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TVFORMATS
WWW.TVFORMATS.WS
APRIL 2022 EDITION
Game Shows / Fremantle’s Rob Clark
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CONTENTS
In the Game
The streamers are officially entering the format fray. Just as they’ve shaken up the scripted programming landscape, on-demand platforms are now embracing reality and entertainment more than ever before.
Ricardo Seguin Guise Publisher Anna Carugati Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani Editor Kristin Brzoznowski Executive Editor Chelsea Regan Managing Editor Jamie Stalcup Associate Editor David Diehl Production & Design Director Simon Weaver Online Director Dana Mattison Senior Sales & Marketing Manager Genovick Acevedo Sales & Marketing Coordinator Andrea Moreno Business Affairs Manager
Ricardo Seguin Guise President Anna Carugati Executive VP Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development TV Formats ©2022 WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, #1207 New York, NY 10010 Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.formats.ws
Netflix, for one, is launching its firstever interactive daily quiz show, Trivia Quest, which offers 24 trivia questions daily throughout April. In this edition of TV Formats, we hear from a range of producers and distributors about what’s hot in the game-show arena and the prospects for the on-demand environment. TV Formats also hears from Fremantle’s Rob Clark, who emphasizes that there are many more places to sell formats to nowadays, including global and regional SVODs. “If you go back even three years, the great wise owls that dominate our industry all assumed that the global SVOD platforms would be solely interested in documentary and drama,” he says. “Of course, that’s not the case. There’s a lot of reality being commissioned from those platforms.” As the availability of content, both live and streamed, is so vast, shows that have some sort of brand recognition are very much in demand—as evidenced by the mega-formats. It’s not easy for a brandnew concept to break through, but it is possible. And it all starts with commissioners being bold enough to take a risk on something outside of the box, just a bit quirky—I’m looking at you The Masked Singer—or in an unexplored area. So buyers, place your bets! —Kristin Brzoznowski
FEATURE
GAME ON Distributors weigh in about the popularity of game-show formats and where the genre is headed next.
INTERVIEW
FREMANTLE’S ROB CLARK The director of global entertainment on the current demands in the marketplace and the levels of risk being exercised by broadcasters with regard to commissioning.
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Exceptional
Armoza Formats Beat the Average / Drive Therapy / Exceptional In Armoza Formats’ Beat the Average, contestants compete in unique challenges. They don’t have to be the best; they just have to beat the average score. The new format Drive Therapy brings therapy into the car, with a backseat therapist who helps passengers confront something in their lives. “Many of us face issues, and sometimes a short professional intervention can save years of therapy,” says Amos Neumann, COO. In the teen drama Exceptional, a blogger’s summer is changed when she must accompany her autistic sister to camp.
“Armoza offers a lineup of formats that relate to the human nature in fun, emotional and heartwarming ways.” —Amos Neumann
The Story of…
Media Ranch Happily Ever Apart / The Story of… / Poker Face Media Ranch is highlighting the format Happily Ever Apart, which follows couples as they amicably divorce. A historical reality show, The Story of… explores where we come from, investigating our common past and how we become who we are. “There’s drama and action, romance and humor,” says Sophie Ferron, founder and president of Media Ranch. “We’re incredibly proud of this format.” The shiny-floor studio format Poker Face sees contestants answer personal questions while not giving away whether their answers are truthful or not.
“At Media Ranch, we have a wide variety of genres in the format arena and have something for everyone.” —Sophie Ferron
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Passion Distribution Love in the Flesh / Open House: The Great Sex Experiment / Stitch, Please! Passion Distribution’s Love in the Flesh explores whether relationships formed through social media and dating apps can survive in the real world. In Open House: The Great Sex Experiment, committed couples test the boundaries of their relationships. Each episode of Stitch, Please! sees two contributors compete to create a different outfit inspired by fashion, film, TV or cosplay. “The creators undergo a truly amazing transformation, both in their looks and their confidence,” says Agnes Mbye, senior sales manager for formats at Passion Distribution.
Stitch, Please!
