pairs of family members across generations compete. They take part in a series of performanceand task-based games, and a panel of star judges scores the contestants after each game. The goal is to get to the final round and face the legendary and supersized conveyor belt on which a series of prizes passes by one of the winning contestants who must try to remember as many as they can. They then recall what prizes they can remember against the clock.

Those they remember, they take home.

Words Of Life (3C Media)

FREMANTLEMEDIA INTERNATIONAL

The Generation Game (BBC Worldwide)

LONG-RUNNING format American Idol is back, with a new panel of music-industry personalities and superstar judges — Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie — and with presenter and producer Ryan Seacrest returning as host. Launching on ABC Television Network, the nationwide search for talent covered 23 cities across America, as well as auditioning hopefuls who had submitted videos online, as well as via select social media platforms using the official tag, #TheNextIdol, which cultivated over 300,000 posts. Also, for the first time, potential contestants had the opportunity to audition through a livestream platform. American Idol is produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment, a division of Core Media Group. FremantleMedia International distributes the series worldwide.

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 14 • March 2018

product news

COMERCIAL TV

KABO INTERNATIONAL

SPANISH distributor Comercial TV is at MIPTV with Face2Face, from Itoydani Corporation, a 30-minute reality competition format. Face2Face sees pairs of identical twins provide a canvas for teams of hair stylists, make-up artists and fashion experts who work with limited supplies and a time restriction to transform their looks based on various themes, including the 1960s and halloween. The company also brings The Lucky Goal (El Golazo De La Suerte) a studio-based family gameshow format set in the world of soccer. Families represent teams and compete in a series of challenges that lead them to the final match in order to win the final goal — the best prize.

KABO International highlights 60-minute factual format The Break-Up in Cannes. Produced by Newen, Kabo holds international rights for The BreakUp, excluding the US, English-speaking Canada, UK and South America (Global Road Entertainment). Based on a proven and existing couples therapy method, The Break-Up seeks to help couples with their relationship problems before they risk losing what could be a lifetime partnership. The couples simulate a break-up by splitting their belongings, signing a divorce contract and taking off their wedding rings. Then over the course of several weeks they live the single life, focusing only on themselves in order to reconnect with their inner-thoughts, maybe even dating other people.

The Lucky Goal (Comercial TV) The Break-Up (Kabo International)

DISTRIBUTION360 JUST Like Mom And Dad is the new primetime family format, shot before a live studio audience, in which three parent and child pairs compete over three rounds, featuring questions that test how well they really know each other and ending with a bake-off. Each kid makes a disgusting snack for the parents to taste, who then guess which child has created each one.

The pair with the most points at the end of the three rounds gets to spin the Prize Wheel for the chance to win various prizes, including a family trip of a lifetime. The 20-episode format is produced by marblemedia and premiered across North America at the beginning of this year.

ALL3MEDIA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR all3media international is showcasing a variety of new formats in Cannes. Wedding Day Winners is a BBC primetime family show, a mix of games between competing families and wedding guests who earn points for the two couples who will marry at the end of each show. Also on the slate are two new launches from Studio Lambert: Best In Shop (for BBC), which delivers a knock-out business challenge pitting small-scale food producers against each other; and Buy It Now ( for Channel 4), which sees inventors and creators showcasing their new products with the aim of impressing buyers from leading stores and retail outlets.

Wedding Day Winners (all3media international)

Just Like Mom And Dad (Distribution360)

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 15 • March 2018

FEATURE:WHAT’S NEW IN FORMATS?

The next

big

thing Grandpas Over Flowers (Small World IFT)

Like knights questing for the Holy Grail or explorers searching for the lost city of El Dorado, the global formats community has spent years looking for The Next Big Thing. But as with the Grail and El Dorado, it’s just possible that it may not exist any more. Andy Fry reports

F

ORMATS consultant Nathalie Wogue thinks The Next Big Thing has had its day. “The impression I get is that most companies no longer believe in The Next Big Thing,”

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 16 • March 2018

she says. “They are focusing their energies on creating relevant and engaging formats for clients, rather than finding the next Big Brother or Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?.”

This does not mean the formats

Nathalie Wogue:

“Instead of one big show breaking through, we’re seeing many having success with different markets and audiences. It’s like having lots of ‘little big things’ at the same time” This explains why leading format companies typically come to market with an array of titles that address distinct commercial and editorial needs. Sumi Connock, BBC Worldwide’s (BBCW) creative director of formats, for example, says her company’s portfolio covers everything from game-show reboots and factual-entertainment formats to feel-good entertainment franchises such as Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing With The Stars and Bake Off. Between them, BBC Worldwide shows can cover most schedules and time slots.

In terms of trends, Connock says there is a strong emphasis right now on shows that are “honest, authentic and uplifting”. She adds: “Part of the reason Strictly and Bake Off work well is because they are joyful shows that aren’t ruining the participants’ life ambitions. Audiences like the fact that no one is playing God.” business is any less creative, innovative or commercially viable, Wogue insists — it’s just a reflection of the market’s new reality: “Producers today have to contend with the fact that a lot of established brands are already occupying slots. And there’s

also the fact that the audience is now so fragmented. Instead of one big show breaking through, we’re seeing dozens launching at a time, many having success with different markets and audiences.

