Mipformats 2014 preview magazine

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PREVIEW MIPFORMATS KEYNOTE

Banijay’s Marco Bassetti 063_A+E_PV_FORMAT SEE PAGE 4

MIPFORMATS KEYNOTE

MIPFORMATS KEYNOTE

FremantleMedia’s Rob Clark

Shine’s Gary Carter

Live: 220 Trim: 230 Bleed: 240

SEE PAGE 4

PAWN STARS UK

SEE PAGE 6

ABBY’S ULTIMATE DANCE COMPETITION

Also inside: • New: scripted formats • The MIPFormats International Pitch with Warner Bros. • The Wit at MIPFormats • Formats for sale in Cannes • Hear from the formats experts • Formats and social media • And more...

BARTER KINGS™: THE GAME

FORMATS WITH CHARACTER MODERN DADS

THE MEN WHO BUILT AMERICA™

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A+E Networks’ hit franchises take viewers into little-known worlds with authentic, larger-than-life characters. Our expertise and creative talent can bring these successful character formats to life in your market.

F O R M AT S B Y:

Contact: Ellen.Lovejoy@aenetworks.com or visit sales.aenetworks.com to find out more.

At MIPTV Stand P3.C10

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MARCH 2014

mipformats

www.mipformats.com The official MIPFormats magazine

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MIPFormats 2014

THE DISCOVERY SHOWCASE FOR THE GLOBAL FORMATS COMMUNITY 5-6 April 2014, Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France

The place to find the latest industry trends and meet the people and companies that count in the format community.

CONFERENCES & EVENTS PROGRAMME MIPFORMATS TALKS: KEYNOTE SERIES Marco Bassetti (Banijay Group), Gary Carter (Shine Group) and Rob Clark (FremantleMedia) will take centre stage at MIPFormats to share how they take creative concepts and turn them into million dollar global hits.

SATURDAY 5 APRIL

SUNDAY 6 APRIL

10.30-11.00

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FRESH TV: ENTERTAINMENT & GAME SHOW PILOTS AND NEW HITS 11.10-11.50

THE PRODUCERS’ TOOLBOX:

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11.10-11.40

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10 POINTS TO DEFINE THE VALUE OF YOUR FORMAT

10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW FOR YOUR DIGITAL STRATEGY

12.00-12.30

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THE FORMATS FUTURE REPORT The 5 annual edition of the C21 in-depth market analysis charting 2014 and beyond

15.30-15.50

GRAND AUDI

15.00-15.30

15.45-16.45

9.40-10.20

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SPOT THE TALENTS: 4 NEW FORMATS/4 INDIES

10.30-11.45

11.50-12.20

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11.50-12.20

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HOW TO MAKE THE REVIVAL OF AN OLD SHOW? In partnership with the Entertainment Master Class

JAPANESE FORMATS SHOWCASE Treasure Box Japan: World Premiere - Brand New Formats!

12.35-13.25 13.25-14.15

MIPFORMATS LOUNGE

Followed by Snack Lunch & Networking

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FRESH TV: FACTUAL ENTERTAINMENT & REALITY PILOTS AND NEW HITS 14.50-15.30

THE PRODUCERS’ TOOLBOX:

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15.00-15.30

In partnership with FRAPA

GRAND AUDI

MARCO BASSETTI, CEO, BANIJAY GROUP

GRAND HYATT CANNES HOTEL MARTINEZ BEACH

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NEW FORMAT CASE STUDY: ‘RISING STARS’ 16.10-17.00

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2014: THE EXPLOSION OF SCRIPTED FORMATS

MIPFORMATS & MIPDOC OPENING PARTY Sponsored by ProMéxico

17.10-17.50

GRAND AUDI

FOCUS ON ISRAEL

MIPFormats thanks its Sponsors & Partners

In partnership with Club Galilée

15.40-16.00

GARY CARTER, CHAIRMAN, NORTHERN EUROPE & CHAIRMAN, SHINE 360°, SHINE GROUP ROB CLARK, DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT DEVELOPMENT, FREMANTLEMEDIA

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MEET THE FRENCH TALENTS

HOW TO MONETISE YOUR IP?

THE MIPFORMATS TALKS: THE KEYNOTES SERIES

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN ISRAEL

16.10-16.50

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THE PRODUCERS’ TOOLBOX:

NEW CASE STUDIES IN BRANDED CONTENT

17.00-17.40

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THE PRODUCERS’ TOOLBOX:

LATEST BUSINESS AND ARTISTIC TRENDS IN CHINA

18.00-18.40

Sponsors

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MIPFORMATS LOUNGE

14.15-14.45

THE BUYERS’ MATCHMAKING #1

17.00-18.30

From 19.00

GRAND AUDI

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NEW FORMAT CASE STUDY 16.00-16.40

THE BUYERS’ MATCHMAKING #2

FRESH TV SCRIPTED FORMATS

THE NEXT BIG HITS FROM KOREA By KOCCA

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MIPFORMATS LOUNGE

Sponsored by Warner Bros. International Television Production

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NEW FORMAT CASE STUDY: ‘UTOPIA’

8.45-9.45

MIPFORMATS INTERNATIONAL PITCH

In partnership with Nordic World

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SCHEDULE WATCH: WHAT DO BUYERS WANT?

THE BEST INDEPENDENT FORMATS FROM SCANDINAVIA AND THE NORDIC REGION SCREENING

15.10-15.30

10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE CREATING YOUR OWN FORMAT

In partnership with FRAPA

In partnership with the Entertainment Master Class

14.00-15.00

9.00-9.30

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HOW DIGITAL PROVIDES THE KEY TO THE NEXT HIT FORMATS? From 18.45

MIPFORMATS CLOSING DRINKS

FOYER GRAND AUDITORIUM

Sponsored by Sony Pictures Television

Premium Partner

Partners

As of 20th February 2014, subject to change.

Visit www.mipformats.com for detailed programme.

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CONTENTS iNEWS

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Keynote speakers; Fresh TV: Scripted Formats; The MIPFormats International Pitch; showcasing Asian formats

iPRODUCT NEWS

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For sale in Cannes: formats from around the world

i FEATURES

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Meet the experts 13 Formats experts from around the world give their views on this maturing business Formats and interactivity 17 Interactivity and social media are helping to drive format sales Scripted formats 19 An examination of this new category in the MIPFormats screenings

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NEWS Consumer is king as digital offers endless viewing opportunities

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YEAR after his appointment as CEO of the Banijay Group, Marco Bassetti is appearing at MIPFormats as a keynote speaker on Saturday, April 5 — day one of MIPFormats.

Following stints at Endemol Italia, which he founded in 1997, and five years as COO and CEO of the Endemol Group, Bassetti has a wealth of experience to draw on and a keen eye for market trends: “I’ll be concentrating on where the future of the formats industry lies, in terms of geography, genre, and adaptation, the kinds of creative partnerships that will be at its core, and the revenue streams that will fund it,” he told the MIPFormats Preview. “At five years old, Banijay Group is coming of age at the same time that the format industry faces a period of great change, so I will try to draw on my experience in the industry and refer to Banijay’s strategic direction in order to consider how the production and distribution sector will approach the coming challenges and opportunities, and

how existing companies can continue to be an important part of the value chain.”

He has no doubt that digital media will play a major role in future formats, as well as liberating new kinds of creativity. “It’s exciting that there are so many different platforms commissioning original content these days.

It has opened the door for many different kinds of ideas and certainly contributed positively to the overall creativity flow. But this is more than just an added bonus for the industry; consumers now want and expect entertainment content to speak to them directly, to be able to consume it when and how they like, and to be able to consume the same content in many different forms. Nowadays, the holy grail of formats is not just long-running TV shows, but entire brands, with a long tail extending into myriad multi-screen options.

That means that we need to think further and further outside of the box, so never has creativity been more important.”

