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Modeling Formats Constructed Reality Talpa’s John de Mol Endemol’s Just Spee ITV Studios’ Kevin Lygo
MIPCOM EDITION
www.tvformats.ws THE MAGAZINE FOR THE FORMAT BUSINESS
OCTOBER 2013
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10 TV FORMATS
CONTENTS FEATURES
Appointment Viewing The phenomenon of binge viewing has no doubt transformed the way that people watch television.
Ricardo Seguin Guise Publisher Anna Carugati Editor Mansha Daswani Executive Editor Kristin Brzoznowski Managing Editor Joanna Padovano Associate Editor Simon Weaver Online Director Victor L. Cuevas Production & Design Director Phyllis Q. Busell Art Director Meredith Miller Production Associate Cesar Suero Sales & Marketing Director Vanessa Brand Sales & Marketing Manager Terry Acunzo Business Affairs Manager
Ricardo Seguin Guise President Anna Carugati Executive VP & Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development TV Formats © 2013 WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, #1207 New York, NY 10010 Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.tvformats.ws
DVRs, DVDs,VOD outlets and OTT offerings have all allowed viewers to fall down the proverbial rabbit hole and immerse themselves for countless hours in their favorite shows. However, even with all the licensed programming and increasing amount of original content that streaming services like Netflix and Hulu Plus now offer, they are still missing one rather large draw for viewers: live events. The allure of live events has stood the test of time, thanks in large part to shows based on formats. Reality competition formats continue to garner high ratings, with American Idol, Dancing with the Stars and The Voice all making Nielsen’s 2012 top 10 list for prime-time regularly scheduled programming. In the U.K., BARB data ranked Britain’s Got Talent, The Voice U.K., I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor in the top 20 most-viewed TV programs of the year. Between dancing, singing, cooking and overall talents, competition formats remain appointment viewing in many markets across the globe. In this issue of TV Formats, we explore the prevalence of modeling- and fashion-based competition formats, which offer commercial opportunities for broadcasters and advertisers. There is, of course, still a strong appetite for more straightforward reality formats. And scripted continues to make its mark, as the Hollywood studios export their hits for local adaptations, and, at the same time, countries such as Turkey and Israel—home to the phenomenally successful Prisoners of War, which was the basis for Showtime’s Homeland—are delivering their drama formats into new markets. There’s also a new hybrid genre of format, constructed reality, which blends the high drama of scripted programming with the authenticity of reality shows, that is rising in popularity worldwide, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe.We explore this constructed reality trend further in another of our TV Formats features. Many of these format genres are also becoming increasingly interactive. Several executives in this issue speak to the draw of digital extensions for formats, noting that the applications should only be done if they make sense, not just for their own sakes. Social media, second-screen playalong apps and in-episode polling are just a few of the ways that today’s crop of formats has been deepening live viewer engagement. —Kristin Brzoznowski
24 Fashion Forward Modeling and fashion formats take center stage.
32 Real or Fake? Exploring the trend towards constructed reality formats.
32
24 INTERVIEWS 40 Talpa’s John de Mol
42 Endemol’s Just Spee
44 ITV Studios’ Kevin Lygo
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12 TV FORMATS
activeTV • Race to the South Pole • The Great Food Truck Adventure • Snake Wars This year in Cannes activeTV is promoting its original programming. “We want to change the perception that we only produce acquired reality formats,” says Marc Checkley, the company’s VP of development for Asia. Titles being offered include Race to the South Pole, an adventure reality show; The Great Food Truck Adventure, which spotlights a celebrity chef on a culinary road trip; and Snake Wars, focused on snake catchers. “These shows are examples of the range of original ideas/formats that are coming out of activeTV that have both regional and international appeal,” says Checkley. “We’re pairing our broad experience in producing numerous international tentpole formats with fresh, engaging shows that capture characters, stories and locations in Asia and Australia.”
“Our slate of programs under activeTV Originals is our main focus.” —Marc Checkley Race to the South Pole
all3media international • The Million Second Quiz • Neighbours Secrets • Reflex
The groundbreaking interactive quiz show The Million Second Quiz played out live on NBC last month, running 24 hours a day, for 1 million seconds. all3media international is offering the format to the global market so that other broadcasters can plan their own prime-time event.The company is also presenting the market with Reflex, a family game show from the creators of The Cube. It uses slow-motion cameras to test contestants’ reflexes. “Million Second Quiz is the biggest game show in the world, whilst Reflex is the fastest game show in the world,” says Nick Smith, the VP of format sales at all3media international. “There’s nothing like them out there; these are shows that can define a broadcaster.” Smith says he’s also excited to talk with buyers about Neighbours Secrets, a scripted reality format.
“All of these shows are unique; I don’t think similar formats exist in the marketplace.” —Nick Smith The Million Second Quiz
Armoza Formats • I Can Do That • Guys in Disguise • Prove Me You Love Me There is a gap in the television market when it comes to primetime studio entertainment programming, according to Avi Armoza, the founder and CEO of Armoza Formats. “We are bringing a strong solution to this need with our prime-time entertainment format I Can Do That,” he says.The show, which is a collaborative effort with Chinese broadcaster JSBC, watches as celebrities perform a variety of challenging activities. Other highlights include Guys in Disguise, a factual dating program, and Prove Me You Love Me, which helps struggling couples mend their broken relationships. “Over and above our strong entertainment lineup, we are also coming to the market with a much anticipated drama [titled Hostages], an addition to our scripted-formats catalogue that further strengthens our drama portfolio,” adds Armoza.
“Our entire lineup this market is focused on shows that will bring out the unexpected from the people involved.” —Avi Armoza I Can Do That 402 World Screen 10/13
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Banijay International • Mentor • Family Taste • Hands Off, Chef! Putting a new spin on elimination-based talent shows is Mentor, which looks on as viewers vote off judges instead of contestants. “For the first time ever, Mentor asks talent-show judges to demonstrate absolute commitment and to take real responsibility for the vital role they play in nurturing new talent,” says Karoline Spodsberg, the managing director of Banijay International. “We are thrilled to bring this brand-new format to MIPCOM and really believe that it heralds the next evolution in entertainment programming.” Other titles to be presented include the cooking competitions Family Taste and Hands Off, Chef! The former first aired on Rai in Italy, while the latter was ordered for a primetime broadcast on France 2. Banijay is also looking to secure sales for returning formats, including Stars in Danger:The High Dive.
“The market is always hungry for the next big thing in entertainment formats.” —Karoline Spodsberg Mentor
Blue Box Entertainment • Kiss & Make Up • Emotions • Unknowns
Among the original formats that Blue Box Entertainment brings to the market is Kiss & Make Up (Facciamo pace), a reality show that ran on Rai 2 in Italy.The program is “based on the idea that everybody has something to ask for forgiveness about from someone special,” says Lucio Presta, the president of Blue Box. Other Rai 2 broadcasts on offer are Emotions (Emozioni) and Unknowns (Sconosciuti ). Additional highlights include What If Tomorrow… (E se domani) and North South West East (Nord sud ovest est). “We think that these formats are universal and can be adapted worldwide,” says Presta. “Blue Box represents the best Italian creativity, collecting under one unique brand the best original ideas with great knowledge and experience.These kinds of formats can be adapted everywhere and are very versatile.”