It’s like having lots of ‘little big things’ all at the same time.”

BBC Worldwide is enjoying success right now with a reboot of The Weakest Link and is also coming to market with an updated version of The Generation Game. This echoes the situation in the US, where revivals of classic FremantleMe-

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 17 • March 2018

dia game shows such as Match Game have done great numbers for ABC. Connock says the trend towards game-show revival is continuing “because the best shows are cost-effective at a time when channels are spending a lot on drama. The best ones have strong mechanics and can easily be refreshed with new talent.”

Banijay Group’s head of format acquisitions, Carlotta Rossi Spencer, agrees that today’s format market is characterised by parallel trends rather than one all-consuming megahit: “Increasingly you see clusters of titles. So in a genre like survival formats, you still have Survivor [now a Banijay title] going strong, but there’s also room for other titles in the genre, like A&E’s Alone. We also have a range of other survival/adventure formats, such as Fort Boyard and 71 Degrees North.”

Another dynamic cluster, according to Rossi Spencer, is “the whole area around observing couples at every stage of their relationship, from the moment they meet through to marriage and beyond”.

This action-packed space includes Banijay’s Temptation Island, ITV’s Love Island, Viacom International Media Networks’ Are You The One?, and Warner Bros.’ fast-growing format First Dates. Classics like Banijay’s Wife Swap continue to do well, and there are also newcomers, such as all3media’s recently launched Wedding Day Winners and Keshet International’s Girlfri3nds. The latter, an Israeli format, has been reversioned in the UK for ITV2.

Relationship formats jostle up against a continued taste for social-experiment shows. In this area, Red Arrow Studios International’s Married At First Sight has been one of the standout examples in the last couple of

FEATURE:WHAT’S NEW IN FORMATS? years, but Rossi Spencer says her own company’s show, Undressed, has also caught the attention of buyers. In this show, two complete strangers undress each other in a darkened bedroom and are encouraged to accelerate the process of becoming intimate before deciding, at the end of 30 minutes, if they want to stay together. Deals for Undressed underline the point that formats can be successful within a tightly defined sector of the ever-expanding TV market.

To date, it has been picked up by several youth/lifestyle-skewing channels, including France’s NRJ 12, Australia’s SBS, Italy’s Nove and TLC in the UK, the Netherlands and Poland.

Arabelle Pouliot-Di Crescenzo, managing director of Kabo International, says her company’s response to the fragmented market has been to “start building a portfolio that includes all the main ‘food groups’ within formats”. She adds: “We have a strong game-show format, Who’s Who?; some innovative technology-led formats, including the VR-based show Tilt; and a new social-experiment series called The Break-Up, which

Undressed (Banijay Rights)

is originally from Newen in France.”

In The Break-Up, Pouliot-Di Crescenzo says the focus is on couples at the crossroads: “The show helps them decide whether the grass really is greener on the other side through the use of well-established therapy methods. It’s perfect for buyers looking for a well-constructed, insightful and emotional format.”

There is a lot of heat in this area right now, with Facebook’s Make Up Or Break Up and Twofour’s One Night With My Ex also navigating this terrain.

But as Pouliot-Di Crescenzo points out, the fragmented nature of the TV market means it is not just subject matter but editorial voice that influences a buyer’s decision about a show: “There are so many niches that you get an unbelievable difference in tone between different channels. They all have their own demographic sweet spot and their own thresholds in terms of what is or isn’t shocking, which is partly where the need for so many different shows comes from.”

One interesting side effect of having so many dynamic editorial clusters sitting alongside each

Girlfri3nds (Keshet International)

other is that the mechanics that work in one can be migrated into others. Red Arrow Studios International’s vice-president of non-scripted, Harry Gamsu, says his company has been looking at how the approach in Married At First Sight can be used in other scenarios.

“Married At First Sight is about trusting experts to make major life decisions for you,” he says.

“We took that idea and created Buying Blind, a property show in which experts take over the responsibility of buying the house, then an interior designer renovates it. Sales for the show to date include Nine Network Australia and RTL in the Netherlands.”

A similar link can be seen between Avalon’s hit format Taskmaster and the company’s new launch The Button, both created by Alex Horne and Andy Devonshire. In Taskmaster, five comedians compete against each other in a series of bizarre and thought-provoking challenges. In The Button, the action shifts to families.

Here, a button is placed in people’s homes and, at random times, comes to life and challenges the

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 18 • March 2018

family to undertake silly, spontaneous, timed tasks, such as wrapping someone up in toilet paper. The benefit of this set up is that it incorporates a snapshot of family-home dynamics.

Lineup Industries co-founder Julian Curtis has worked on a number of big formats in the course of his career, notably Deal Or No Deal while at Endemol and Dragon’s Den while at Sony Pictures Television. For Curtis, one of the biggest problems with setting out to create a global megahit is lack of time: “What a lot of people don’t recall about those shows is that it actually took a few years for them to win over broadcasters and build international momentum.”

Not only that, but it is not always obvious at the start which shows are going to be big, adds BBCW’s Connock. “First Dates, Gogglebox and Bake Off didn’t start that strongly in their first seasons,” she points out. “They needed support from broadcasters and nurturing by producers to develop into the hits they are now.”