Marco Bassetti: “Never has creativity been more important”

Scripted rules, but reality will return DIRECTOR of global entertainment development at FremantleMedia Rob Clark will share how FremantleMedia takes creative concepts and then turns them into global hits, in a keynote speech, also on Saturday, April 5.

In his speech he plans to build on the theme of globalisation of formats, both for buyers and producers. “It’s based on the fact that only a few years ago you could pretty much guarantee that a successful format would come out of a small number of well-established territories,” he said. “These days, we’re seeing a host of new players enter the arena from markets you’d never have previously considered.

The same is true of format sales. Our format brands are travelling further than ever before.

I want to explore why this is the case and what format owners need to do to capitalise on these changes, based on my experiences with FremantleMedia specifically and the wider industry in general.”

Clark said that the very creative period that television is experiencing is part cyclical, but also in part driven by the new digital tools now 4I

at the industry’s disposal. ”I genuinely believe that television is cyclical and that programme genres come in and out of fashion with audiences,” he said. “If you take a look at channel schedules around the world, scripted content is riding high and dramas are in huge demand by networks. That wasn’t the case a few years ago when reality shows were the genre du jour.

Fast forward a few years and we’ll see their resurgence once again.”

But digital tools are also contributing to the current flow of creativity. “Apps and online sites provide programme developers and producers with a range of new tools. These digital brand extensions help audiences find out more about what’s going on behind the scenes of a show, they can engage them in the on-screen content, or help them to interact with the programme — or one another — like never before.” He added: “Such new twists provide not only a new opportunity to bring in a new audience — particularly the elusive younger demographic — they also push the creativity of the programme makers.”

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FremantleMedia’s Rob Clark: ”I genuinely believe that television is cyclical”

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i NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF

THE 2014 MIPFORMATS INTERNATIONAL PITCH THE MIPFORMATS International Pitch offers delegates the opportunity to discover the most innovative concepts for new, non-scripted entertainment formats. Warner Bros.

International Television Production is committing up to €25,000 to develop the winning project.

Last year’s winner, Greg Logan, owner and executive producer at Australia’s Hatch Entertainment, said: “For a new company it was the best thing we could have done. It gave Hatch a global deal with Warner Bros. International Television Production for our format Big Again and has given us global exposure and recognition.” Since the pitch Logan has secured production partners in key markets. “By next MIP we will hopefully have a commissioned show.”

Warner’s Andrew Zein said: “MIPFormats has established itself as the world’s leading competition for new formats, and the last two in particular have delivered outstanding ideas from across the Warner’s Andrew Zein world.”

THE MIPFORMATS INTERNATIONAL PITCH Sunday, April 6 10.40 Grand Auditorium

SHOWCASING ASIAN FORMATS AMONG the many national showcases at MIPFormats, The Next Big Hits From Korea will present 12 new formats selected by The Wit, based on a selection sourced by KOCCA. Virginia Mouseler, CEO of The Wit, presents the session at 15.00 in Auditorium K on Saturday, April 5.

And delegates can hear of the latest formats to come out of Japan — the country that has given many hits to the world, including Dragon’s Den and Hole In The The Wall — during The Japanese Formats Showcase, at 12.35 in Auditorium A on Sunday April 6. The Showcase is followed by a snack lunch and networking session.

FRESH TV: SCRIPTED FORMATS Sunday, April 6 12.00 Auditorium A 6I

Shine’s Carter is on the look-out for game-changing formats

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HINE Group’s Gary Carter, chairman, Northern Europe and Shine 360, gives a MIPFormats keynote during which he will offer his views on the various ingredients that go to make a truly revolutionary format.

“My keynote will examine the pattern of ‘game changing’ entertainment formats over the last decade or so, and by doing so, try to understand the data in such a way that it might tell us some of the ways in which ‘the next big thing’ might change the business,” he said.

Gary Carter, chairman Carter is not a subscriber to Northern Europe and the much-vaunted ‘Golden Shine 360, Shine Group Age of TV’, but he does

have an unconventional take on what is currently happening, especially in the world of fiction: “Claims of golden ages presuppose a kind of perfection which never in fact exists. In any case the claim is usually made about fiction series in the current market, not entertainment, which is the focus of my presentation. On that subject, I don’t think we are living through a golden age — but the perception persists when, in fact, changes in fiction are being driven by the liberalisation of subject matter as more fiction is produced by the US cable market,” he said.

Mouseler examines the scripted boom coming out of Israel, and the Nordic countries, NEW THIS year at MIPFormats, The Wit’s for example.”

Virginia Mouseler presents a selection of Later during MIPTV Mouseler will present shows in the booming scripted formats gena Fresh Fiction session where she will distinre, including telenovelas, drama, comedy and guish between scripted formats and finished scripted reality formats. product. “I want to show the creativity in ficShe will reveal findings from a report from tion, the creativity in the finished work. I want The Wit published shortly before MIPTV that to show new fiction, new storylines and I don’t will examine this booming sector by territory. want to promise that they will be formats,” she “This is very exciting because it’s an explodsaid. “I think it’s really the new trend to push ing genre,” Mouseler told the MIPTV Preview. fiction into the formats world, but at “The report will list all the scripted shows that the same time it’s important not have been adapted for different territories to call everything a format and around the world — and will make some conto give credit to the creativity and clusions about what types of show adapt best to show that you can have speas scripted formats. And,” she added, “we are cific trends and ideas that are preparing some analytics about the quality, the linked to specific countries. numbers, the volume and the production valThere is fiction that can be ues as well.” exported as a finished prodMouseler said that just a uct easily — sometimes the few years ago the inVirginia Mouseler: “It’s local successes are very dustry wasn’t talkan exploding genre” linked to the culture of a ing about scriptcountry but some others e d for m at s . have international themes “And now, sudthat can be interesting. And denly they can maybe they will develop into come from anformats in a couple of years, ywhere — some but they can’t be called forreally successmats right away.” ful formats are

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PRODUCTNEWS The MIPFormats Preview highlights some of the content on sale from around the world at MIPFormats and onwards at MIPTV

ZEE BOLLYWORLD

RED ARROW INTERNATIONAL

ZDF ENTERPRISES

SAFETY First is a comedy format from the creator of Emmy-award winning Benidorm Bastards, a workplace mockumentary set in a security company. Fired from his job as a security guard and desperate to prove himself, Dirk Porrez sets up his own security company Safety First. The show premiered on Belgium’s VTM and a second and third season have already been commissioned. Red Arrow also brings factual entertainment format House Rules, where six couples exchange keys with their competitors and have seven days to transform the entire house the best they can.

The couple judged to have won has their mortgage paid off. A second season is in production for Australia’s Seven Network, as is a French version.

A QUIZ show that brings together two teams of celebrities, Dalli Dalli is a format that consists of quick-fire guessing rounds and competitions that require creativity to solve tricky problems, all judged by a jury of three, plus extra points when the host asks the enthusiastic audience “Do you think that was ... great?” The popular German format is brought to Cannes by ZDF Enterprises.

Safety First (Red Arrow International)

Dalli Dalli (ZDF Enterprises)

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ZEE BOLLYWORLD brings its first home-grown format to the international market at MIPTV. Dance talent show Dance India Dance has a huge fan following in India. Promising dancers compete with each other with guidance from well-known Bollywood choreographers with their destiny decided by public vote. The 90-minute format is available for the show that already boasts four seasons, several variations and has also inspired a Bollywood movie.

100% DISTRIBUTION PARIS-based distributor 100% Distribution showcases entertainment format My First Love (32 x 40 mins) at MIPTV. The dating show reintroduces single people to their first love to see if long-lost romance can be reignited, even after 10, 20 or 35 years. From production house Little Big Prod, the series has found success on TF1 for three seasons.