“We would like to export our shows, especially in Europe and China, the new expanding market.” —Lucio Presta Kiss & Make Up
CJ E&M Corporation • Crazy Market • Dancing 9 • Grandpas Over Flowers A newcomer to the formats industry, CJ E&M Corporation is launching Crazy Market at this year’s MIPCOM. In the new format, which made its debut on the South Korean channel O’live over the summer, contestants answer questions about food for the chance to take home a cash prize. “The best part about the show is that the participants can take the money they have won even if they fail to get to the final round,” says Alex Oe, the senior sales manager at CJ E&M. Dancing 9 watches as two teams of dancers compete against each other. Then there is Grandpas Over Flowers, a reality show in which four aging actors embark on a backpacking trip across Europe. The format, which premiered in September on tvN in South Korea, has already been snapped up for a second season.
“We are new to formats, but there will be gems in our ideas.” —Alex Oe Grandpas Over Flowers 404 World Screen 10/13
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Eccho Rights • Ultimate Brain • The End • Exit Originally from Japan, Ultimate Brain is a game show that requires contestants to come up with creative ways to complete challenging activities. “It combines mind-bending tasks with a strong visual component,” says Fredrik af Malmborg, the managing director of Eccho Rights. “The show has both an entertainment and educational value that appeals to the whole family.” The End is a psychological thriller centered on a woman who is searching for her missing husband. “This show is a hot property,” says af Malmborg. “We have already sold the format to 35 countries, licensed the show to the U.S. and Russia and are currently in negotiations with several other territories.” There is also Exit, another Japanese game show, which watches as participants try to escape from different types of rooms.
“Scripted formats are in huge demand right now.” —Fredrik af Malmborg The End
Electus International • Fashion Star • Bet on Your Baby • Food Fighters
The three biggest formats from Electus International all come from major networks in the U.S. Fashion Star, which enjoyed two seasons on NBC, has been adapted in half a dozen markets. Bet on Your Baby, produced for ABC, has been licensed in 20 markets around the globe, while NBC’s upcoming Food Fighters already secured a handful of sales off the paper pitch alone. “We’ve been fortunate to have strong U.S. network formats in our slate and have rolled them out successfully at past markets,” says John Pollak, the president of Electus International. “When we set out to create these shows, we felt it was important to create programming that was unique and innovative for our buyers, yet relatable for every market so that they could cross borders and succeed in each and every country.”
“The U.S. still plays a major role in how strongly formats are received worldwide.” —John Pollak Fashion Star
Eyeworks International Distribution • A Prince for Corina • My Big Fat Revenge • Celebrity Splash First produced by Eyeworks Spain, A Prince for Corina is a new dating show presented with a fairy-tale aesthetic. “A runaway hit in Spain, we see this format as one that takes some of the tried-andtrue dating format concepts to the next level,” says Jeff Goldman, the co-managing director of Eyeworks International Distribution. My Big Fat Revenge, which recently made its debut on Oxygen in the U.S., watches as previously overweight people confront cruel individuals from their past. “Though this format does have the weight-loss angle—something with which Eyeworks has had much success in the past—the real focus of this format centers on the newly empowered subject person,” says Goldman.Another highlight from the company is Celebrity Splash, a diving competition that currently airs in more than 40 territories worldwide.
“We are casting our nets wide as we aim to establish strong and lasting partnerships in every possible broadcast market.” —Jeff Goldman A Prince for Corina 406 World Screen 10/13
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FremantleMedia • Break the Safe • The Genealogy Roadshow • Through the Keyhole BBC One in the U.K. recently ran Break the Safe, a game show that requires perfect timing to win a prize. “The format has great flexibility,” says Rob Clark, the director of global entertainment development at FremantleMedia. “It can work as a prime-time quiz or as a daily strip; you can alter the prize money so that the cash prize rolls over show to show if the safe is not unlocked, and you can ident the show easily with the use of the countdown clock. With EPGs being particularly busy, it is very important to be able to promote a show quickly.” Also on FremantleMedia’s slate is The Genealogy Roadshow, which investigates an individual’s ancestry, and Through the Keyhole, an inside look at the homes of the rich and famous.
“We have an extremely healthy development slate internally but are continuously looking for new partnerships.” —Rob Clark Through the Keyhole
Global Agency • Battle of the Restaurants • Keep Your Light Shining • Grannies Hit the Road!
Fresh from Israel, Battle of the Restaurants is a new food-based show that sees two family-run businesses go head to head. “Cooking competitions are still growing in popularity and our new cooking format Battle of the Restaurants has a fantastic twist that will have international appeal,” says Brianne Bonney, a sales director at Global Agency. Keep Your Light Shining is a Turkish talent format featuring a 13-week singing competition. Also from Turkey is Grannies Hit the Road!, which takes viewers along for the ride as elderly women perform challenges in foreign countries. “Keep Your Light Shining has amazing set design and visuals that will leave audiences mesmerized and will get high ratings,” says Bonney. “Grannies Hit the Road! is a fun new format that will appeal to women, a demographic advertisers are always looking toward.”
“We are looking toward emerging markets like Asia and Latin America.” —Brianne Bonney Grannies Hit the Road!
ITV Studios Global Entertainment • Stepping Out • Tricked • Big Star’s Little Star Glitz, glamor and relationships are on display in the prime-time entertainment show Stepping Out, which sees celebrities and their real-life partners taking part in a dance competition. ITV Studios Global Entertainment is introducing the format at MIPCOM, where it is also showcasing Tricked, a hidden-camera magic show, and Big Star’s Little Star, a prime-time series that sees stars team up with their young children to win money for charity. “These join our diverse catalogue of formats including the hilarious structured reality show Boom Town from Knickerbockerglory and ambitious medical observational documentary Keeping the Nation Alive from The Garden (now part of ITV), both of which we launched at MIPTV and are now discussing offers in multiple countries,” says Mike Beale, the director of international formats at ITV Studios.
“ITV Studios has a strong record of creating and distributing ideas which travel widely and are recommissioned multiple times.” —Mike Beale Tricked 408 World Screen 10/13
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Keshet International • She’s with Me • Face 2 Face • Deal with It The romantic comedy She’s with Me follows the love story between a simple baker and an international “It Girl.” Face 2 Face, a studio-based reality dating show, will be complemented by a new app that allows the contestant to create a facial image of their ideal mate. Deal with It is a prank-filled program featuring a celebrity guest. “As the formats all include an interactive element, they allow the viewers to engage in the program as much as they choose and we have noticed a trend of increased participation as the digital world is developing at an alarming rate,” says Alon Shtruzman, the managing director of Keshet International. “This interaction keeps the program relevant to the particular territory and can thus be adapted to fit the global market.”
