What’s behind the success of Asia’s formats

There is an old cliche that Asian TV formats are interesting because they’re a bit crazy — which probably goes all the way back to Za Gama (Endurance) in the 1980s. But the reality is that Asia’s strength in the international market lies in the diversity and innovation of its output

CONTRARY to Asia’s madcap image, there is a rich vein of slow-burning formats — shows that encourage people to escape the rat race or learn to relax — that has come from this region. If there is a quality that seems to shine through with Asian formats, it isn’t eccentricity, but a positivity that encourages family viewing. Japan, Korea and China are the formats powerhouses of the region. So what are the special qualities of formats from these countries? Japan is still a driving force for entertainment format exports. Ninja Warrior, Takeshi’s Castle, Dragons’ Den, Total Blackout, Hole In The Wall and The Iron Chef are just a few of the more high-profile franchises to have shown staying power on the international market. One explanation for Japan’s success is the high volume of variety shows on mainstream Japanese TV. New shows and new strands within those shows mean there is a constant pipeline of original ideas coming through — the best of which have been seen during MIP’s well-established Treasure Box Japan event over the years. Hole In The Wall, for example, originated as a segment within a Fuji TV variety show. After generating significant interest online, it was converted into a fully-formed international show by Fuji and Fremantle. Japan’s success with entertainment formats has encouraged some of the country’s leading IP creators to explore the potential of scripted formats. Nippon TV, for example, has licensed Mother, Woman – My Life For My Children and Abandoned, to markets including Turkey. It is now promoting Top Knife, Off The Record and Our Dearest Sakura. Korea’s explosion onto the global content scene has primarily been driven by the popularity of its dramas, which sell well in their original form — and K-Pop, which has done amazing things for the country’s international profile. Recently, Korea’s success in dramas has provided a platform for creators in the Korean TV industry to start selling formats. Korea can’t yet boast the same volume of format exports as Japan but it has had some huge breakthroughs. On the scripted side, ABC’s adaptation of KBS’ The Good Doctor was as significant in its own way as ABC’s adaptation of LatAm scripted series Ugly Betty or Showtime’s adaptation of Israeli drama Homeland. There have been parallel successes in unscripted — first NBC’s Better Late Than Never! (based on CJ ENM’s Grandpas Over Flowers) and then The Masked Singer, an MBC celebrity singing format that is currently taking the world by storm. Adapted initially by Fox Network in the US, the show has passed 30 format deals. After the success of Grandpas Over Flowers, CJ ENM looks set for further success. One of its formats, I Can See Your Voice, is currently up to 11 format deals. Another, Love At First Song, has secured deals in Korea and Denmark. John Legend’s Get Lifted Film Co, Simon Lythgoe and Critical Content are also reportedly working on an American adaptation of Love At First Song. A few years back, Chinese regulators decided to stem the import of foreign entertainment shows by limiting the number of international formats that domestic broadcasters could air. One positive impact of this — for the Chinese TV industry — has been a growing number of original Chinese formats, which are now starting to trickle out into the global market. Key players in this reversal have been China’s streaming platforms. YouKu, for example, licensed its format Dunk Of China to Fox Networks Group Asia, while iQiyi licensed street-dance talent show Hot-Blood Dance Crew to US production company U2K. iQiyi also licensed the format to Malaysia’s Astro, Singapore’s Starhub TV and Hong Kong’s myTV Super — which is a reminder that there is a strong intra-Asia trade in entertainment formats that has nothing to do with western markets.