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My First Love (100% Distribution)

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iPRODUCTNEWS ZODIAK RIGHTS

GLOBAL AGENCY

THE FORMAT for hidden-camera show Temptation Test (10 x 60 mins), produced and broadcast by Chilevision, is brought to the attention of the international market by London-based Zodiak Rights. Each week, three suspicious sweethearts test their relationships by placing their partners in elaborate honeytraps while their girlfriend or boyfriend watch via hidden cameras. Loyalty is rewarded with cash prizes. After each set-up the couples are brought face to face.

The Temptation Test (Zodiak Rights)

SINGING talent show Keep Your Light Shining, launched at MIPCOM last year by Turkey’s Global Agency, sees 12 unknown contestants compete for their chance in the spotlight. Each round has one song shared between the contestants with little time to shine before they may be eliminated. The judges can step in and save a few, but elimination is fast and furious. The show is in development with broadcasters from Australia, China, France, Germany, Italy, MENA, Pakistan, Spain and the US. Global Agency also brings Rivals In Law, a cooking show based around the family, where a man must choose between dishes cooked by his partner and mother-in-law.

Keep Your Light Shining (Global Agency)

ITV STUDIOS GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT

RTVE RTVE — Corporacion Radio Television Espanola — brings what it calls an “emotainment” format called Together to showcase in Cannes. The show is a public-service format that channels requests for help and offers of help in various spheres, with a remit to encourage solidarity within society. RTVE also brings quiz show Knowing And Winning, a half-hour format in which three contestants battle it out in rounds testing cultural knowledge and mental agility.

ELECTUS INTERNATIONAL CALIFORNIA-based Electus brings the series and format Food Fighters (8 x 60 mins) to MIPTV. The company bills Food Fighters as part game show, part cooking competition. Host Adam Richman gives amateur cooks the chance to test their skills against professional chefs when they both attempt the amateur’s signature dish. Both versions are then judged by a dinner party composed of members of the public. With each victory, the cash prize for the home cooks gets bigger as they try to out-cook the professional chefs. Electus also brings the series and format for bounty hunter show Dog And Beth On The Hunt (season one, 1 x 120 mins/90 mins, 21 x 60 mins; season two, 11 x 60 mins).

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Food Fighters (Electus International)

IN THE auditions for cooking format Game Of Chefs, the professional chefs blind-taste dishes made by hundreds of amateurs and the contestants who make it through that stage have to compete to impress the chefs over a series of culinary challenges. The head chefs then create their own teams and mentor them through a series of gastronomic battles where they cater for guests who judge the food. After weekly eliminations the final three contestants compete to determine who will win. The format was developed by The Lab, a joint venture between ITV Studios and Reshet, for Reshet channel in Israel, and is brought to MIPTV by ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

Game Of Chefs (ITV Studios Global Entertainment)

FREMANTLEMEDIA INTERNATIONAL FREMANTLEMEDIA has acquired the global format rights to Fittest Family, a six-part series that follows 12 super-fit families who complete to win the title of the nation’s fittest family, as well as a cash prize. In each episode, four sporting legends are assigned to mentor the families, working on fitness, dietary plans and coaching them to elite levels. The families take part in extreme challenges and tough endurance courses across the nation, and each week the weakest families are eliminated, until one family is left standing. Created by Animo TV and Kite Entertainment, Fittest Family is based on an original idea by Irish sporting icon, the retired hurler Davy Fitzgerald and his business partner James Sexton.

NORDIC WORLD NORDIC World, the programme sales alliance established and owned by Nordic broadcasters TV2 Norway and TV4 Sweden, showcases Away With A Stranger in Cannes, a show that sees four strangers with very different ideas take a holiday together. The vacationers take it in turns to plan 24 hours of the vacation — from what time to get up, what and where they eat and what activities they do. At the end of each day the other three score their experiences and at the end of the trip the contestant with the highest score takes the prize of another holiday — but this time with a friend of their choice.

Fittest Family (FremantleMedia International)

ARMOZA FORMATS I CAN Do That! (12 x 90/120 mins) is a primetime show which takes a group of eight celebrities and challenges them to choose show-stopping performances each week and prove that there’s nothing they can’t do. The series has now been sold to over 15 territories, including RAI (Italy), Mediaset (Spain), Rede Record (Brazil) and Frecuencia Latina (Peru). The Israeli formats specialist is also launching Celebrity Battle, another primetime entertainment format (1 x 90/120 mins), where producers and star singers team up to be crowned the country’s champion singer. Both productions spring from Armoza’s partnership with China’s JSBC. Also launching at MIPTV is on-location 30-minute game show Pull Over, where a policeman pulls a car over, but instead of being given a ticket, passengers are given the chance to win a new car by participating in a game show.

NOVOVISION YOU’RE Cooked! is a format that has elements of a reality show as far as its participants are concerned – but which turns out to be a candid camera show. Participants believe they are engaged in a culinary competition to win a vacation and a training period in the kitchens of the celebrity chef who oversees the show. When in fact they are the unwitting stars of a candid camera show in which unpredictable or disastrous things could happen at any time in the kitchen, where the chef is an actor and some of the candidates are their accomplices. Paris-based Novovision anticipates that eventually the format would move to other genres of reality shows, including home improvement, dating or makeovers, to keep the idea fresh.

SMALL WORLD IFT

I Can Do That! (Armoza Formats)

Away With A Stranger (Nordic World)

ABSOLUTELY INDEPENDENT

LOS ANGELES- and London-based formats company Small World IFT debuts factual entertainment adventure format Grandpas Over Flowers to the international market in Cannes.

Originally developed by CJ E&M for tvN, South Korea — where the season one finale set a ratings record — Grandpas Over Flowers features four veteran stars and their young porter as they hit the road on a backpacking trip. The group travels on a limited budget with a list of places to visit and things to do, all in a short amount of time. A second season has been commissioned in South Korea.

A MARKET priority for Amsterdam-based Absolutely Independent is Sweet Sardinia, a reality format from Italy’s Showlab. In the show eight couples travel to Sardinia on board a galleon for a trip designed to test their compatibility as partners. Over a period of six weeks their love is tested with a series of challenges on board and on land, some reflecting the traditions and customs of Sardinia. Each week the ship docks at a different port on the island and the couples have to face a jury that decides which are the two weakest couples who have to compete in a final challenge in order to win their place back on board.

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MIPTV速 is a registered trademark of Reed Midem - All rights reserved.

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FEATURE EXPERTS

Make way for a new generation Grandpa’s Over Flowers (Small World)

The global formats industry has never been in better shape.

But it has also, arguably, never been more conservative, with broadcasters preferring to stick with the tried and trusted rather than chancing their luck on the new and risky. Joanna Stephens asks the experts what’s going on AVI ARMOZA • FOUNDER AND CEO • ARMOZA FORMATS consolidation, companies are becoming ever more risk“Prioritise the local format averse, which is further stifling creativity. So, ironically, over international potential” “THERE are two major challenges facing the formats industry. The first is the need to bring together two opposing forces — creativity and commerce — in order to be successful. When dealing with creative products like TV formats, you are dealing with the unknown, which means there will always be risks. However, the world of business likes facts and guarantees. And, with increasing industry

as viewers become more comfortable with riskier shows, so the industry is becoming less open to risk.

“I think risk-taking is one of the reasons why Israel is currently being described as the hottest formats market in the world. Culturally, the Israelis are used to living with uncertainty, which means we are more open to taking the risks necessary to create groundbreaking shows.

After all, the formats industry is the business of ‘not

Armoza Formats’ Avi Armoza: “The more local your format, the more universal it will end up being”

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i FEATURE knowing’ — no matter what you do, you can never be 100% sure that your show will be a hit.