“Keshet’s programming strategy has always centered on the theme of ‘edgy mainstream’ and this year’s slate encompasses all aspects of this ethos.” —Alon Shtruzman Face 2 Face
NordicWorld • Celebrities on Skis • U-Turn • Drunk
NordicWorld heads to Cannes with a slate of formats that includes Celebrities on Skis, U-Turn and Drunk. The first of the trio is made by United in Denmark for TV 2, while U-Turn is from Denmark’s DocEye for DR and Drunk is from Teddy TV in Norway for NRK. They are appealing because they have “great fresh ideas in a familiar and safe context,” according to Jan Salling, the COO and sales director of NordicWorld. “Clients always say they are looking for ‘the next big thing’ or a new genre-breaking format, but when it comes down to what they are really going to buy it’s always the same,” he says. “They tend to always buy ‘same-but-different’ formats, meaning formats which seem safe and familiar, but have a new and fresh take on a specific subject.”
“The Nordic region is a creative hot-spot and our mission is to keep it that way.” Celebrities on Skis
—Jan Salling
Passion Distribution • Divorce Hotel • Hotel of Mum and Dad • Cutthroat Kitchen Based on a real establishment that exists in Holland, Divorce Hotel helps couples get through the unpleasant process of ending a marriage. “Global broadcasters have been trying to find a way to cover divorce in a factual-entertainment format that covers the conflict and pain in the relationship whilst ending in an upbeat way, celebrating the final leg of the couple’s journey together,” says Sally Miles, the CEO of Passion Distribution. “This show delivers and puts talking-point TV back into homes!” The factual-entertainment format Hotel of Mum and Dad gives couples who still live with their parents the chance to see what it is like to live on their own for a week. There is also Cutthroat Kitchen, a new cooking competition that airs on Food Network.
“We want to make Passion a much bigger player in the world of format distribution.” —Sally Miles Hotel of Mum and Dad 410 World Screen 10/13
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Red Arrow International • The Taste • House Rules • Married at First Sight Created by Kinetic Content, The Taste is a food format that has taken off all over the world.The show, which has been renewed for a second season by ABC in the U.S., has been picked up by broadcasters in, among other territories, Australia, India, the Philippines, Germany and the U.K. “The Taste has quickly developed into a global brand and our most successful format,” says Jens Richter, the managing director of Red Arrow International. “Combine the love of food with exciting entertainment and you have a cooking competition show unlike any other.” Additional titles in the company’s lineup include House Rules, a home-makeover show that gives couples the chance to have their mortgages paid off, and Married at First Sight, a social experiment where six single people marry total strangers.
“All of these shows are terrific entertainment and reinterpret their genres.” —Jens Richter Married at First Sight
Shine International • The Face • Anything Goes • Best Bakery
Led by a team of supermodels, The Face aims to appoint the new “face” of a popular cosmetics brand. The format, which originated in the U.S., is executive produced by Naomi Campbell and made by Princess Productions and Shine TV. Anything Goes is a live studio entertainment show that looks on as wellknown celebrities participate in humorous sketches and games. The program first aired on TF1 in France and will be adapted in ten territories by the end of the year. The main goal of Best Bakery, created for ITV in the U.K., is to find a country’s best independent, family-run or community bakery. Shine International is also showcasing Village Cook-Off, a food competition from Sweden’s SVT featuring teams of amateur chefs who were rounded up by local celebrities.
The Face
Talpa International • Beat the Best • The Winner Is… • Divorce Already a hit in the Netherlands and France, Beat the Best “combines mind-blowing acts with an exciting competition element,” says Maarten Meijs, the managing director of Talpa International. “Beat the Best takes the variety genre to the next level just as The Voice did for singing competitions.” Also on the company’s slate is The Winner Is…, a singing game show that has already landed in more than 30 countries. Then there is Divorce, a scripted series about three men who live together after separating from their wives. “It’s not all about heartbreak; they have a lot of laughs and a heartwarming friendship evolves,” says Meijs. “It’s the ideal program to produce locally since the series is based on a universal topic that’s easy to relate to for viewers in countries all over the world.”
“We’ll be bringing a diverse lineup to the market, ranging from entertainment, reality and scripted to talent genres, so we have a lot to offer our clients.” —Maarten Meijs Beat the Best 412 World Screen 10/13
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FASHION Fashion-based formats are using social media to deepen audience engagement Shine International’s The Face.
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FORWARD and creating commercial opportunities for broadcasters and advertisers.
The fashion industry was once considered a snobbish and somewhat reclusive outlet, where there was a clear divide between those on the inside track and the outsiders who were left with only their imaginations to envision what went on behind the scenes. All that changed when TV cameras were invited to document the inner workings of one of the most glamorous businesses, and all of the drama that goes along with it. Now, fashion and reality television have become quite the dynamic duo.The glitz and glamour of the style industry, along with the cattiness of the catwalk, are providing fodder for TV series with loyal viewers on a slew of channels worldwide. One of the most popular shows in the fashion genre in recent years is Project Runway, sold by FremantleMedia. The series is currently in its 12th season in the U.S. and is actually the most successful U.S. cable format to travel in the last decade, according to Vasha Wallace, the senior VP of global acquisitions and development at FremantleMedia. “It’s been an amazingly successful format for us,” she says, noting sales to more than 20 countries worldwide. “It’s a real trailblazer for a number of reasons, first and foremost because of the success and the exceptional quality of the U.S. production. It is so compelling, it’s so wonderfully produced and it’s got such great stories and characters. “The success of the U.S. episodes really opened a lot of doors for us, because what we found was that most of the local territories that we sold the format into already knew about the show,” Wallace continues. “Local fashion designers and fashion partners in those territories got really excited when they heard that we were doing local versions, and they knew what to expect from it. That really helped us.”
“We launched the U.S. version at NATPE [in January 2013] and have had extensive sales for it globally,” says Georgia Brown, the director of acquisitions at Shine International.“We will be launching the U.K. version, produced by Princess Productions for Sky Living, at MIPCOM and expect this to generate a lot of attention. Interest in the format is high because the show is authentic, credible, fresh and unique. The three mentors are encouraging but tough and will ultimately give the audience access to the best of the international fashion world.”
By Kristin Brzoznowski
DARE TO WEAR
There is another crop of fashion-based series that don’t feature designers or models, but instead show regular people in their quest to look their best. These, too, have been incredibly successful in the international market. Take, for example, the makeover reality show What Not to Wear, which launched on BBC Two in 2001. BBC Worldwide has sold the format into a slew of territories, among them South Africa, Norway, Australia, Turkey and India. Elin Thomas, the VP of format licensing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at BBC Worldwide, cites the U.S., Russia, Brazil and Italy as countries with the most suc-
MODEL BEHAVIOR
Another phenomenally successful style format is CBS Studios International’s (CBSSI) Next Top Model. While Project Runway features a fashion competition for up-and-coming designers, Next Top Model turns the lens on aspiring supermodels. Tyra Banks, an internationally renowned supermodel herself, created the series and also hosts the original version, America’s Next Top Model. The U.S. original, which recently entered its 20th cycle, is under license in more than 100 markets around the world and the format has sold widely.There are Next Top Model adaptations on TV in 20 countries, including new versions in China, India and pan-Africa, according to Paul Gilbert, the senior VP of international formats at CBSSI. A more recent entrant to the fashion field, The Face, sold by Shine International, also has supermodel star power propelling its success. Created by Shine America for Oxygen in the U.S., the series boasts Naomi Campbell as its executive producer and a mentor to contestants alongside fellow mentors and supermodels Karolina Kurkova and Coco Rocha in season one.The first season premiered in February 2013 as one of the network’s best-ever new program launches, and a second season has been commissioned. 10/13 World Screen 415
A cut above: Following its success in the U.S., Project Runway has been sold by FremantleMedia into more than 20 countries.