Back at Lineup, Curtis has also identified factual entertainment and game shows as key oppor-

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FEATURE:WHAT’S NEW IN FORMATS? tunities. The company has been enjoying a lot of success with Emergency Call, an obs-doc format that has sold to Vox Germany, Seven Australia and C8 France, among others. Key game titles include Switch, a simple quiz-show format that was a hit in its home territory of Belgium and has just been licensed to Dutch public broadcaster Avrotros. “The game mechanic is simple, it’s inexpensive to produce and it lends itself to play-along via an app,” Curtis says. “But one thing that makes it stand out is that the same five contestants compete across the entire week, so it creates a deeper level of engagement between them, the host and the audience.”

While Switch is ideally suited for stripping across the week, Curtis says the other big trend within game shows is the push towards primetime shows with

super-sized sets. The big winner in this area has been NBC’s The Wall, which has rolled out rapidly under the stewardship of Endemol Shine. “In our line-up, we have a show called Let The Games Begin, in which kids and celebrities compete against each other playing super-sized versions of famous board games in a studio,” Curtis adds. “It’s a concept I’d been talking to colleagues about for years and then we found this format in the ZDF archive. The kid/celebrity dynamic works really well and it’s also interesting to games manufacturers.”

Banijay’s Rossi Spencer agrees that the “big studio spectacular” is coming back. “We are enjoying a lot of success now with All Against One, an interactive studio-based entertainment show that pits one contestant against the entire nation. It launched

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The Button (Avalon)

successfully in Denmark and has been picked up by France 2.”

At press time, Banijay was also acquiring the rights to classic German format Wetten, Dass..?

(You Bet) and is in production

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MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 19 • March 2018

on a version for Canale 5 Italy.

The show was a huge success on Rai Uno in the 1990s and is now returning with a modern makeover for the free-to-air commercial channel.

FEATURE:WHAT’S NEW IN FORMATS?

Tim Crescenti, president of Small World IFT, has been one of the TV industry’s great format spotters down the years. His view is that, while “it’s certainly not a waste of time to look for The Next Big Thing, we’ve found that companies can also be successful with consistent strip shows and renewable formats”.

Crescenti echoes his peers when he says there has been a strong return to game shows. “Buyers are searching for their next successful dating game-show format,” he adds. “And we’ve also received interest from a number of buyers looking for formats featuring older talent — especially channels aiming for a wider demographic. There’s also demand for high technology, but it can be challenging to create a format structure around this.”

Tim Crescenti:

“There’s also demand for high technology, but it can be challenging to create a format structure around this” Small World has successfully adapted a Korean show featuring older talent. Based on an original tvN format called Grandpas Over Flowers, Better Late Than Never has now been sold into 16 countries, with more deals in the pipeline. “The show not only features major entertainment legends, but also talent in the older age range, which resonates with a wider ranging demographic,” Crescenti adds.

His point about older participants is by reinforced by a couple of other key developments.

The first is Talpa Media’s decision to launch The Voice Senior,

a spin-off of its flagship talent show, and the rollout of its new format Around The World With 80-Year-Olds. This latter originally aired in the Netherlands on SBS6 before Talpa signed a deal with Chinese producer 3C Media to reversion it in China.

There have also been deals closer to home in Belgium (Medialaan) and Germany (ZDF).

Then there is the success of Red Arrow’s Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds, in which elderly retirement-home residents are brought together with pre-schoolers to test if this inter-generational act can improve the health and wellbeing of the older people. Produced by CPL, the show was a hit for Channel 4 in the UK, and has since been picked up as a format by five territories, including France, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia and Sweden. In Gamsu’s opinion, the show fits into the broader trend towards “emotional and life-affirming formats”.

US studio Lionsgate has been best known for its scripted series until now. But it has made a concerted drive into formats in recent times, notably with Candy Crush, which launched on CBS in the US. Based on the popular mobile game, Candy Crush points to the trend for super-sized game shows referred to above.

Jennifer O’Connell, Lionsgate’s executive vice-president of alternative programming, says: “Big-name celebs continue to work in the unscripted world, from behind the scenes as executive producers like LeBron James to being featured on camera as hosts like Ellen DeGeneres [Game Of Games], Jamie Foxx [Beat Shazam] and Alex Baldwin [Match Game]. Talent like that sets the bar very high for new shows and has led to an expectation and big appetite to have A-list celebs attached to

Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds ( Red Arrow Studios International)

new shows from the buyers.”

O’Connell also identifies the trend towards live content: “Live is the best way for viewers to connect. Since Live PD launched, several cable networks have been looking for their take on the space. But I also expect broadcast networks to look for live, feel-good shows that allow people to escape the relentless, negative news stories that have taken over our attention.”

Like Curtis, O’Connell also stresses there is a lot of behind-the scenes-activity that goes into making a show successful: “It’s important to come to buyers with the right package.

Having A-list talent attached — in front of or behind the scenes — and the right producer with a plan to execute are key elements.

Also, we almost always come to meetings with sizzle reels and pitch decks that illustrate the tone and vision of the project.”