“My advice is always prioritise the local format over international potential. It’s important not to focus on creating a show that pleases everyone, because you’ll try to include too many elements and that will jeopardise your format’s authenticity. Rather, make

sure your format feels genuine and compelling to your local audience. Once you have set up the original format for success in its home territory, then you can identify the relevant elements that need to be adapted for cultural relevance. The more local and specific your format, the more universal it will end up being.”

“Israel is currently being described as the hottest formats market in the world” Avi Armoza

UTE BIERNAT • CEO • UFA SHOW & FACTUAL “We need some modern fairytales”

the end of your show. Even if your pilot’s commissioned, it’s likely to be pulled after three episodes if it fails to make the “WHAT German formats are missing at numbers. This makes everybody very cau“I believe we the moment is fun. It’s not that we need tious, which isn’t fruitful. Creative riskmore game shows, per se, or more factu- need a radical taking doesn’t thrive in a culture where, al or more reality — we need a different rethink of how if you make one mistake, you’re out of attitude. Everything’s got very serious or we bring the game. So I believe we need a radical very silly on German television. I’d like rethink of how we bring content on air content on air” to see more humour, optimism and lightand make that first connection with the ness. We need some modern fairytales Ute Biernat viewer. with happier endings.

“Traditionally, Germany has lived main“There’s no hard and fast formula as to ly on format imports. This last year, howwhat makes a format successful. You need to have the ever, UFA has instigated a think tank in co-operation right characters in front of camera and the right talent be- with several broadcasters, with the aim of co-develophind it. But it’s more than the right combination of ideas, ing concepts that will excite and engage our audienctalent, casting and timing; it’s also about broadcast cul- es — and ideas that are also big enough to travel. The ture. In Germany, for example, the piloting process for English-speaking territories have a language advantage new shows is particularly brutal. There’s no test period, over Germany when it comes to exporting their formats. like the US sweeps. Here, you’re given one shot in one slot But if you have a great idea, it can break through the bar— and if that shot doesn’t instantly hit the target, that’s riers of language, geography and culture.”

UFA Show & Factual’s Ute Biernat: time for “a radical rethink”

ROB CLARK • DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT DEVELOPMENT • FREMANTLEMEDIA “That said, something will break through at some point.

“I’m tipping game shows as It always does. I’m personally pretty excited about our the next hot genre” “THE QUESTION facing us all, as we try to work out how the tectonic plates of the global formats industry are shifting, is not only where the next big format will come from, but how it will break through. These days, it’s not just a case of finding a concept that’s returnable, scalable, transferrable and capable of playing the major markets. It also needs to cut through the competition. Part of the problem is that the shows that were successful are still successful. The super-formats like The Voice and Got Talent continue to draw huge audiences, which means there’s no incentive for broadcasters to replace them. So I don’t think the market’s lacking in creativity — there’s a lot of exciting programming around.

The problem, if anything, is there are too many successful formats out there already.

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MIPTV headliner Fittest Family. There are several reasons why I think it’ll be huge. Firstly, it’s warm, inclusive and family-oriented. There’s no doubt that, to break through in prime, you need a show with a broad viewer base — you have to please your plus-55s while also titillating your teenagers. Secondly, it’s topical, in that obesity and keeping fit is a hot topic right now. And I also love the idea of merging sport with entertainment, which is famously difficult to do but is incredibly powerful if you can pull it off. I think Fittest Family does.

“As to the future, I’m tipping game shows as the next hot genre. There’s nothing better than games for engaging audiences online. By the end of this year, I predict that we’ll be seeing some interesting developments in this area.”

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FremantleMedia’s Rob Clark: “There’s a lot of exciting programming around”

Make way for a new generation TIM CRESCENTI • PRESIDENT • SMALL WORLD IFT to come to Cannes with concepts that buyers will look at “There are still wonderful, original and think, ‘Oooh, that’s different. I haven’t seen that four properties out there” “THE US market is pretty stagnant right now. Other than character-driven Kardashian-type reality and — shoot me now — the big studio talent shows, there’s not much going on in formats. There’s also minimal risk-taking, which is frustrating and why we’re seeing a lot of the same old, same old. But you have to keep on shining a light creatively, if only for the viewers, who aren’t nearly as risk-averse as the broadcasters. I tell myself that people weren’t looking for electricity when somebody invented it. And look at Millionaire: 15 years ago, no US network would have touched a primetime game show, and yet the BBC risked it.

“For all that, Small World has just had its best year ever.

It’s true the competition is getting tougher and it takes more persistency to break through, but there are still a lot of wonderful, original properties out there. We aim

times already this market…’

“A format that definitely fits that criterion is our big MIPTV push, a Korean-originated show called Grandpa’s Over Flowers, which challenges a team of celebrity grandfathers to backpack across Europe on a budget. It’s heart-warming, it’s funny and it’s been a huge hit in Korea, where it’s pulled in audiences across the demographics, from teens to Baby Boomers.

“If I were in control of the airwaves, I’d insist on a little more taste and positivity; more characters that inspire and amuse rather than depress and dishearten. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the formats that have done best for us over the last year — The Fan, 3 Idiots, The Night Patrol — focus on humour and relationships and strong, upbeat characters.”

Small World IFT’s Tim Crescenti: “a little more taste and positivity”

TONYIA DOWLING • HEAD OF FORMAT DEVELOPMENT • RTE our music, literature, art and film. Now, driven in part by “I see a formats step RTE’s Format Farm co-financing initiative, we’ve addchange on the horizon” “WE’RE at a seminal moment in the TV formats game.

Many of the juggernaut brands that have underpinned the global market — The X Factor, Got Talent, Big Brother — are winding down and this is opening up opportunities. I see a formats step change on the horizon.

These brands became big when TV scheduling dictated viewer behaviour, but that’s not the case any more. Today, viewers are masters of their own viewing. That trend is only going to intensify and it will significantly influence what and how formats come to prominence.

“That said, audiences haven’t changed that much — only the way they view. Viewers are still looking for great, engaging entertainment that will inspire, surprise and move them. And that’s still what gets the buyers talking, too.

“In the last couple of years, Ireland has become something of a formats sweet spot. We’ve long been known for

ed formats to our creative credentials. Also, because we broadcast in the footprint of the UK, Irish producers and broadcasters have always aspired to emulate the UK’s high creative standards, albeit without the same resources. As a result, we’ve become pretty nimble at delivering big-budget quality on a shoestring.

“The Irish love stories about transformational life experiences, which is reflected in our factual entertainment line-up for MIPTV. I’m particularly excited about two of the pilots to have come out of the 2013 Format Farm — Independent Pictures’ social/community challenge The Give Or Take Club, distributed by Endemol, and Tyrone Productions’ The Speech. The latter tackles fear of public speaking by providing coaching to a nervous best man, who ends up giving a spellbinding performance. Both are great shows with the potential to journey into people’s lives, communities, homes and hearts.”

RTE’s Tonyia Dowling: “Ireland has become a formats sweet spot”

COLMAN HUTCHINSON • CREATIVE DIRECTOR • BOXATRICKS increasingly means thinking outside of your home mar“There’s a massive world ket. You can have a fantastic new primetime show, but if out there — don’t ignore it” “THE CHALLENGE for us format creators is coming up with something new and different that doesn’t scare broadcasters. Ask any commissioner what they want and they’ll tell you they’re looking for the Next Big Thing. But you don’t want to make them feel uncomfortable by pitching them something too bold. That’s the essential conflict and it’s not an easy one to solve. Our approach is to say, ‘Look, we have a lot of experience in game shows. The Boxatricks team has created two of the biggest TV brands of the last 15 years — Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and The Weakest Link — so have a bit of trust and let’s develop this together.’

“Another challenge is getting your format away and that

that slot’s dominated domestically by the likes of Strictly and Got Talent, chances are you’re wasting your time. So you have to look elsewhere. The truth is there’s a massive world out there and you’re doing yourself and your formats a disservice if you ignore it.