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Styled for success: A hybrid dating and fashion format, Dress Me to Impress Me is among the shows being presented by Banijay International at MIPCOM.
cessful adaptations to date. “These territories have all recommissioned multiple seasons, and in Russia we are up to season 12,” says Thomas. “I think that the desire to look attractive to your chosen audience is universal,” she adds. “Part of what is so appealing about What Not to Wear, however, is that it does not seek to change the woman; rather, it seeks to accentuate her natural attributes through her choice of clothes. It’s not about fleeting fashion so much as finding a woman’s personal style, and this is very appealing, as most women can relate to that and find it accessible and achievable.” DRESSED FOR SUCCESS
Monsters, which combines fashion with a race-against-the-clock competition. “We have optioned the format in more than 22 territories, with productions in Germany, the Netherlands and a new one on M6 in France,” says Catherine Stryker, the head of sales at Global Agency. “Shopping Monsters can be fine-tuned to suit every channel, bringing up the competitive elements for one country and turning them down for others. “Another fashion format that has got some traction this year is Fashion Icon,” Stryker continues. “In this show, women from across the country take part in a mass auditioning process, modeling their own clothes and style sense in front of a jury. The women are all ages, sizes and shapes, and that makes the show unique. Also, the hands-on style advice from the judges is fast-paced and relentless.There is a production from Germany this summer, and plenty of interest from other territories.” Particularly appealing about this type of programming is its ability to acutely target the coveted female demographic, says Stryker. “Women spend a lot of money on looking good, no matter the state of the economy. Girls go to the hairdresser both when life is good and when it isn’t. Ladies might buy a luxury brand of lipstick when things are going well, then go to the dollar store for a new nail color when times are hard. There’s always a market, and advertisers will always want to reach it.” Shine International’s Brown points out that while The Face airs in the U.S. and U.K. on female-skewed networks, the show has also attracted a solid male following, “thanks to its entertaining and authentic narrative.” She adds, “The Face is a
Another format that offers a more accessible approach to styling is Dress Me to Impress Me. Banijay International launched the fashion-meets-dating hybrid as a pilot at MIPTV and has since scored a commission for 50 stripped episodes from VOX in Germany. The series features bachelors picking out outfits for a woman they’ve never met, and that single lady chooses her favorite and goes out on a date with the guy who put it together. “Every culture has its own take on and taste for fashion, so it is easy to adapt a format based on it while bringing in a lot of local flavor,” says Sebastian Burkhardt, Banijay International’s head of sales. “This is ultimately what buyers are looking for when they choose formats to bring into their market, something that allows them to reflect their audience while presenting a lower risk than brand-new, untested ideas. It’s very easy for broadcasters to put their own mark on it.” Global Agency has also gone Looking camera-ready: Global Agency’s Fashion Icon features women from all over the the hybrid route, with Shopping country taking part in a personal-style competition. 416 World Screen 10/13
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Fashionable friends: What Not to Wear has aired in the U.K. since 2001 and the format, represented by BBC Worldwide, has sold widely.
dream production for advertisers. It was a huge hit for young adults. In the U.S. it attracts an affluent 18-to-34 audience who are engaged and enthusiastic about brands. Across the series, The Face doubled Oxygen’s average for adults 18 to 34. On top of its loyal audience following, it generated a huge amount of press coverage—and continues to do so.” Since these fashion-based series tend to be dominant among women, they are in highest demand in territories that have a lot of female-skewing channels, says Banijay’s Burkhardt. “In Eastern Europe there is a particularly big appetite because the main networks skew young and female. Channels like CTC in Russia, FEM3 in Hungary or 1+1 in Ukraine just aren’t looking for as broadly appealing content as the large networks in most other parts of the world. International appearance-focused formats do well in countries like Russia, Hungary and Ukraine, and these territories are also creating their own original shows that are gaining format traction within the region.” Burkhardt says that he has also seen style-centric formats selling well in the U.S. and Western Europe, but at a lesser volume. He acknowledges, however, that fashion is a difficult sell in a few territories. “A focus for us is to do pan-regional deals in the Middle East, but this is hard with a format like Dress Me to Impress Me, as cultural boundaries make showing women’s bodies in this way a no-no.” STRIP SHOW
Burkhardt says that these formats are also attractive because they can move around the schedule. Fashion is a versatile enough topic to anchor a big prime-time slot or to strip across access prime time. “The fashion spin instantly gives a show a sense of glamour and connects with a lucrative young, female demographic, so it’s something that producers will use to build all kinds of ideas around,” he notes. 418 World Screen 10/13
Global Agency’s fashion formats are mostly designed as stripped shows, Stryker says. “Channels that specialize in fashion will show them at prime time, but they definitely attract strong daytime audiences. In Turkey, Fashion Icon is stripped at noon and repeated in an 11 p.m. slot. The reruns get big ratings, especially in the AB category [the top socioeconomic group], and also attract a sizeable male audience. Shopping Monsters is doing very well in France now on M6 in a 4:25 p.m. time slot.” Other fashion and modeling formats, like Next Top Model, are better suited for prime time, and tend to air on larger channels versus niche outlets. “As a rule, these formats are more expensive to produce, and the larger nets are able to afford the cost,” says CBSSI’s Gilbert. He also mentions how Next Top Model has been able to directly connect with viewers by way of digital extensions and social media. This has helped to reinforce viewership by strengthening the bond the audience has with the series and its contestants. “Interactive plays a big part in Top Model,” says Gilbert. “It allows the home audience and fans of the show to vote for their favorite model on the photo shoots.” #STYLE
FremantleMedia has done something similar with Project Runway, which offers a number of ways to connect through social networking. Fans can have a second-screen experience using mobile, tablets and computers, whereby viewers can voice their opinions about the contestants and their creations. There are real-time voting and polling segments that show the voter results on-screen as the events are actually happening. The Project Runway brand also has multiple campaigns running on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, as well as other social sharing platforms, including Piictu and Viddy.