Notwithstanding the above, there is still room for surprises in the new format multiverse. At the start of 2017, no one would real-

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 20 • March 2018

ly have expected a new contender to emerge in the overcrowded talent-show market, but Armoza Formats has defied expectations with The Final Four, a show that starts out with four strong singers and invites challengers to try to displace them before the end of the series. By introducing this simple but ingenious twist to the genre, Armoza has secured sales for the show in the UK, the Nordics, Australia and, significantly, the US. In January 2018, Fox launched its own version of The Final Four as a counterweight to NBC’s The Voice and ABC’s Idol. Commenting on deal, Avi Armoza, CEO of Armoza Formats, says: “The Final Four is a new take on the singing competition genre, bringing all the most loved elements to the table. Any viewer who thinks they’re good enough to challenge one of the finalists can do so through the app, involving the audience throughout the season. By putting a unique take on it, The Final Four has offered our industry a fresh and innovative spin on a popular genre.”

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2018 CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

FORMATS INDUSTRY DISRUPTED: PREPARING FOR THE YEAR 2020

7-8 April 2018, Palais des Festivals, Cannes

2018 KEY SPEAKERS

KATE PHILLIPS Controller, BBC Entertainment BBC

ALEX MAHON CEO Channel 4

GARY CARTER Non-Executive Director Klok

TOM WRIGHT CEO Vertical Networks

SATURDAY 7 APRIL

SUNDAY 8 APRIL

9.00-10.00 — Foyer Debussy, Palais 1

8.15-9.00 — Foyer Debussy, Palais 1

WAKE ME UP: NETWORKING BREAKFAST 10.00-10.40 — Esterel, Palais 5

WAKE ME UP: NETWORKING BREAKFAST

10.00-10.30 — Auditorium A, Palais 3 AR/VR: AUGMENTED TOOLS FOR AUGMENTED FORMATS

GLOBAL FORMATS TRENDS REPORT Featuring C21’s Outlook on Format Trends

10.50-11.30 — Esterel, Palais 5

Formagination at MIPFormats - The International Format Pitch, launched under a new partnership with Armoza Formats, unveils the most compelling non-scripted entertainment concepts from international creators and producers.

11.00-11.30 — Auditorium A, Palais 3

JUST HOW DISRUPTED IS THE DISTRIBUTION GAME

THE BIGGER ROLE OF DATA AND AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT

9.00-9.30 — Esterel, Palais 5 NEW WAYS TO GET FROM PAPER TO BROADCAST

9.00-9.30 — Auditorium A, Palais 3 DIGITAL PROTECTION OF YOUR IP

Followed by Meet the Speakers

9.40-10.10 — Esterel, Palais 5 THE NEXT VIEWING TRENDS

9.45-10.15 — Auditorium A, Palais 3 THE PRODUCERS TOOLBOX: GOOD DEAL, BAD DEAL

Presented by Eurodata TV Worldwide

10.15-10.45 — Debussy, Palais 1 FRESH TV: FACTUAL ENTERTAINMENT & REALITY SHOWS

11.40-12.10 — Debussy, Palais 1

11.00-11.20 — THE MIPFORMATS KEYNOTE SERIES

FRESH TV: ENTERTAINMENT & GAME SHOW PILOTS

Debussy, Palais 1

KATE PHILLIPS, CONTROLLER, BBC ENTERTAINMENT, BBC

12.20-13.10 — Debussy, Palais 1

11.20-11.40 — THE MIPFORMATS CASE STUDIES

JAPANESE FORMATS SHOWCASE

TREASURE BOX JAPAN: WORLD PREMIERE – BRAND NEW FORMATS!

Debussy, Palais 1

‘THE FOUR’

Snack Lunch & Networking from 13.10 -14.10, Foyer Debussy

11.40-12.00 — THE MIPFORMATS CASE STUDIES 14.15-15.30 — Debussy, Palais 1 FORMAGINATION AT MIPFORMATS - THE INTERNATIONAL FORMAT PITCH Global Partner

15.45-16.45 — THE MIPFORMATS KEYNOTE SERIES

12.10-13.00 — Debussy, Palais 1 K-FORMATS: THE NEXT BIG HITS FROM KOREA Sponsored by KOCCA

Snack Lunch and Networking from 13.00 -14.00, Foyer Debussy Debussy, Palais 1

ALEX MAHON, CEO, CHANNEL 4, in conversation with GARY CARTER, NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KLOK

14.30-15.00 — Esterel, Palais 5 THE MISSING LINK NORDIC FORMAT SCREENING Presented by Missing Link

17.00-17.40 — Debussy, Palais 1 FAANGS: HOW TO WORK WITH THE NEW PLAYERS 17.45-18.45 — Debussy, Palais 1 WISDOM IN CHINA, THE LAND OF NEW FORMATS. WORLD PREMIERE: THE HOTTEST ORIGINAL FORMATS IN CHINA! Presented by CARFT, Shanghai Media Group, iFORMATS

MIPFORMATS NETWORKING COCKTAIL In partnership with CARFT, Shanghai Media Group, iFORMATS

19.30 — ClubC21

14.30-14.55 — Auditorium A, Palais 3 THE PRODUCERS TOOLBOX: WILL NIGERIA HOST THE NEXT FORMAT BOOM?

