The WIT launches Fresh TV Garden

THE EVER-popular Fresh TV sessions, presented by The WIT CEO Virginia Mouseler, feature a new format, Fresh TV Garden, at the 60th MIPTV. This new addition to The WIT’s long-established analyses of global TV trends, covers emerging unscripted shows from all sources, a hugely popular genre that these days constitutes a third of all shows broadcast on streaming platforms, according to research company Wonder. “Fresh TV Garden is an offshoot of Fresh TV Formats,” Mouseler said. “And for this new session we have been looking for what we consider to be the non-scripted shows of tomorrow, they’re mainly ideas that need to be nurtured to grow and they come from a range of sources, including new content creators, independent producers, and even from previously uncharted territories and the digital space. As an extra twist, they will all be submitted to an exclusive AI evaluation of their market potential.” TV trends have always been determined by hit shows and what the buyers demand and right now the market for unscripted is heavily influenced by dating shows: “Love Island is the absolute gold standard in that sub-genre, but the recent surprise success of The Traitors, a strategy/mystery reality game show also provides an interesting pointer to what else might be emerging. It’s not unreasonable to expect more adventure/mystery reality shows and strategic/twisted dating shows in the coming months,” Mouseler added. And despite TV’s Golden Age being more than a decade old now, there doesn’t seem to be any slowdown in fresh, attractive new shows and formats coming to market: “In terms of fiction and formats, the really pleasant surprise is that among the large number of new shows launched on the market, there is an incredible amount of creativity coming through, both in non-scripted and scripted,” Mouseler said. “In one sense, the focus on using existing IP across all genres, including revivals, franchises, and televised versions of books, is seen as reducing what is termed organic creativity. But, in actual fact, given that these IPs are extending the possibilities of creativity and inspiration through to all available formats — such as spin-off books, movies, podcasts, and digital content — we have never seen so many new ideas trying to reach buyers and viewers.” Such consolidation and focus on IP-derived productions could be seen as excluding independent newcomers to the market, but Mouseler is not convinced: “That’s exactly why we created this new session on Monday at MIPTV, where Fresh TV Garden will run right after Fresh TV Formats and is dedicated to the shows of tomorrow and the creative talents of tomorrow,” she said.

Get Fresh

…and get there early as these sessions fill up fast

Fresh TV Formats, Debussy Theatre, Monday, April 17, 13.00-14.00

Fresh TV Garden, MIP Lab, Monday, April 17, 15.30-16.15

Fresh TV Fiction, Debussy Theatre, Tuesday, April 18, 13.15-14.00