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There are a host of commercial opportunities that come along with Project Runway, and fashion formats in general, as well. “It naturally lends itself to working with partners and sponsors,” says FremantleMedia’s Wallace. “We’ve worked with everyone from Hershey’s to Fiat, from Barbie to L’Oréal Paris to Elle magazine. It’s a great opportunity to work with a lot of different partners and local partners on the ground in different territories.” GOING SHOPPING
“Many companies have already identified ways to insert cosmetic and clothing brands into modeling or fashion formats, and they are excellent vehicles for this,” agrees Global Agency’s Stryker.“An example is our format Shopping Monsters, which has been sponsored by Procter & Gamble from its very first broadcast. Traffic to the channel’s website went up 150 percent because of the show and because women loved the area where they could post their photos of style makeovers and comment on others. It’s always a short step from a show to a website or game element that can be played on a tablet or device now, and viewers have come to expect it. Anything that deepens and broadens audience engagement is going to work.” Given the genre’s loyal viewer following and wealth of commercial opportunities, there are sure to be more fashion formats to come. “I think that mixing up generations and different ideas of beauty can work very well,” Stryker suggests.“Fashion doesn’t start and end with gorgeous youths, even though we know they look the best on TV! There is an older demographic with large disposable incomes who are fashion-conscious, and advertisers are always looking for ways to engage with these big spenders.”
Incorporating a fresh approach to an established hit, Next Top Model made some tweaks to its format recently. “The U.S. production has for the first time in 20 seasons included male models along with females,” explains CBSSI’s Gilbert. “It has brought a whole new dynamic to the show, and the show’s ratings have improved dramatically this season.” BBC Worldwide believes that it has the next innovative twist on the genre in its MIPCOM slate with The Great British Sewing Bee. The series, which is a competition to find the nation’s best amateur sewing enthusiast, premiered in the U.K. earlier this year. It was an instant hit on BBC Two, ranking among the channel’s top five highest-rated factual-entertainment and lifestyle programs so far this year, and has already been commissioned for a second season. The show averaged 3 million viewers and a 12.2-percent share, outperforming BBC Two’s prime-time average share by 69 percent and experiencing audience and share growth from premiere to finale. It profiled strongly with the commercially attractive upmarket adult demo (ABC1), exceeding the channel’s slot average by 87 percent. “This is a really big title for us and I think it taps perfectly into that desire to see if you can truly create your own unique style,” says Thomas. “Each week, we follow the highs and lows of these amateur sewers, both male and female, as they face three tense, time-limited challenges, from adding patch pockets onto a high street skirt to creating a made-to-measure evening dress in a luxury fabric. It’s completely charming, utterly gripping and a visual treat.” “Like our other format The Great British Bake Off, The Great British Sewing Bee lends itself fantastically to book publishing and other areas,” Thomas adds. “Watch this space!”
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REAL OR Constructed reality, mixing high drama and real-life scenarios, has been gaining in popularity across the globe.
By Kristin Brzoznowski
?
FAKE
While reality television continues to dominate the screens of millions around the globe, it has been given a bit of a facelift in the format market in recent years. A new crop of programs has emerged where participants are placed in constructed environments and filmed interacting in situations devised by producers, or some variation thereof, in a cross-pollination of soap opera and documentary. While the genre of constructed reality has come with its fair share of critics and controversy, its pervasive impact on the face of TV today cannot be denied. A testament to the popularity of this genre, BAFTA last year introduced a new award category for reality and constructed factual programs. Andrew Newman, the chairman of the BAFTA Television Committee, said the award had been introduced to reflect “how television production and viewing is changing.” He added, “Over the past decade, reality and constructed factual programming has captured the public imagination and been hugely influential.”
One of the pioneers of this genre is the German producer filmpool, whose constructed reality formats are represented by all3media international. In 2008, all3media international introduced to the market Two with Kallwass, followed by Cases of Doubt in 2009. Two with Kallwass features a psychologist helping people through fictionalized cases loosely based on real examples. Similarly, Cases of Doubt presents stories inspired by real-life events that are depicted by amateur actors in a “whodunit” format. “These shows rated highly on RTL, consistently delivering over 20 percent average market share,” says Neil Bailey, commercial director for all3media international. “Poland quickly adapted a local version for Polsat, increasing the channel’s share to 35 percent. Families at the Crossroads, again produced by filmpool, was launched in Germany in 2009.We landed a local version in Russia and that performed strongly on REN TV with year-on-year ratings increases and an incredible 75-percent increase in the channel’s share of viewing in the time slot.”
all3media’s The Only Way Is Essex.
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More than 15 minutes: Keshet is offering up its first constructed reality format, What Happens In..., featuring a cast of reality TV stars.
The last 18 months have seen an explosion in the genre across multiple markets, says Bailey, “with TOWIE [The Only Way Is Essex] going from strength to strength as ITV2’s channel-defining brand in the U.K., Secret Neighbours on TF1 in France and over 2,600 episodes of filmpool’s raft of scripted reality programming being produced internationally throughout Eastern Europe.” THE REAL DEAL
Red Arrow International was also among the first companies to get into the constructed reality genre, having had in its catalogue since 2003 the formats K11 and Lenssen & Partners. K11, produced by Germany’s Constantin Entertainment for Sat.1, features fictionalized stories brought to life by a team of real-life detectives and a prosecutor. Lenssen & Partners, also from Constantin for Sat.1, combines real-life investigators with fictional, but realistic, stories.“These are crime investigation shows, but all the cases are fully constructed,” explains Henrik Pabst, the senior VP of format acquisitions at Red Arrow International. “On one hand, it looks a little bit like fiction, but if you look at the production budget, you’ll see that it is not.” Separating the factual from the fictional is, indeed, one of the greatest points of contention for critics of the genre. Perhaps this stems from the fact that the very definition of what constitutes “structured reality” is somewhat fluid from format to format. The aforementioned programs are examples of shows that rely on scripts to push the action along, but there are many in the genre that instead carefully construct settings in which genuine reactions of real people create the story lines. One famous example of this setup is MTV’s Jersey Shore. “‘Constructed’ is a word that we’re happy with, but ‘scripted’ is not,” asserts Caroline Beaton, the senior VP of international program sales at Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), which represents the Jersey Shore format.“There’s a big difference between the two.Very often it’s easy for people sitting on the couch at home to look at these shows and say, there’s so much drama, so much happens, surely that’s scripted—it can’t all 424 World Screen 10/13
be coming about from a natural dynamic.” However, Beaton stresses that all the wild scenarios and over-the-top antics are 100-percent genuine. BBC Three’s new entertainment series Boom Town, from Knickerbockerglory and sold by ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE), takes a slightly different approach to using real people within constructed confines. The show celebrates some of Britain’s most eccentric individuals, showcasing their personal catchphrases and idiosyncrasies, but weaves them together in a sketch-comedy format to see what it would be like if they all lived in the same place, the fictionalized Boom Town. “In some ways, there is a difference between the show’s premise that is offered to viewers and what the reality is— excuse the pun,” says Jonathan Stadlen, the founder and executive producer at Knickerbockerglory.“Everyone who appears in the show is completely real. If you met any one of our characters on the street, they would be exactly the same as you have seen them on television. In fact, many of them were already doing on YouTube what they do in Boom Town. We just gave them a bigger platform to express themselves.These people don’t all live in the same town, but if they did, we think they’d live in a place like Boom Town—and we have nodded to that visually. “However, the reality is that some of the scenes have been ‘produced’ for viewers’ entertainment through the use of ‘scenario producers.’ Their lives, passions and dialogue may be their own, but the way the scenes are cut together push strongly on the conventions of a sketch show.” I WANNA BE FAMOUS
Keshet International has taken note of the popularity of constructed reality and is launching its first format in the genre, What Happens In…, at MIPCOM. “In What Happens In… we show Israel’s tabloid stars—some are the best-loved reality stars, who were worthy of more than 15 minutes of fame and who we and the audience couldn’t get enough of,” says Ran Tellem, Keshet’s VP of programming.