15.10-15.50 — Esterel, Palais 5 WHEN TV FORMATS MEET DIGITAL: THE BEST IDEAS

15.05-15.40 — Auditorium A, Palais 3 THE FRENCH TOUCH: FORMATS SHOWCASE

16:00 –16:40 — Esterel, Palais 5 NEW FINANCING PARTNERS FOR FORMAT CREATORS

15:50 –16:30 — Auditorium A, Palais 3 BRANDS EMBRACING ENTERTAINMENT: KEY CASE STUDIES

16:50 –17:20 — Esterel, Palais 5 SPOT THE TALENT: INDIES AROUND THE WORLD

16:40 –17:20 — Auditorium A, Palais 3

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18.45-20.00 — Foyer Debussy

17.30-18.10 — Esterel, Palais 5 THE COMMISSIONERS’ BRIEF Followed by Meet the Speakers

NEW TECHNOLOGY TO BOOST OUR CREATIVITY 17.30-18.10 — Auditorium A, Palais 3 CASE STUDY OF A CHINESE FORMAT: WORDS OF LIFE Presented by 3C Media

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In association with C21Media, FRAPA, EMC and MIPFormats - Pre-registration required

MIPFormats thanks its Sponsors & Partners Programme as of February 22, 2018. Subject to change.

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‘ULTIMATE BEASTMASTER’

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FEATURE: BUSINESS MODELS

Keshet’s Touch for Buzzfeed

New players, new rules

O

N A superficial level, the format business doesn’t look that different from the way it did at the start of the current decade. There are talent shows on weekend primetime, game shows in early-evening slots and a myriad of social-experiment, cooking, survival,

dating, dieting, reality and factual-entertainment formats spread across free and pay TV. Indeed, a number of the biggest franchises in the international unscripted formats market were around back then and continue to thrive today.

But behind the scenes there are several big developments

With unscripted formats being created for and consumed on an ever-wider range of platforms, an ever-wider range of funding and production models are emerging to cope with the complexities of today’s media multiverse. Andy Fry reports

that are changing the sector quite significantly, according to formats consultant Nathalie Wogue. One is the growing attention that new platforms are paying to unscripted shows.

“The first wave of investment was in drama, but now the likes of Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, Facebook and Snap are paying

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 23 • March 2018

more attention to unscripted content, including formats,” she says. “There are examples like Netflix’s Ultimate Beastmasters and Facebook’s Make Up Or Break Up that show they are now investing.”

Wogue believes the platforms’ arrival on the formats scene is good news: “The traditional TV

FEATURE: BUSINESS MODELS

Facebook’s Make Up Or Break Up

business isn’t always that innovative, despite the fact audiences like channels to take risks. So I think new players will bring some fresh air into the formats business, pushing the traditional players to reinvent the way they work.”

celebrity friends as they laugh their way through several trending, gruelling and sometimes ridiculous workout routines.” The guest stars include James Corden, Jack Black, Chance the Rapper and Conan O’Brien.

Nathalie Wogue:

Keshet International vice-president of distribution and new business Kelly Wright says her company has established a reputation in the formats business for being innovative and progressive. “So it has been a logical extension for us to talk to the new platforms,” she adds.

“We have a digital studio in Los Angeles that has been developing scripted and unscripted ideas over the last 18 months.”

An example, Wright says, is a version of game show Touch for Buzzfeed, which is targeted at the mobile-first generation. “We have also been working with record label Interscope Geffen A&M on a music-based format called Tracks, which looks at the lifestyles of music fans in major cities.” A coming-ofage series that mixes gritty drama with the real-world music scene of LA, Tracks would be “a good fit for the likes of Apple, Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo or Dailymotion — or any digital platform with a lot of us-

“The traditional TV business isn’t always that innovative, despite the fact audiences like channels to take risks. New players bring some fresh air into the business” Wogue’s assessment is echoed by Lionsgate executive vice-president of alternative programming, Jennifer O’Connell. “Digital platforms are really ramping up their unscripted programming,” she says. “They have been buying and producing up a storm and, in 2018, we will see many of those shows launch. We have several shows in the digital space that we are very excited about, including Kevin Hart: What The Fit for YouTube. In this series, Hart teams up with

ers that they want to engage or connect with”, Wright adds. “It would certainly be far more interesting than just sending out a newsletter.”

Lionsgate and Keshet aren’t alone in testing the digital waters. Banijay Group has just acquired French digital company Shauna Events as part of its strategy to break into new business areas linked to the group’s core TV production activities.

Similarly, TV entrepreneur John De Mol has just taken a minority stake in DFFRNT Media, an Amsterdam-based company that operates at the intersection of formats, digital, advertising, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). DFFRNT’s ambition is to use its domestic territory as “the pilot market to test new digital products and to create global IP.” Elisabeth Murdoch, formerly programming chief at pay-TV giant Sky, is also busy in this space. Her company, Vertical Networks, makes mobile-first content for Snapchat. One example is dating show Phone Swap, which attracted 3.8 mil-

Phone Swap (Vertical Networks)

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 24 • March 2018

lion subscribers to its first six episodes. The show was re-ordered by Snapchat and is now being reinvented as a linear property for television.