“That’s why we’re particularly excited about our new first-look and co-development partnership with Nordic World, which gives us the potential to get our formats on air in the Nordic territories. These days, it doesn’t really matter where your format breaks through and I’d be just as delighted with a hit in Scandinavia as I would be with one in the UK, the US or India. In the end, I just want my shows on air and giving pleasure to people.”

Boxatricks’ Colman Hutchinson: “have a bit of trust”

www.mipformats.com I preview magazine I March 2014 I 15

i FEATURE

Make way for a new generation

FUMIO NARASHIMA • SENIOR CORPORATE OFFICER, PROGRAMME SALES AND DEVELOPMENT • NHK ENTERPRISES health and food are interesting to people everywhere, so “Japan is a formats battlefield” “BUYERS see Japan as a treasure trove of formats. We have five nationwide commercial networks, which compete fiercely for audience share. That competition is the driving force behind the creation of formats — from long shows to interstitials — that are entertaining, innovative and full of thrills.

“As a result, Japan is a formats battlefield. Our broadcasters are much more inclined to create their own shows than to buy formats from overseas. They air pilots late at night or as seasonal specials to gauge viewer reaction. If a segment doesn’t work, it’s quickly replaced with another. That’s the kind of warzone in which our format players must survive.

“NHK’s speciality is education and science. One of our strengths is the ability to inform viewers about difficult subjects in ways that are fun and accessible. Medical care,

IZZET PINTO • CEO • GLOBAL AGENCY “We need to tackle the problem of copycat formats” “TURKEY is a major buyer of international formats and almost all the mega-brands — Survivor, Got Talent, The Voice, Millionaire — have been produced in Turkey.

Talent shows continue to draw large primetime audiences, and dating, shopping and style-driven formats perform well in the daytime schedules. But quiz shows — with the honourable exception of Millionaire — tend to do badly. Meanwhile, scripted formats are becoming increasingly popular. In recent years, The OC, The Killing and Revenge have all been successfully reversioned for Turkey.

“Our home-grown formats usually have a family focus.

In fact, the first Turkish format to make a splash abroad was our matchmaking show Perfect Bride, in which mothers choose brides for their sons. That’s a typically Turkish tradition, but it’s a concept that resonates with

we’ve started joining hands with producers in Europe and the US with a view to developing local formats in those genres. We’ve also just produced our first science format outside of Japan, which we co-produced with Thai public broadcaster MCOT. It’s called The New Anatomy Show and it offers an intriguing glimpse into the familiar yet miraculous world of the human body.

“At MIPTV, we are part of the MIPFormats Treasure Box Japan showcase, which will feature formats from eight Japanese broadcasters. Treasure Box is a valuable chance to see the latest formats from one of the most dynamic format-creating nations in one place. We are unveiling a new cookery format in which chefs will be asked to cook a recipe that they have never seen before. It’s a must-see for format buyers.” many other cultures. We’re also strong in formats that blend competition with reality, like our MIPTV headliners Keep Your Light Shining, Bring ‘Em Back and Is That Really Your Voice, all of which are singing formats with reality elements.

“Moving forward, we need to tackle the problem of copycat formats. The main elements of too many global hits are being stolen, given a few twists and re-presented to the market as original concepts. I’d like to see format creators given better protection and compensation by the courts. And I’d also urge broadcasters not to acquire copycat shows. That would solve the problem and allow the format industry to concentrate on what it should be doing: being creative and coming up with fresh ideas. Since the launch of The Voice, we haven’t seen a major global hit — although entirely objectively, of course, I believe Keep Your Light Shining is set to be the Next Big Thing…”

NHK Enterprises’ Fumio Narashima: “entertaining, innovative and full of thrills”

Global Agency’s Izzet Pinto: time to “be creative”

KAROLINE SPODSBERG • MANAGING DIRECTOR • BANIJAY INTERNATIONAL “Nobody is unaware of the impact of the digital, VOD and “Look at everything with a format eye” “SCANDINAVIA is a unique territory. Throughout its culture, creativity is valued highly. In schools, students are taught to be unafraid of breaking boundaries and challenging authority. This influences everything in Scandinavian society — and also, of course, the TV industry, where risk-taking and creative courage are embraced by both producers and broadcasters.

“Another interesting aspect is that Scandinavian public broadcasters are in a strong position and well resourced, which means commissioners can afford to take chances.

Our MIPCOM launch Mentor, a talent format that breaks all the rules, is a good example of this. Nordisk Film TV Denmark took the idea to public broadcaster DR, which backed it because it embodied its values while also offering compelling entertainment — a combination that DR was struggling to find on the international market.

16 I

SVOD platforms on television. As a viewer, I find this extremely exciting. But as a distributor, there are questions that need to be negotiated in terms of rights management and funding models. In the past, distributors would take on formats at the commissioning or even broadcast stage.

Now, we are increasingly expected to be financially involved in projects from the development stage in order to secure rights. You could say this means we have a shot at bringing the best new formats to market. But it also means we are taking on more risk than in the past, along with most responsibility to our producer partners.

“My advice is: don’t be scared to diversify. There’s a lot more to formats these days than traditional game shows and reality. So look at everything that crosses your desk with a format eye. Recent hits have shown that anything, from character-driven docu-soaps to scripted comedy and drama, can be a lucrative sales opportunity.”

preview magazine I March 2014 I www.mipformats.com

Banijay International’s Karoline Spodsberg: “Don’t be scared to diversify”

i FEATURE FORMATS AND INTERACTIVITY

No time to be anti-social Around 20 years ago, formats started a revolution in the TV industry and today constitute a sizeable percentage of the global TV business. But while interactivity is helping to drive format sales, it does not always help them to cross borders.

Gary Smith reports

I

N TERMS of their ability to generate high levels of programme trading, formats must count as one of the most significant TV milestones of the last 30 years.

Perhaps one of the few innovations that comes close to matching the impact of formats is the recent marriage of programming with social media.

But there is a fundamental difference between formats and social media. A format is, by its very nature, a template on to which a national or regional identity can be stamped. For all its ‘globality’, social media is not a template and it does not bend to the will of the people wishing to employ it. Quite the opposite, in fact.

However, in the last five years, the rise and rise of interactivity and the social networks has swept all before it. This is typified by the fact that sales deals for Downton Abbey — that most traditional of TV drama series — include a social-media bible containing what to tweet and when to tweet it. At which point, one has to ask if any new show would dare not to include some modicum of social media.

“I still hear of shows being made without it,” says Peter Cowley, founder and CEO of multiplatform content company Spirit Digital Media. “And if it hasn’t been included in the development process, it’s very difficult to then include it in any meaningful way, because it has to be thoroughly integrated.”

At root, digital interactivity is the way in which viewers consume their TV today. It is the latest way to retain audiences through participation and emotional investment.

Cowley suggests that Rising Star, Keshet’s talent format featuring digital and social-media elements, has “woken up a lot of people who were previously indifferent to what social media might be able to do for them”. He adds: “And we are currently seeing more demand for formats with much greater levels of engagement.”

Mad On Chelsea, produced by Spirit Digital Media with Monkey Kingdom, is a spin-off of the hit UK show Made In Chelsea. It is based entirely on the social-media chatter generated by its parent series. “Mad On Chelsea would not exist without the ability to harvest all the chatter around Made In Chelsea,” Cowley says. “For example, Jamie Laing, one of the stars of the show, tweeted that he was thinking about going on Mad On Chelsea naked if enough people voted for it. And they did — so he kept his word.”

I Want To Have A Million Friends (ohm.tv)

“Ironically, I believe we need to go back to the idea of starting on one platform and getting the show right before adding the technology” Simon Ingram

But selling formats laden with social media is complex.