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Blurred lines: Armoza’s TLV has been a huge hit in Israel on pay-TV platform HOT.
“The show basically has two main elements. First, we take the biggest celebrities and bring them back to square one to be on an entertainment crew at a fancy hotel, which creates situations filled with humor,” he says.“The second element is that they have a real goal, to put together a musical in one month, which creates emotional and dramatic situations, where they have to audition for the roles and prove their true talents and ambitions.” This genre, though established in the U.S. and many parts of Europe, is quite new for the Israeli market.“In Israel, the genre has been slower to pick up than in other countries, mainly because of viewers’ strong and uncompromising demand for authenticity,” says Avi Armoza, the CEO of Armoza Formats. “TLV, which launched in 2011, was our first constructed reality format. Its huge success has really made it stand out in the Israeli TV landscape, opening the door for the genre.” TLV, which has run for four successful seasons to date, features four 20-somethings who move to the big city with the dream of making it in show business. “It has broken viewership records in Israel—not only was it the most viewed and downloaded show on HOT, but it was also one of the top five mostwatched shows on VOD in Israel ever,” says Armoza. “By blurring the lines of distinction between reality and fiction, this genre manages to bring together the raw power of real life and the dramatic and emotional peaks of scripted drama,” he continues. “These formats are also appealing from a production perspective, as they provide the ability to control the process, reducing the risk of the unknown.” FRESH-FACED
Another appealing aspect of constructed reality is that it’s bringing something new to the formats genre, which has long been flooded with a myriad of shiny-floor entertainment shows. “Everybody is looking for [something] original,” says Mike Beale, the director of international formats at ITV Studios.“Everywhere in the world, the one thing we keep hearing is, ‘We want something original, we want something different.’ The problem is that when you do stay within the lines, you inevitably end up looking like something else, even if you try your best. If you’re doing 426 World Screen 10/13
a cooking competition show, there will be an elimination, there will be a judging panel. With a dating show, it might not be three bachelorettes, but you’ll end up with a number [of potential daters] and one person picking from that number. By blurring the lines, you’re creating true originality. Certainly, that’s what we got with Boom Town. It really gets the market excited because it is something truly different.” Since many of these shows are unique in their approaches, there is a wealth of production expertise that has to be shared between producers. Of Boom Town, Beale says, “The shooting style and the shooting schedule are very important. It is put together like a sketch show. It’s not like straight reality, where you just put a camera on these people in their daily lives.You are creating the situation in which you put them, although once they’re in it, they are reacting as themselves.There’s all of that learning on those shoots. Also, very important is the number of characters you need, the number of characters per episode, how many long items you need compared to the number of short items. It’s all those editorial lessons that we have learned in the process of creating this show.” THE IT FACTOR
“Also, I think we will be helping with casting” the local versions of Boom Town, Beale adds.“There’s a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes.These people are eccentric and obsessive; they think they are stars, they think they are divas and are hard work to manage.We need to impart a lot of that knowledge on how to look after these people, but also how to present the show to them. Ultimately, we are laughing at them.They don’t necessarily see that, though. So it’s about making sure that it’s presented to them in the right way, because you don’t want to get into a situation where the show goes out and they go, ‘Hang on a minute, you made me look like a laughingstock.This isn’t what I signed up for.’ There’s a way of presenting that.” “It is critical to get the right production team together with a complete understanding of both fiction and reality,” says all3media’s Bailey.“The fusion of these elements is what drives the success of the shows, and it is our experience of this that differentiates us from our competitors. Casting and the level of direction to provide are integral and require a detailed knowledge of the local talent.The filmpool actor database holds profile information on over 170,000 actors and this enables them to run a dozen constructed reality formats concurrently.” Armoza agrees that casting is one of the most crucial elements when putting together a constructed reality format. “There is a skill to putting real people in their real-life settings and getting both authentic and dramatic reactions from them—this is key to the formats’ success as it ensures that the characters are identifiable and have long-term appeal,” he says. “It is all about being able to
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foresee what will take place prior to the filming days and realizing our vision during the filming. At the same time, it’s essential to get the characters to project the emotions that we are looking for in a very accurate way, but without telling them exactly what to say or how to act. After so many seasons, we have developed the know-how to achieve this very efficiently. “Equally important is the expertise of ensuring that each shooting day accomplishes a high volume and quality of content,” Armoza adds. “Season after season, TLV created real buzz among the viewers. With this knowledge gained from experience, we are able to reach high-quality results with low production costs.” MONEY TALKS
Heavy lifting: ITVS GE distributes Boom Town, a BBC Three series that places a variety of real-life, eccentric characters in a fictionalized town.
Even with the careful amount of attention needed in all levels of production, the costs of producing a constructed reality show are relatively reasonable. ITV Studios’ Beale says that they are more or less on par with producing a straight documentary-style reality show, or at least not too much higher. “You’re just approaching the storytelling in a slightly different way, but you’re not adding loads of people to the production, and you’re not adding loads of production days. In fact, your production schedule is quite tight, because you know how many sketches you want to achieve. It’s fairly comparable to what a normal doc-reality series would be.There are different costs, certainly, but not necessarily greater ones. Obviously it is slightly more complicated than doing a normal doc-reality series, but I think it will deliver over and above what other series would do—so, it’s worth that extra effort.” “It’s less expensive than a traditional comedy, because you don’t have to pay actors and you don’t have to pay script
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writers,” says Knickerbockerglory’s Stadlen. “However, it’s more expensive than a traditional documentary because we lit every scene to make it look glossy and had to hire scenario producers. We needed a big casting team, because finding 14 great characters was quite time-consuming.” Armoza has found the genre to be “incredibly cost-effective production-wise.” He says, “One key reason is that the shooting is very precise since you are in control of the whole process. Both TLV and 2.3 a Week have incredible production values with an average of only one day of shooting per episode, which is unbelievable compared to the average production time for both drama and reality. A further efficiency lies in the editing phase, with a budget of almost half that of standard reality shows that require substantial amounts of footage and additional time in the post-production stage to build the story.” Another main reason for cost-effectiveness in this genre is the ability to take advantage of real-life events, says Armoza. “For example, in TLV, which is set in the heart of the Israeli showbiz industry, a lot of shooting took place at big film premieres, fashion shows, media-filled music events and, of course, all the hottest parties, which created a very glamorous and aspirational feel without the budget that usually accompanies this mood.” TURN UP THE VOLUME
Many of these shows are also produced at a high volume.Their solid track record in a number of territories reduces the risk of placing large episode orders, enabling producers to take advantage of the usual economies of scale. “On things like this, a broadcaster normally orders around 50 episodes” or more, says Red Arrow’s Pabst. “If you have that [large of an order], any kind of investment that would normally be more expensive to have—the cameras needed, buying an edit suite, et cetera—it’s easier for you to divide this cost per episode, since there are 50 episodes to serve.That is definitely a nice advantage.” Because they are high-volume and cost-efficient to produce, constructed reality shows have been a particularly big hit across Central and Eastern Europe, says Pabst. Many of the markets within the region don’t have very high production budgets, so this type of program has made quite an impact there. “The audiences in Eastern Europe like the authentic feel of the shows, and they provide a welcome respite from the usual U.S. and U.K. drama that does not resonate quite as strongly with those viewers,” adds all3media’s Bailey.“Also, success breeds success, and the strong launch has created a raft of format deals across the region. In Hungary, the local version of Day and Night launched with a 20-percent market share, which has quickly grown to 37 percent.” Poland is on its seventh season of Cases of Doubt and Russia on its fourth. Families at the Crossroads is in season four in Ukraine and season three in Estonia. “We expect this success to spread to Asia and Latin America, and we are in active discussions with partners in those regions,” says Bailey. “We see no reason why the factors that made the genre such a success in Europe should not apply elsewhere in the world.” “We are constantly witnessing broadcasters’ need for content involving real people, and foresee this demand continuing to thrive,” agrees Armoza. “While we don’t see them taking the place of big prime-time, shiny-floor formats, they will certainly continue to coexist side by side.”