However, all the excitement about digital formats should be qualified by a couple of key factors. The first is that it is not yet clear how an on-demand, binge-based platform such as, for example, Netflix will operate in a genre that is fundamentally about live appointment-to-view content. The second, says Keshet’s Wright, is that working with the new platforms requires a new commercial mindset: “They are a great opportunity, but the major players often want global rights, which can make deals very challenging in a sector where you usually go market-by-market when licensing rights. This is especially true if you have a co-producer or co-distributor on a show and would typically share territories with them.”

Mike Beale, managing director of Nordics and global creative network at ITV Studios, says his company wants to work with

FEATURE: BUSINESS MODELS the new players “but has so far found it hard to come up with the right project and the best way of doing business”. At this stage, he says, the primary value of the digital platforms is to support and nurture emerging television brands. “There’s no question that digital has played a key role in the success of our Love Island format,” Beale adds. “We didn’t get the digital piece quite right in series one but, by creating a stronger connection with the audience for series two, we saw ratings grow dramatically.”

The emergence of digital platforms is not the only shift in the sector’s tectonic plates.

Also significant, Wogue says, is the growing trend for broadcasters to control their own content: “TF1, the BBC, ITV, RTL, the US networks and the international broadcasters are all seeking to develop their own content or control the ultimate rights to format IP, so that they can protect themselves from changes in the business,” she says.

ITV’s Beale acknowledges the point, saying content ownership is part of a long-term strategy that was put in place a few years back. It is a similar story at Keshet, where Wright says her company benefits from having a steady pipeline of shows moving from broadcast in Israel to international distribution.

Laura Burrell, Viacom International Media Networks’ (VIMN) global head of formats, acknowledges the point: “We tend to take the position of wanting to retain all rights because we’re a global channel business that needs great content across a wide range of free-to-air and pay-TV channels around the world.”

Burrell says VIMN’s key focus is on “noisy, buzzy shows that appeal to a young audience”.

Recent successes on the in-

Lip Sync Battle (VIMN)

Laura Burrell:

“We tend to want to retain all rights because we’re a global channel business that needs great content across a wide range of freeto-air and pay-TV channels” ternational scene include Lip Sync Battle and Are You The One?, both of which provide lessons for formats execs.

“Lip Sync Battle is a show that grew out of a segment of another show — like Carpool Karaoke,” Burrell says. “In less than three years, it has generated 21 versions. Aside from the strength of the core idea [A-list celebrities giving lip-sync performances of songs], I think the main reason the show works is that it doesn’t demand much from the talent, which means they are willing to sign up to participate in it. They don’t have to train for months, and they can be in and out of the studio in a day. It shows them

in a new light, but with minimal commitment.”

The modular short-form nature of Lip Sync Battle means it is also a good fit for the new platforms, Burrell says, adding that the show currently attracts 2.3 million subscribers to its YouTube channel. “It’s easy for fans to share the content and also for us to film Lip Sync Battle segments at other events. We’ve also launched an app that allows fans to battle their friends.”

The lesson learned from Are You The One? is that patience is needed to grow a brand. “It took two or three seasons of the US show for buyers to start getting interested,” Burrell says.

“Initially, they felt it was too complicated, but now we have versions in the works in France, Sweden and Brazil. Sometimes you need to be patient while shows build momentum.”

A new title in the VIMN catalogue for which Burrell has high hopes is Amazingness, a comedy talent show that showcases wild, whacky, extreme talents. “It’s exactly the kind of noisy show that can engage young audiences across platforms,” she adds.

Of course, increased efforts by

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 25 • March 2018

broadcasters to control rights means everyone in the content value chain has had to readjust their way of thinking. For example, format-owners have become more reluctant to pitch new ideas directly to US channel operators for fear of losing control of their IP. Increasingly, there is a trend for companies to launch shows in smaller markets where they can secure more favourable terms. If a show does well, they are in a better negotiating position to try to launch their format into the US market.

Wogue calls this “industrialising the process”, because it raises new manufacturing-style questions about where to launch and base a production to ensure the best ROI (return on investment). Companies to have successfully negotiated this approach include Red Arrow Studios International, which pulled off this feat with Married At First Sight. “The show was originally produced for DR3 Denmark by our local production division Snowman,” says Harry Gamsu, Red Arrow Studios International’s vice-president of non-scripted. “Since then, it has become a major franchise for A&E in the US and been sold to channels around the world.”

FEATURE: BUSINESS MODELS Red Arrow Studios International is following a similar pattern with Buying Blind, Gamsu says.

That show was conceived in the US but launched on TV3 Denmark, again produced by Snowman. “It’s about taking a risk in partnership with a local broadcaster, so you can benefit later,” he adds.

Red Arrow Studios International, it should be noted, is part of a powerful, vertically integrated group (ProSiebenSat.1).

Keshet and ITV are similarly structured, with channels, inhouse production and distribution. But what’s the key to survival if you are not part of a 360-degree operation of this magnitude? To some extent, it’s the same deal, according to Tom Forman, CEO of Critical Content: “We make successful shows in the US, such as Catfish for MTV and Little Weddings for Lifetime. But what we’re really focusing our energy on now is developing unscripted shows that are formatable and where we can control the IP.” Forman agrees that it is tough to do that in the US, so Critical

Content has made a strategic investment in UK production company Renowned Films.