“Passion is looking to meet buyers to discuss our new, exciting slate of bold, ambitious and captivating programming.” —Agnes Mbye
True Hero
WeMake Starlight / True Hero / Target Leading WeMake’s highlights, the singing competition Starlight sees contestants begin singing in the dark, only to be revealed when the jury shines its light on them. True Hero features 50 contestants living on an island while being secretly judged by a mysterious council. “Twists and turns in the narrative [take] place in every episode until the big reveal at the end,” says Bouchra Rejani, founder and CEO. In Target, ten celebrities live together in a villa with the goal of carrying out secret missions targeting one of the others.
“Even though True Hero is a real competition with real contestants, it definitely has a strong series vibe to it.” —Bouchra Rejani
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Nippon TV’s Sokkuri Sweets.
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ON
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GAME
Kristin Brzoznowski explores the demand for game shows and where the genre is headed next.
O
ften referred to as TV’s “comfort food,” game shows have been serving the demands of pandemic-era television particularly well—from doling out familiar flavors that audiences can’t get enough of to delivering hearty yet budget-friendly programming that broadcasters are craving. “Game shows have always had and will always have a solid place in the television market,” says Avi Armoza, founder and CEO of Armoza Formats. “They answer very concrete needs for audience engagement, knowledge and family viewing. It’s a [trend] that comes and goes, but during the coronavirus pandemic, it increased in demand from two perspectives: the need for family viewing and entertaining shows and for doing something costeffective, where you can get into the studio and shoot four or five episodes in one day.” Armoza adds that broadcasters are after two distinct types of game shows—at opposite ends of the spectrum. “One trend is for existing, proven shows. But at the same time, there is an appetite to bring something new, big and loud,” he notes.
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Who ’s Asking? is among the game-show brands from Armoza Formats.
“Everyone loves game shows,” agrees Sophie Ferron, founder and CEO of Media Ranch. “They are still in demand, though it’s getting harder for formats to stand out and differentiate. Big, broad, slapstick game shows seem to be less in demand, but we’re watching closely to see how it evolves and also to be part of its evolution.” She says that playability and home-audience engagement are still key. “You want to feel like you can participate and that the premise is simple…. What is different today is the focus on storytelling, talent and quirkiness that bridges traditional game shows with contemporary competition shows.” While there is still plenty of interest in the question-andanswer format of traditional quizzes, the marketplace has also burst outside the box. Japan, for one, has been a notable supplier of convention-breaking game-show propositions. “Buyers always ask, ‘Do you have any crazy formats that I haven’t seen anywhere else?,’” says Chihiro Shizawa, sales and licensing at Nippon TV, noting interest in Asian-inspired ideas from the European and North American markets. “We are creating programs with concepts that overturn conventional ideas in a positive sense or with innovative concepts created by combining traditional genres,” she adds. “Mute it!,
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where the rules are to complete a mission without making more than 50 decibels of noise, is a good example of a new idea that breaks away from the traditional stereotype of game shows as being loud and noisy. Money or Junk, which was announced last year, is innovative in that it combines the popular genre of business shows with the new elements of digital and craft.” Nippon TV is introducing two new game-show formats at MIPTV: Dark Doubt, an escape game with a horror twist, and Turbo Brain, a rapid-fire battle of the brains. Japan’s Fuji Television Network is bringing to the marketplace $$$ Mansion, which combines the escape-game concept with online challenges. Ryuji Komiya, head of formats, notes that the genre has increasingly moved away from the studio constraints of its past. “For example, our popular game shows such as Run for Money, Water Fortress and $$$ Mansion were filmed in an existing environment and added stories to the game to make the rules more exciting.”
ProSieben is the German partner on Media Ranch’s Watch! format.
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Breaking out of the conventional gameshow set is just one of the ways that formats are adapting to the times. “Today’s popular game shows feature a strong digital component that generates buzz through audience interactivity,” Fuji TV is showcasing Run for Money. says Haikal Jamari, sales manager for Asia and the Middle East at Dori Media Group. “From polls and tweets on social media to ancillary mobile games, there is a myriad of off-air promotional activities for viewers to engage with while they wait for the next episode or season.” Dori Media has seen traction on The Selfie Challenge and Win the Crowd, created by Studio Glam. Arabic versions of the two formats have been commissioned by Abu Dhabi Media for Abu Dhabi TV and the ADtv app in the MENA region. “Both formats have a strong youth focus, with social media and audience interactivity at their core,” Jamari says.