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Talpa Media’s
John de Mol By Anna Carugati
On the heels of the success of The Voice, which has been produced in more than 50 countries (and with finished-program sales to some 160 markets), John de Mol and his team at Talpa Media Group, the company he founded in 2005, are busy developing a slate of new shows. In fact, Talpa will launch six new formats this fall, and has a big game show and reality show in development. Besides focusing on constant innovative creativity, de Mol is also looking to set up more production entities around the world and to continue to roll out scripted formats.
TV FORMATS: Tell us about the developments at Talpa in the U.S. DE MOL: Talpa’s first fully owned subsidiary is in the U.S. We
have a full operation up and running at the moment, which is expanding very fast.We have a lot of projects in the pipeline with different broadcasters.We are in production with different shows right now. So the U.S., as the number one television market in the world, was the first country we picked to create a Talpa subsidiary. In the rest of the world, at least in the most important markets, up to now we have chosen a model where we pick the right production companies and partners per territory and create joint ventures, as we did with Shine in France and Australia. But we are growing so fast and we have such a flow of new content that we are seriously considering, at least in the big markets in the world, setting up wholly owned Talpa subsidiaries. TV FORMATS: I remember you telling me a few years ago, when you were first looking to expand, that there weren’t that many production companies available that could be acquired. Now you’re looking at setting up your own companies. DE MOL: Yes, because we already have a lot of shows running in those countries. So it’s less difficult to find people if you already have production than to have no production and start from zero. I’m talking about the main countries in the world, big countries that have big financial input. TV FORMATS: Do you have plans to expand Talpa Fiction into other markets or are you keeping it in the Netherlands for now? DE MOL: We do intend to expand our scripted formats. We have developed Talpa Fiction with the same philosophy as we developed nonfiction.We think and create in terms of formats. One good example already on our list is Viper’s Nest, which has been sold to a number of countries. Our second big chance is with a show that has just finished its first season in Holland and is now in production for its second season. It belongs to a genre that I call dramedy, it’s fiction with a smile, and the show is called Divorce. It is about three divorced men who, by circumstance, end up living in the same house. TV FORMATS: That would lend itself to comedy and
drama, wouldn’t it! DE MOL: Absolutely. It is such a clever subject and such a universal, recognizable situation that when you explain the format, everybody starts smiling after 20 seconds! TV FORMATS: When looking for producers,
writers and creators, does the fiction division require a different skill set from your game shows and reality shows? 430 World Screen 10/13
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DE MOL: Yes, that is why Talpa Fiction is a separate department inside Talpa Media. We started two years ago by hiring the most successful and best director we have in Holland and because of her a lot of talent has followed, so I think we got off to a very good start. TV FORMATS: Are broadcasters asking for scripted formats
as well as unscripted? DE MOL: Yes, because every broadcaster is interested in
proven formats and shows. When buyers hear that Divorce was such a huge success in Holland, immediately it makes everyone sit up in their chair to watch it. TV FORMATS: Holland continues to be a main incubator
of great ideas.What is it about that market? Or is it Talpa itself that is unique? DE MOL: The fact that Holland is seen as such a strong development country, in all modesty, without being arrogant, I can take some credit for that, first of all with Endemol and now with Talpa! There are two reasons. One of them is that Talpa is a Dutch company with a philosophy that is different from most of the other production companies. We are not a production company, we are a creative contentdevelopment company and once we have created a good format we have the people in-house who can produce it— but that is a consequence of the fact that we have created a good format. We find ourselves in a situation that is basically the dream of every content-development company in the world: we have the right people in-house to create content. I have a fantastic team at the moment; after five years we have struck a balance with the right people with different backgrounds. Second, we have access to TV screens in Holland. We have ownership stakes in three big TV stations in Holland, SBS6, NET5 and Veronica.This gives us the chance to put our ideas on the screen. Probably 50 percent of our success is due to that, because a lot of people have good ideas but they have the problem that they can’t get them to the screen. I’ll give you an example. I was in L.A. from September 22 to 29 and we invited creatives from across America to come and pitch us ideas. We told them that working with us is probably much faster than trying to do it on their own in the States because if we think of an idea, we can go back to Holland, produce the show and it will be on air in eight months. Then we bring it back to the States as a proven success. TV FORMATS: Do creators find a welcoming environment
at Talpa? Do you do everything possible to get their creative juices flowing, so to speak? DE MOL: Absolutely, this is the DNA of Talpa, creating new ideas, finding new boundaries and surpassing them. And that is what we are doing all day with a fantastic team of people. I am heading the team on a day-to-day basis. I have organized Talpa so I can spend 90 percent of my time and energy on development, production, making pilots and selling shows and not running a company because I have very good managers to take care of that. TV FORMATS: Since you do own a stake in Endemol, what kind of involvement do you have with that business?
DE MOL: None. This is an interest I have indirectly through
Dasym Investment Strategies, the company that is taking care of my investments. I have between 9- and 10-percent ownership in Endemol, but it is 100 percent taken care of by the investment company. I am spending 80 hours a week on Talpa and I am not interfering in any way with Endemol. TV FORMATS: Are you looking to make other strategic
investments in media? DE MOL: Yes, but because I have an investment company that is looking for opportunities, that is not on my agenda on a daily basis. I talk to my investment team one hour once a week and even less if nothing interesting is happening! I’m doing the things I like and do best, which is creating new ideas and formats and producing them, and they do the things they do best, which is watching the screens and telling me what they think we should do and where we should invest. TV FORMATS: And how do you keep your creativity at such
a high level? DE MOL: Good question. I don’t know. I still find myself in
a place where work doesn’t cost me any energy; it’s fun. Every day I wake up and I want to start working because I have a great team of young people.We are successful, which makes it a lot easier as well. We have a lot of shows coming on, it’s just fun. It feels more like a hobby than a job. TV FORMATS: What growth opportunities do you see for the company? DE MOL: The growth will come from keeping up the stream of successful formats and expanding on that. If every few years, you do a show of the size and quality of The Voice, you grow stunningly quickly because in ten years you have five shows in 50 countries. We have a great sales team and we have successful shows. We have the organization that can roll them out very quickly. The growth should come from more creativity and even better ideas than we have had so far, pushing the limits, and in the digital area there are some interesting developments that I think can contribute to the growth of Talpa. 10/13 World Screen 431
Turn around!: NBC in the U.S. is among the broadcasters airing The Voice, Talpa’s megahit talent format.