“They’re a smart young company producing great work in areas like unscripted, factual entertainment, features and documentaries,” he says. “But the added bonus is that having a production capability outside the US helps us with our rights-retention strategy. It means we can sell shows outside the US and secure some participation.”

Tom Forman:

“Having a production capability outside the US helps us with our rights-retention strategy. It means we can sell shows outside the US and secure some participation”

To break through as an indie, it is important to make meaningful investments in support of your ambitions, Forman adds: “We secured the rights to The Joy Of Painting, a classic property based around the work of painter Bob Ross, in which he teaches people how to paint.

It was mesmerising first time round, so we shot a new episode with a new potential host. That’s the kind of thing you need to do in 2018, to make sure that you are in a strong position when you get to the deal.”

Forman believes that companies such as Critical Content will survive because they are creatively and commercially agile.

“There are new business models emerging that we can take advantage of so as to reduce our reliance on the traditional approach,” he says. “Aside from the new platforms, we’re having conversations every day about the possible role of brands in content creation.”

Gamsu makes a similar point, noting the growing influence of ad-agency groups such as

Britain’s Brightest Family (ITV)

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 26 • March 2018

GroupM and The Story Lab. “We had a show in Germany called Shop, Look, Win that was fully funded by a supermarket chain,” he says. “That was a high volume daytime show that featured two celebrity chefs surprising members of the public in a the supermarket. The idea itself may not be directly transferable, but the general principle of the show is.”

Keshet’s Wright points to a similar scenario: “In Colombia, we formed a partnership with retailer Exito around our Touch brand.

People who spent a minimum amount in Exito stores were able to take part in Touch-based games, which were aired as shortform content during primetime on broadcaster Caracol.”

ITV’s Beale also sees the emergence of the brand community as direct participants in content as an increasingly significant part of the formats business.

“GroupM recently launched Motion Content Group, which is a partner with ITV on our new series Survival Of The Fittest. The benefit of working with companies like these is that they can bring additional budget to the table and also sometimes open up new international opportunities.”

Survival Of The Fittest, a follow up to Love Island, sees a group of hot young singles living together in South Africa. Teams of girls and boys battle it out in a series of physical and mental challenges to determine which sex has the upper hand.

Meanwhile, romantic dates test group loyalties to the limit. If it all sounds similar to Love Island, that’s fine, says Beale — because a big part of succeeding in formats these days is working out how to achieve exposure and engagement. “It’s why the in-

FEATURE: BUSINESS MODELS

Beach Body SOS (VIMN)

dustry is also focusing so much of its energies on bringing back loved titles,” he adds. “ITV is relaunching Dancing On Ice with new judges and an updated look after a three-year absence.”

ITV has also migrated talent in the person of larger-than-life character Anne Hegarty from its quiz show The Chase to a new format called Britain’s Brightest Family. Key to the new show, Beale says, “is that it is fun and entertaining, with no deep tension”.

VIMN’s Burrell makes a similar point about brand extension with regard to new body-transformation series Beach Body SOS. “This is a spin-off from our hit franchise Ex On The Beach,” she says.

“One of the most iconic elements of Ex was when a contestant’s ex-partner walked up out of the sea. So we’re us-

ing that same reveal to show contestants after a 12-week makeover period.”

In a sense, all of the above developments are about forming new alliances — with digital platforms, with brands and with channel partners willing to invest in the launch of a show. So it is worth noting that there is still an appetite for co-creation in the market. FremantleMedia and Fuji TV of Japan are now 10 years into a creative and distribution partnership that has spawned hits including Hole In The Wall and Total Blackout. The most recent example of how this partnership works is The Noise, a show in which people attempt to complete regular households tasks as quietly as possible. The Noise has rolled out rapidly into territories including the Philippines, Chi-

na, Malaysia, Russia, Cambodia and the US. Keshet International, meanwhile, has development deals with the likes of Telemundo, Telefe, Megavision and TV Azteca in Latin America. Wright says that, instead of trying to sell broadcasters a pre-existing format, she now sits down with them for two days and shares data and ideas. “They say what they are looking for and we set out to provide it,” she adds.

“We share development costs and the broadcaster gets a piece of format ownership and subsidised licensing fees.”

In return, Wright says, Keshet gets a commission in that country and the opportunity to test a format that may go on to have international value. “It’s another innovative way of bringing new ideas to into a highly competitive market,” she says.

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 27 • March 2018

Kelly Wright:

“Broadcasters say what they’re looking for and we set out to provide it. We share development costs and they gets a piece of format ownership and subsidised licensing fees”

your mipformats experience

7-8 APRIL 2018

Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France Debussy Theatre, Palais 1 MIPFORMATS OPENING TIMES Opening hours Registration hours 6 April: 16.00-19.00 7 April: 09.00-20.00 7 April: 08.00-19.00 8 April: 08.15-19.00 8 April: 08.00-19.00

We look forward to welcoming you in Cannes, but first here are some tips to prepare your journey to MIPFormats

Prepare for MIPFormats in 4 steps Visit MIPFormats website to organise your travel • Book your transportation & accommodation with our partners to get the best deals.