LET’S TALK TECH Armoza Formats has stepped up its efforts to find new ways of telling stories and answering the needs of clients by offering an innovative technology proposition. In Family Piggy Bank, the gameplay brings the atmosphere and feel of a Friday night family dinner into the studio. “You can shoot it in an empty studio wherever they are, and we provide the format and the CGI set,” Armoza explains. “It’s not only selling the format bible, but we are
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also providing them with a link to a complete set that has an amazing, big, prime-time shiny-floor look and feel. It is costeffective because you don’t need to invest in building a big set. “At Armoza Formats, we have game shows that have proven successful: Still Standing has been very long-running, and Who’s Asking? is a solid, successful game show,” he continues. “At the same time, we want to bring the future of game shows to answer
“Game shows have always had and will always have a solid place in the television market.” —Avi Armoza the needs of broadcasters that want a different look and feel, and to bring something new to the screen.” There’s also a mix of successful game shows alongside brandnew and innovative formats at Media Ranch. The company is bringing back the shiny-floor studio-based dating game show Blind Dating, which was a hit in French Canada. Media Ranch is also in development on a game show with Ubisoft and Wheelhouse Entertainment called House Party: Just Dance, which is the official format connected to the hit game Just Dance. Watch!, which was produced at the height of the pandemic in Germany, will see a second life soon. Media Ranch also has game shows from its Horsepower incubator, such as Tower of Babel. Game shows are making their way into prime-time, access and daytime slots. Looking beyond traditional time slots, the question
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Win the Crowd is a game-show format available from Dori Media.
remains of how viable game shows can be in an on-demand environment. “There is a professional challenge on all of us to see how the world of game shows will be within the streaming environment,” Armoza says. “At the same time, because linear broadcasters need to be more efficient and cost-effective, game shows will continue to have an important place in access prime time and prime time in a broadcast schedule.” With regard to content trends, Media Ranch’s Ferron believes that celebrity casting will continue to be a draw. “North American audiences also love to see regular people win big,” she adds. “The greatest opportunities, regardless of format and platform, will be from game shows that are not just about answering questions but about talent and social experiments.” The flexible nature of game shows also bodes well for their continued success in the marketplace. “The power of gameshow formats has no limits,” says Nippon TV’s Shizawa. “Even though our original ideas are based on our 30-, 60-, 120-minuteplus slots featuring hilarious Japanese celebrities, it can be adjusted to fit different needs, providing endless opportunities for both
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sides. For example, our hour-long Sokkuri Sweets format became the bite-sized series Eye Candy, streaming on The Roku Channel, as well as a mega-version series in prime time in the Netherlands as Showcolade. Mute it! also became a megaversion series in prime time in the Netherlands as Stilte AUB! (Silence Please!).” As Covid-19-related restrictions continue to ease and productions have successfully implemented new health and safety standards to address concerns around a changing cast of contestants and live audiences, the future for game-show formats is looking
“What is different today is the focus on storytelling, talent and quirkiness.” —Sophie Ferron
bright. “With production safety protocols firmly in place, crowd control is less of an issue now than it was over the past two years,” says Dori Media’s Jamari. “The reduced uncertainty helps both sponsors and broadcasters commit, which helps fuel the genre’s demand from a commercial perspective. “From an audience perspective, game shows have always provided easy comfort viewing,” Jamari adds. “Game shows are also typically associated with being a cost-effective genre to commission. These factors propel game shows to becoming a staple in the entertainment consumption habits of viewers and, in turn, the slates of broadcasters and platforms.”