“Our sales people are saying that there is growing demand for shows with social-media features, especially game shows and reality series,” Cowley says. “But no one wants to pay extra, even if they are able to gain previously undreamt of levels of insight into audience behaviour.”

The appeal of social media is all the stronger when you consider the way in which TV is currently being polarised, with increasing swathes of the audience watching either on-demand or live events. Simon Ingram, CEO of bespoke technology provider ionoco, points to Comedy Central’s @midnight as a show with one foot in the future. “It’s a daily show that derives its material from www.mipformats.com I preview magazine I March 2014 I 17

i FEATURE

Spirit Digital Media’s Peter Cowley: “greater levels of engagement”

Ionoco’s Simon Ingram: “Every broadcaster now insists on social media”

Red Arrow’s Omri Marcus: “understand the DNA of the social networks”

Monterosa’s Tom McDonnell: “be authentic rather than generic”

Ohm:tv’s Joris Eckelkamp: “The younger audience expects it” 18 I

No time to be anti-social events like when Madonna posted a picture of her son A pilot of Marcus’ format Eye Contact, in which a womwith bottles of gin and vodka in front of him,” he says. an chooses a date from five men based on how they are “The show is all about online noise. It features [60-sec- perceived by her friends and family (each one is wearing ond game slot] Hashtag Wars and the best viewer com- a camera when the man meets them), has just been produced in Germany. ments are featured prominently on the show.”

Ingram believes that a lot of producers are currently trying too hard, spreading ideas across the maximum num- Given that interactivity is also a gateway to amassing inber of platforms out of a sense of obligation rather than sight into audience behaviour in ways that would have because the core idea requires it. “Ironically, I believe cost a lot only a few years ago, it would, says Monterosa’s we need to go back to the idea of starting on one plat- CEO Tom McDonnell, be rather odd not to include it in form and getting the show right before adding the tech- your format. “You’d have to have a pretty good reason not to include some elements if you wanted to attract innology,” he says.

Currently, however, Ingram’s back-to-basics message is ternational business because, when selling a format these being largely ignored in the rush to interactivity. “Every days, you are also selling its interactivity and its data-capbroadcaster now insists on a social-media element and if ture possibilities,” he says. “The crucial thing is that the it isn’t there, they’re not buying. Broadcasters think they interactive elements provide experiences that people alwant a 360-degree multiplatform approach but, in reality, ready want to have. That means being authentic rather it’s about being flexible. In format terms, the strongest ar- than generic. By that I mean that the interactivity has to eas currently are crowdfunded auctions, game shows that come from the core of the show and therefore be part of pit contestants against viewers, and even augmented re- its DNA.” Monterosa’s LViS platform is curality that brings the real world into rently being used by Norwegian the studio. For example, we have a and Canadian broadcasters but, product called Matrix, which can rather than enhancing formats, it display the faces of a 10 million“We are storytellers. is augmenting the live-sport expeperson audience on a screen in the The technology is rience. “It’s relatively easy to use, studio.” merely another platform-agnostic and cost-effecIocono has recently produced a pilot means to do what tive,” McDonnell says. “TV2 in for Yahoo! called Spin The Bottle.

Norway has been testing it around “It’s celebrities doing challenges that good TV always did” handball matches and will be usare determined by the audience on Omri Marcus ing it during the Winter Olympics, Twitter,” Ingram says. “But it’s not and a major Canadian broadcaster just about tweets — it’s about the is also now deploying it. I think it’s viewer controlling the stage.” entirely fair to say that, as adding interactivity gets easiOmri Marcus, a consultant and producer for Red Arrow, er, quicker and cheaper, it can only help the international also points to Rising Star as a seminal series: “It’s amaz- format business to grow.” ing to see how that show has caught the imagination of Ohm:tv’s CEO Joris Eckelkamp sees a generational gap so many TV industry professionals. I would also point to as being one barrier to interactivity. “The younger audiArmoza Formats’ The Green Project as being a great ex- ence expects it,” he says. “But in Germany last year, a faample of technology creating high production values for mous drama series launched featuring a whole raft of interactive elements to widespread indifference from the a very reasonable budget.”

In terms of interactivity, Marcus believes a new wave of audience, simply because they didn’t expect it.” social-media integration is under way. “We are now see- A format like ohm:tv’s I Want To Have A Million Friends, ing shows that understand the DNA of the social net- would be unthinkable without social media, Eckelkamp works, such as My 5000 Friends and Rising Star,” he says. adds. The show is a daily internet-only series and, while “They are good examples of social media being integrat- that is practical from a cost point of view, it is not always a good sales pitch. “TV people were looking at I Want ed into linear TV.” There is, however, a fundamental conflict between the To Have A Million Friends, purely as an internet-based very nature of social media and that of TV. “The inter- show,” he says. “But we have now sold it to a Chinese pronet is such an individual experience and TV is the op- ducer and, when it goes on air, we will be able to show posite,” Marcus points out. “But the fact is that people how the broadcast and internet aspects work together, now use the web to announce what they’re watching, and and how formats like this can bring that section of the it becomes part of their identity. So as a producer, I aim audience that had been lost to the internet back to TV.” Eckelkamp has also just signed Neue Panorama Film’s to make shows that people would either be proud to say they watch, or happy to admit that it’s one of their guilty webcam dating format Love Game. “It doesn’t need a trapleasures. But ultimately, nothing has changed. We are ditional broadcaster, it’s a very international idea, and we storytellers. The technology is merely another means to are thinking of making an English-only version for VOD platforms with a multi-country audience,” he says. do what good TV always did.”

preview magazine I March 2014 I www.mipformats.com

i FEATURE IDEAS THAT TRAVEL

The plots thicken What separates the scripted-format hits from the misses?

While nothing in life is guaranteed, Andy Fry discovers there are some basic rules that can help to increase a format’s chances of success

Sam Witwer and Kristen Hager in the US version of Being Human

T

thing you have to do is identify the HE LAST few years have core promise.” witnessed some notable “The first thing you In the case of Sons & Daughters, scripted-format successes have to do is identify “the inciting incident is a boy and — Homeland and The Bridge, to the core promise” girl falling in love, then discovername but two. But it’s fair to say ing they are related. That is the that a few adaptations have failed Emma Turner universally recognised theme that to live up to the hype, while apmakes the show a format. After pearing to have all the necessary ingredients. Scripted formats is a new screening category running for most of the 1980s in Australia, it was remade at MIPFormats this year. So what’s the secret of a success- in Germany [where it is still on air after two decades], Sweden, Greece, Italy, Croatia and Bulgaria. The Bridge ful scripted format?

FremantleMedia’s senior executive producer of worldwide isn’t one of our shows, but the core theme in that case is drama, Emma Turner, says: “We have built up a lot of ex- the idea of conflicting relationships between neighbourperience down the years with titles like Men Behaving ing territories.”

Badly, Man About The House, The Restless Years [aka Assuming you have your “core promise”, then there’s alGood Times, Bad Times], Sons & Daughters and, more ways a chance that your show will stand up to scrutiny as recently, Wentworth. What we’ve learned is that the first a format — though it needs to be in tune with the cultural www.mipformats.com I preview magazine I March 2014 I 19

i FEATURE nuances of the acquiring market. “We think in terms of with years of experience in adapting formats both for the clustering,” Turner says, “so there are relationships like Latin American market and from it. “The first thing you Scandinavia-UK-US and Turkey-Middle East, which need is an honest discussion between the format-owner and the team doing the adaptation,” he says. “Every have a cultural logic to them.”

This point is also true for Latin America, which has both country is different, so you need to make sure expectaa cultural and a linguistic logic to it. Televisa Mexico, tions are the same on both sides. Issues you need to disfor example, has just commissioned a local version of cuss could include culture, timeslot, network, budget and Colombian comedy Pobres Rico (From Riches To Rags), episode frequency. As an example, we are making a local which debuted on Colombian broadcaster RCN. This version of Warner Bros.’ medical drama ER. We are dojourney is similar to the one taken by Betty La Fea, which ing it as a daily show, not a weekly show, which means we will reduce the number of patient stories per episode and also went from RCN to Televisa. focus more on the doctors.”