• Book your taxi in advance with a fixed rate of €80 from the airport to Cannes (incl.motorway tax).

Prepare your agenda and meetings in advance

Your badge: your key to getting into MIPFormats

• Check out the programme of conferences, screenings, pitching sessions and note the networking events.

• Did you receive it by post?

Don’t forget to bring it with you.

Your MIPFormats badge also provides access to MIPDoc conferences.

•Y D Y c

• You only have your confirmation email Pick up your badge at the registration area, located in Croisette 18.

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• Log in to the Online Database to: - Fill out your profile and personalise your agenda.

- Browse participants and attending companies.

- Get meeting recommendations based on your business preferences.

- Send one-to-one messages to other delegates and organise business meetings.

• Save time with an e-ticket Sent to you by email, simply print it out to collect your badge, or alternatively download the mobile app and connect to your account to find your e-ticket.

Please carry your badge at all times, and be ready to show it at entry points around the show.

Your badge is strictly personal and non-transferable.

• Download the Mobile App.

Onsite meet decision makers and get an overview of the market trends Connect, learn & share

The International Format Pitch

MIPFormats Networking Cocktail

Japanese Formats Showcase

Saturday 7 April, 18.45-20.00 Debussy Theatre Open to all Sponsored by

Networking Daily Breakfasts Kick your day off by meeting fellow delegates over coffee & croissants.

Saturday 7 April, 09.00-10.00 Foyer Debussy Sunday 8 April, 08.15-09.00 Foyer Debussy

2 DAYS OF CONFERENCES, SCREENINGS, TRENDS & NETWORKING EVENTS

Treasure Box Japan: World Premiere Brand New Formats!

Followed by Snack lunch & Networking Saturday 7 April 12.20-14.10 Debussy Theatre In association with TREASURE BOX JAPAN

See the programme p.21 and plan your journey MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 28 • March 2018

Saturday 7 April 14.15-15.30 Debussy Theatre In association with

K-Formats: The next Big Hits from Korea Followed by Snack lunch & Networking Sunday 8 April 12.00-14.00 Debussy Theatre In association with

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You sho pe

nc e

Riviera 8 En tra

Beach

Riviera 7

your mipformats experience C15

Riviera 9

C17

General map of MIPFormats Access to Riviera 7, 8 & 9

Registration / Press Perimeter Registration MIPTV / Protocol C18

C16.B

C16.D C16.C

Security Checkpoint

Registration exit

Entrance No. 2

Entrance Canneseries

Sea

Entrance No. 3 Access Canneseries

Registration / Press Registration / Protocol

Entrance No. 1

13

C18

min

En tra

Majestic Hotel

C16.B

Entrance No. 2

Registration exit

Entrance No. 3 Access Canneseries

Palais 5

Organiser’s office

C16.A

Entrance Canneseries

C20

Entrance No. 5 Access to MIPFormats Debussy Theatre

Palais -1 to 5

Palais 4 rium dito Au re iè nd Gra Lum

The Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez

Access to Riviera 7, 8 & 9

C16.D C16.C

Palais -1 Riviera 7

Riviera 9 Entrance No. 4 Access Canneseries

min

Carlton Hotel

Palais 0

Debussy Theatre

C15 C17

10

Palais 1

Riviera 8

C20

Beach

La Croisette

rium dito Au ère i nd Gra Lum

MIPTV Badge holders only

Debussy Theatre: Palais 1 Palais 5Theatre: Palais 1 Foyer Debussy Auditorium A:4Palais 3 Palais Esterel Theatre: Palais 5 PalaisLounge: 3 MIPFormats Palais 5

Organiser’s C11 office

C16.A

Left Luggage

Palais -1 to 5 Conference & Content Zones

nc e

Entrance No. 1

Harbour

Palais 3 Palais 1 Palais 0 Palais -1

te

Train Station

Debussy Theatre

La Croisette

Entrance No. 4 Access Canneseries

10

min

Carlton Hotel

MIPTV shuttle

Entrance No. 5 Access to MIPFormats Debussy Theatre

Majestic Hotel

13

La C roise

min

tte

The Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez

Train Station

Onsite services

MIPDoc Screenings library

MIPFormats Lounge (Palais 5) • Coffee bar & Seaview Terrace

MIPFormats buyers can equally access the MIPDoc Screenings Library to screen Factual and Documentary programmes (on presentation of MIPFormats badge).

• A comfortable lounge for meetings

Location

Open to all participants.

In association with

La C roise t

JW Marriott Hotel 50 boulevard de la Croisette, Cannes

TREASURE BOX JAPAN

Foyer Debussy Theatre (Palais 1)

Screening hours • Saturday 7 April: 08.30 -19.00 • Sunday 8 April: 08.30 -19.00

Coffee bar & charging stations.

See you in Cannes!

Screening Reports Review the screening reports from dedicated stations available at MIPDoc. As a buyer, you can get your reports directly from the Screenings Library.

To access the reports, please log in using the login & password indicated on your badge. These reports will be sent to your email inbox (if you selected this in your contract) at the end of each day.

For further information: www.mipformats.com • Help desk: +33 (0)1 79 71 99 99

MIPFORMATS PREVIEW • 29 • March 2018

Harbour