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Rob Clark Fremantle
T
he Fremantle format catalog is an enviable one by any By Kristin measure, with its bevy of megabrands that continue to be Brzoznowski recommissioned and a mix of brand-new concepts ready to travel. As director of global entertainment, Rob Clark has been a key architect of the hit-filled slate while managing the global rollout of a slew of successes. He tells TV Formats about trends in the marketplace. TV FORMATS: How has the last year shaped up for Fremantle’s format business? CLARK: It’s been a very good year. Last year, we probably had more shows on-air than ever before. On the whole, they were doing really well. The other aspect to consider is what’s coming through the pipeline. At first, I was worried that people, particularly when working in isolation, wouldn’t be able to develop shows. I was wrong. We’ve had some very clever, quite innovative formats that have come through that have been commissioned. Fremantle bought [production companies from Nordic Entertainment Group], and they’re a great addition to both the creative pipeline and our production excellence. TV FORMATS: What trends have emerged in the marketplace? CLARK: The big trend is that there are many more places that you can sell your formats to. That’s hugely important. If you go back even three years, the great wise owls that dominate our industry
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The Farm format comes to Fremantle following its acquisition of 12 studios from Nordic Entertainment Group.
all assumed that the global SVOD platforms would be solely interested in documentary and drama. Of course, that’s not the case. They actually want a proper schedule that appeals to everybody. There’s a lot of reality being commissioned from those platforms. The other trend is that the SVODs are not just global; they’re also local. Because of the nature of how Fremantle is set up—we have local production companies talking to local broadcasters often about local shows as well as global shows—we are doing particularly well at being able to meet the demand [from] local-language SVODs. That will be an increasingly important market for us. Having said that, there hasn’t been any noticeable decrease in the orders that we’ve received or the demand or the passion that we recognize from the traditional broadcast sector. If you’re looking for a meta trend, it’s that there is more opportunity if you’ve got formats. The availability of content, both live and being streamed, is vast. So, shows that have some sort of brand recognition are very much in demand. That’s very good for Fremantle.
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How do you punch through with new programming? It’s very difficult! To launch a new program now is probably harder than at any point I remember in my entire career. Having said that, it can work—if you capture the imagination of both the audience and the broadcaster, and the broadcaster uses that imagination in how they promote the show. It’s not just about being live; it’s about having something that’s promotable.
“Last year, we probably had more shows on-air than ever before. On the whole, they were doing really well.” TV FORMATS: Do the mega-formats continue to fare well? CLARK: This year is the 20th anniversary of American Idol. It’s also 50 years of The Price Is Right. It’s doing amazing figures for a daytime show. It was the number one show when we did The Price Is Right at Night in America. That tells me, if you get a show right, if a show is looked after and cared for, kept current but without abusing the format, then it can be around for a long, long time. With Idols, it’s been two decades—and that’s not just in America; that’s in a number of other territories such as Sweden and Germany. Last year, India had the most successful season it’s ever had for Indian Idol. It’s in its 12th season (it doesn’t play every year); we did a 75-episode run, and it was the number one show (minus sport). Indonesia hasn’t had The X Factor on-air for over five years,
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and yet, it’s absolutely running away with the ratings. Australia, after over ten years, is bringing back Idol. I find it fascinating that after this amount of time, these shows are still in the The X Factor continues to air worldwide, recently psyche. The Farm is a wrapping its fourth season in Israel. show from Nordic Entertainment Group that now sits in the Fremantle catalog. It’s doing amazing business in Scandinavia, Brazil and Eastern European countries. This format is over 20 years old. TV FORMATS: Are broadcasters taking swings on new concepts? CLARK: There are broadcasters from major territories that still are taking big risks, and they’re not necessarily the ones that traditionally did. There are other broadcasters that are taking big risks within their own [spectrum]. Some are more conservative and will want to see a show in multiple territories before ever commissioning. Often, the initial series runs now are much smaller than they used to be. They’ll see how it does—with three or four or five [episodes]—and if it works, they’ll come back and commission. There is also a lot of collaboration between networks, which there never used to be. Lots of people are talking to us about having an American network and then another network involved. They are hedging their bets in a way; they are trying to reduce their risks. Launching a new show is bloody hard! If you can try to de-risk it by initial outlay in cost or by seeing how it works somewhere else first, I get it.
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