While clustering is a useful rule of Typically, Cilley says, a successful thumb, you also need to be on the adaptation will need involvement look out for changes in society that “The first thing you from the writers/producers of the might make a format become relneed is an honest original version, a production conevant, Turner adds. “A good exdiscussion between sultant/flying producer and a local ample is Birds Of A Feather, a writing/production team. “The loUK sitcom that was set against the format-owner cal team is the one that knows what the backdrop of the UK economand the team doing the local audience wants and exic boom in the 1990s. We’ve just the adaptation” pects. But the originators have an sold that to Lithuania, which is exGonzalo Cilley important role in keeping the story periencing something similar right on track,” he adds. “In my experinow.” ence, the formats that go wrong are This chimes with the views of Catherine Stryker, New York-based head of sales for the where the format-owner tries to impose itself too much, Turkish distributor Global Agency. “Turkish storytelling or where it is not involved at all. The ideal situation is a tends to feature a strong central romance and complex fluent conversation.” relationships between extended family members. Shows This is particularly true when there are a lot of episodes, regularly feature storylines where there is conflict be- Cilley says: “The local team might be tempted to change tween traditional and modern lifestyles. This makes them something in episode 10 because it works better for their instantly relatable to countries with similar audiences, of- market. But if you have input from the original version, they can warn you if that’s going to create a problem when ten found in emerging markets such as Latin America.” you get to episode 60.”

Assuming you have a formattable idea, the next issue is Sony Pictures Television senior vice-president of scripthow to manage the logistics of adaptation, says Resonant ed development and production Jeff Lerner comes at this TV founder Gonzalo Cilley, an Argentinean producer discussion from the other side of the negotiating table,

MICE, a story about a sleeping KGB cell, from Keshet

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preview magazine I March 2014 I www.mipformats.com

THE KESHET FORMULA KESHET International — a division of Israeli broadcaster Keshet — first made headlines when its Prisoners Of War format was turned into Fox US megahit Homeland. But since then, it has gone on to clinch a number of other high-profile deals.

“We are just going to pilot stage with USA networks on MICE, a story about a sleeping KGB cell,” says Keshet International’s managing director, Alon Shtruzman. “The pilot, which is being written by Peter Berg, is based on The Gordin Cell.”

Also in the works is Dig, a Keshet idea that is being remade for NBC Universal by Tim Kring (Heroes). In this case, the story follows an FBI agent stationed in Jerusalem who, while investigating the murder of an archaeologist, starts to unravel a 2,000-year-old conspiracy with modern-day implications.

All of the above ideas fall into the action-adventure camp, but Shtruzman does not believe scripted formats are limited by genre. “We are also talking to the international market about She’s With Me, a romantic comedy about the love story between a guy who works at his family bakery and a famous model,” he says. “The story is about how their romance survives against all of the pressure of family, media and the people that surround them.”

The plots thicken but he agrees with Cilley’s assessment. “In the case of our Latin American version of Breaking Bad, creator Vince Gilligan had approval over the scripts and there was real input from the show’s writers. One of them went down to Bogota, the location of the new version, to really understand the context and the essence of the adaptation.

This is such a key show for us that the quality has to be tremendous.”

This basic philosophy is also shared by FremantleMedia’s Turner, who says: “We have a number of people who are brand guardians of our formats, who are there to ensure that the DNA of the show is not lost. We understand the need to let go of the show to some extent, but would always ask why the local producer or broadcaster is doing the remake. If they take the property and want to change it completely, why not just start again?”

Having said all this, it is clear that there’s more of a creative handover when formats are moving in the direction of the US. Put simply, this is because the US has Wentworth (FremantleMedia) the world’s biggest and best pool of writing and production talent. While moving formats in the direction of smallhard-hitting crime series, er, less experienced markets Global Agency’s Stryker says “We can help people requires handholding and guidthere are plenty of examples of ance, adapting them for the US successful formats in other genunderstand a show’s demands trust on the part of the res. “There is no single recipe DNA, but talent is king” show’s originators. for success. Relationship and Alon Shtruzman Speaking about the adaptafamily themes bring in broadtion of Prisoners Of War into er audiences than the harder the US hit Homeland, Keshet edged crime and high-concept International managing director Alon Shtruzman says: dramas that are popular in the US and developed coun“It’s imperative to give the local talent the freedom and tries. In my view, there are important audiences that need latitude to imagine the way the show will work for a lo- a little more sophistication than a telenovela, but don’t cal audience. When Howard Gordon came on board to want something as gritty and dark as crime. The escapmake Homeland, we weren’t looking to police him — ism and romance of Korean dramas have succeeded in we were looking to empower and support him where we this way, and I think Turkish dramas are next.” could. We can help people understand a show’s DNA, One of the most interesting aspects of this business is but talent is king.” when the adaptation outlives the original. In Russia, Michael Prupas, CEO and chairman of the board of Everyone Loves Raymond is now at the 350-400-episode Canadian production company Muse Entertainment mark — way beyond the original US version. The same endorses this when talking about the success of its se- is true for the German and Dutch versions of Australian ries Being Human on Syfy Channel in the US. Now soap The Restless Years, known locally as Good Times, in its fourth season, “there’s no need for involvement Bad Times. “At this point,” Lerner says, “a new question from the UK originators anymore”, Prupas says. “Toby arises, which is whether you can use the episodes from Whitehouse, the [British] creator, made notes on the first the adaptation as the basis of further format deals.” few episodes of season one but, by episode five of season One message that comes through loud and clear is that one, the stories had already started to diverge. It has to scripted formats are an organic process that cannot be be that way if you’re going to create a show that appeals directly equated to the industrial scale of the non-scriptto the new market.” ed formats business. That said, there is clearly a competiFor Prupas, the bigger challenge is actually the one that tive edge for companies that have already made a scriptall dramas face, which is “how to create a happy, crea- ed-format show in multiple markets. “You have a clearer tively positive writing team. A lot of credit goes to Jeremy idea of what you need to budget for than producers who Carver and Anna Fricke [the adaptors] for doing that, make the original,” FremantleMedia’s Turner explains. and for making a version that appealed to audiences in “In the case of Wentworth, there are two big moments of the US and Canada.” anarchy in episodes one and nine. In remakes, you can shoot them together, but that wasn’t possible during the While some of the highest profile scripted formats are original. It’s like having the benefit of hindsight.” www.mipformats.com I preview magazine I March 2014 I 21

TIPS & SERVICES Welcome to MIPFormats!

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

To ensure you start off with a bang, please refer to our Quick Checklist Things to do before the Show: Have you prepared your transportation? Have you arranged your transfer to Cannes?

Have you booked your accommodation? If not, contact our accommodations department for preferential pricing on your lodging: hotel.miptv@reedmidem.com Remember to print out your e-ticket before the show to save time on your badge collection at Registration.

Have you visited the Online Database on my-mip.com/my-database to find out in advance who else is attending the show, to set up meetings and discover projects?

Have you checked the show programme to plan the week around screenings, events, matchmaking, keynote and networking sessions not to be missed?

If you are a buyer ensure you plan to screen the programmes and projects at the onsite digital library

INSIDE: 1. USEFUL TIPS • GETTING TO THE FRENCH RIVIERA • GETTING TO MIPFormats • UPON YOUR ARRIVAL

2. SERVICES • DIGITAL LIBRARY • CLUBS & CONFERENCE ROOMS • FACILITIES

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

1. USEFUL TIPS 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): 21336AF www.airfranceklm-globalmeetings.com

BY TRAIN The Cannes train station is a short walk away from the Palais des Festivals. Please note that the station is currently under renovation. Works might make the access a little less fluid.

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

GETTING TO MIPFormats TAXI T: +33 (0)8 90 71 22 27 or +33 (0) 492 99 39 23 or book online : www.taxi-cannes.net/en/reservation BUS FROM AIRPORT You have several options for bus travel. Tickets must be bought beforehand.

4 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 22 I

•T he 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 €20 and a return ticket costs €30.

4 Where to catch it: Terminal 1: gate A0, platform 3 Terminal 2: between gates A1 and A2, platform 3 •B us N°200 also goes to Cannes from Monday-

Saturday at 20.45 and 21.55.

4 Where to catch it: Terminal 1: platform 3

• 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 04.10 every hour and a half.

4 Where to catch it: Terminal 1: platform 3

TRAIN To get to the Nice train station from the airport, go to Terminal 1, gate 6, take bus 23, direction Vallon des Fleurs (€1). 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 5 minutes. A one-way train ticket costs from €6.40.

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

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CAR RENTAL 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)8 20 00 74 98 www.sixt.com *Please note that this reduction is subject to availability and only applies to prepaid payment via the Sixt booking centre or on the Internet.

HELICOPTER Azur Helicoptère is available at the Arrivals Concourse in both Terminals 1 and 2. The flight duration is 7 minutes to Cannes. A free shuttle service is available in Cannes for transfers between the heliport of Palm Beach and your final destination downtown.

A one-way ticket costs roughly €135 per person for MIPFormats participants (+15€ heliport tax). Note that there is a 2-person minimum for helicopter service.

T: +33 (0)4 93 90 40 70 www.azurhelico.com PRIVATE SHUTTLES Le Privilège Limousine is a Reed MIDEM preferred partner.

Contact: Stéphanie Plot +33 (0)6 25 75 34 54 stephanie@le-privilege.com www.le-privilege.com SHUTTLES TO OUR PARTNER HOTELS MIPTV offers you free shuttle service to and from your hotel if you are staying outside Cannes during the market.

UPON YOUR ARRIVAL USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT CANNES: The Palais des Festivals is on the seafront at the end of the famous Croisette. It is clearly signposted throughout Cannes.

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.

YOUR BADGE: Access to MIPFormats is with your MIPTV badge.

Your Badge is your primary means of identification during the market. It provides access to the conference sessions, networking events and the digital library (buyers only) 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. *As a MIPFormats participant, you can access MIPDoc conferences in the limit of space available REGISTRATION Registration can be found at the Croisette 21, next to the port.

Press representatives can pick up their badges at Protocol on the main concourse.

Important: E-ticket holders: E-tickets will be sent to you via email a few days before the show and are also available in the Miptv.com database section using your personal access codes They include a barcode for ID recognition.

Print it out to collect your badge at a self-service delivery point or scan the QR Code on your smartphone and save time at the registration

REGISTRATION OPENING HOURS • Saturday, 5 April: 9.00 -19.00 • Sunday, 6 April: 8.30 -19.30

MARKET OPENING HOURS • Saturday, 5 April: 9.30 -19.00 • Sunday, 6 April: 9.00 -18.30

PLAN YOUR WEEK BE SURE YOUR SCHEDULE IS SET

Make appointments and contacts before arrival.

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

Visit my-mip.com/my-database to: • I dentify and contact the right people to meet among all attendees • I ncrease your own visibility by completing your company and personal profiles • S howcase and identify projects of interest • S chedule and plan meetings • S elect the conferences and events you want to attend

• MIPFormats Snack & Screen Sunday, 6 April.

CLUBS & CONFERENCE ROOMS MIPFormats LOUNGE

in association with

PALAIS DES FESTIVALS: Palais 3

Open to all participants. Features include a meeting area, free coffee service and Wi-Fi access.

CONFERENCE ROOMS

Events for All Delegates • MIPFormats Opening Cocktail Saturday, 5 April, 19.00.

Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez - Beach.

Sellers The buyers can contact you directly during the day via email as they screen your programmes.

Screening reports: • Screening reports for buyers & sellers will be sent by email at the end of each day. The report sent on Sunday is the final report gathering all information related to the 2 days screening activity.

• Screening reports can be printed during the day at dedicated stations in the MIPFormats lounge (Palais 3).

For both buyers and sellers, final reports can be printed during the MIPTV, on request, at the Help Desk, Palais 0.

in association with

GRAND AUDITORIUM: Palais 1 AUDI A: Palais 3 AUDI K: Palais 4

DIGITAL LIBRARY in association with

AUDI E, F, G & H : Palais 3

FACILITIES HELP DESK

• MIPFormats Closing Drinks Sunday, 6 April.

in association with

2. SERVICES DIGITAL LIBRARY The only international screening library for Format programmes. This library includes scripted and non-scripted formats and individual booths are available for buyers only.

Buyers can screen, rate programmes, take personal notes, leave comments for the companies presenting their productions as well as email directly the sellers during the event to enter into discussions.

Screening hours: • Saturday, 5 April: 9.30 -19.00 • Sunday, 6 April: 9.00 -18.30

PALAIS DES FESTIVALS – Palais 0

Staff are on hand at this desk to assist you throughout the market. Don’t hesitate to ask them your questions.

INFORMATION POINT Information point with hostesses can be found at Palais 3.

LEFT LUGGAGE A left-luggage service is available on the main concourse along the seafront. Open from Saturday, 5 April at 8.00.

CLOAKROOM A cloakroom for coats and small bags is located on Palais 1.

CONNECTIVITY - Wi-Fi Free Wi-Fi is available in the Palais des Festivals during MIPFormats on the “Palais des Festival WiFi” network.

You can connect one device at a time.

- Mobile rental If you wish to rent a smartphone, SIM card or 3G data card during MIPFormats, please contact Cellhire at www.cellhire.fr/reedmidem

mipformats PREVIEW The official MIPFormats preview magazine March 2014. 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 Designer Carole Peres Sub Editor Joanna Stephens Contributors Andy Fry, Gary Smith, Joanna Stephens Editorial Management Boutique Editions PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT Publishing Director Martin Screpel Publishing Co-ordinators Nour Ezzedeen, Emilie Lambert, Amrane Lamiri 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 Sales Director Frédéric Vaulpré Conference Director Lucy Smith Director of Market Development Ted Baracos Programme Director Tania Dugaro Director of the Buyers’ Department Bénédicte Touchard Managing Director (UK / Australia / New Zealand) Peter Rhodes OBE Senior Vice President, Americas Robert Marking Sales Director Latin America José-Luis Sanchez Sales Manager Panayiota Pagoulatos Regional Sales Director Sylvain Faureau Regional Sales Director Fabienne Germond Sales Managers Paul Barbaro, Liliane Da Cruz, Nancy Denole, Nathalie Gastone, Samira Haddi Sales Executive Cyril Szczerbakow New Media Development Manager Bastien Gave Sales Managers, Buyers Cyriane Accolas, Yi-Ping Gerard, Andry Ramilia Australia and New Zealand Representative Natalie Apostolou China Representatives Anke Redl, Tammy Zhao CIS Representatives Alexandra Modestova, Igor Shibanov English Speaking Africa Representative Arnaud de Nanteuil Germany Representative (Digital Media Sector) Renate Radke Adam India Representative Anil Wanvari Israel Representative Guy Martinovsky Japan Representative Lily Ono Middle-East Representative Bassil Hajjar Poland Representative Monika Bednarek South Asia Representative Adam Ham South Korea Representative Sunny Kim Taiwan Representative Irene Liu UK Representative (Digital Media Sector) David Hedges 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 © 2014, Reed MIDEM Market Publications. Publication registered 1st quarter 2014. ISSN 2108-4246. Printed on 50% recycled paper

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