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Endemol’s view it as inherited debt. Obviously we need to deal with it and we need to make sure that it goes away, but it doesn’t have an impact on our operations. We started to talk to our lenders and, effectively, we have found a way out. The solution is to restructure the debt, and all the senior lenders agree with the plan that we have drafted. However, the operational performance of the company at the moment is so strong that there is no urgency to get it done. Therefore, we and the lenders are taking time and care to make sure we do all the right things.Then, once everything is agreed upon, we can just push the button and execute.
By Anna Carugati
In its quest to come up with hit shows that can travel around the globe, Endemol operates some 90 companies in more than 30 countries. In managing this network of operations, CEO Just Spee must mind more than costs, bottom lines, banks and shareholders. He also needs to make sure that all the production units in the group are sharing information, ideas and best practices and that creativity is adequately nurtured. He talks to TV Formats about managing the debt left over from the change in Endemol ownership two years ago, and looks ahead to numerous growth opportunities in several areas around the world.
TV FORMATS: Would you explain for our readers what the
restructuring of Endemol’s debt entailed? Why was restructuring the debt preferable to selling the company? SPEE: The most important thing to remember about Endemol’s debt is that it is the result of a transaction that took place in 2007. When the shareholders acquired the business, they put the debt into the company. So it was a typical leveraged buyout reflecting how business was done in those days. When you look at what the debt is today—it is currently close to €3 billion ($4 billion)—it’s totally out of whack. I 432 World Screen 10/13
TV FORMATS: Despite the debt, is Endemol doing well in its core businesses? SPEE: Absolutely. Obviously some markets are tough, and since we are in so many markets, we are exposed to both stronger and weaker economies. We definitely feel the heat that southern Europe feels, for instance, and as you know, the markets in Italy, Spain, Greece and, to a certain extent, France are very tough as the advertising spend is down tens of percentage points from where it was. I was even hearing from our Italian team that the money being spent on programming now is as low as it was in the mid-’90s. So it’s really a big problem for everybody in the industry compared to where those markets once were. But the good thing is that our overall strategy of diversification, which we started a number of years ago, is paying off because we are growing in other areas—growing geographically beyond North America and Europe, growing in scripted programming, growing in the digital space—so that all in all, we have been able to offset the negative market trends. The other thing I would underline is that we’ve been pretty proactive dealing with the trends we’ve seen in the industry. One clear thing we have seen, and still see, is that there is continuous pressure on pricing.We do not believe that that will ever go away, so we’d better prepare for it.We have probably been one of the first to address this issue.We’ve become very cost-conscious and, as a result, very cost-efficient in the way we operate. That has helped us maintain our margins, so at the moment we’re doing very well. TV FORMATS: Years ago, the U.K. and the Netherlands were
the main ‘incubators’ of new and successful formats.Yet, earlier this year Endemol announced a significant slate of formats coming from several of its other European companies.What is fueling the creativity and productivity of these companies? SPEE: It makes no difference to us where the creativity comes from. We are as happy with a show coming out of Spain—like our most recent hit Your Face Sounds Familiar—as with a show coming out of the U.K. or the U.S. It’s in the DNA of the company to be a network of creative entrepreneurs. So we nurture that in every country that we’re in. And yes, you’re absolutely right, traditionally the incubators of our formats have been the Netherlands, the U.K. and the U.S.We still have big shows coming out of those countries.To name just one, The Money Drop, from the U.K., which we launched just a few years ago, is a very successful show around the world.We have sold it
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Just Spee to more than 50 territories, which by any standard is a great success. It proves that our model of local creativity is the right one. So I am happy that the latest shows are now coming out of Spain, Italy and Germany. Looking ahead, although we are not there yet, we hope that someday soon big international shows will come from India or maybe from China, because that is what the Endemol model is all about. TV FORMATS: You are looking at developing businesses in those countries, aren’t you? SPEE: Definitely. Outside of Europe and North America, the business growth is bigger and better in those markets.To be a truly global company, we have to be there, so we do have operations in a number of those countries. As for the countries where we are not yet present, if we see potential, we will enter one way or another. What we try to replicate in each of these countries is the successful DNA of [our existing] Endemol companies. So an Endemol China will have the same core values as Endemol Italy or Endemol India or Endemol U.K. in the sense that the creativity, the commercial acumen and the close relationship with clients have to be the same. Because that works for us, those practices have become an added value to the network that we already have.
very high on our priority list.The way we have dealt with the complexity of the U.S. market is by having a number of companies there that are all slightly different from each other and that address the different needs of the market. For instance, Original Media is in New York and produces reality and drama for cable. It’s different from Endemol USA in Los Angeles, which deals more with the networks and offers the big, shinyfloor shows that networks like. So the heart of the approach is to have different companies and different people for different demands in the market. TV FORMATS: And not every network can pay the same amount of money for a program. SPEE: Absolutely, and because the price levels are different, the cost levels that we have are also very different. It’s fair to say that we are very focused on making sure that our shows are creatively right, but also commercially and financially right.And financially means that our price-cost structure always has the right relationship.That doesn’t mean that we should not invest in our shows; we do sometimes invest [considerable amounts] in our content, but that would only be if there were a particular strategy behind it [that would justify the price-cost ratio].
TV FORMATS: So there is a sharing of ideas and best practices across the various companies? SPEE: There definitely is.This entrepreneurial spirit that we have has always been there from the day that John de Mol and Joop van den Ende set up the business. What we’ve really become better at over time, especially in the last few years, is sharing best practices, first and foremost on the creative side.There is a global creative team and within that team are the key creatives from the major markets we are in.They meet on a regular basis to share ideas, and to look at things that work and things that don’t work, so we can use the strength of our network most efficiently. In addition, we set up a central group some time ago, a creative operations team that captures all of the data we have around the world. When one of our big formats works, we identify the elements that make it work and we give that information to our people across the network. So even our smaller operations that are not part of the global creative team have access to that knowledge and can also benefit. We’ve also got a team of flying producers. They specialize in the big formats and they travel around the globe ensuring that when we roll out a show in a certain country, we have the best knowledge available from the group in that particular area. For example, we did Big Brother in Canada this year for the first time. So we sent flying producers to Canada to assist the local team and make sure they had the necessary expertise at their disposal to produce the show to the standard that we believe is necessary. TV FORMATS: How has Endemol USA developed, and what
has been the approach to the U.S. market, which is very complex and competitive? SPEE: When I look at the U.S., there is always one thing at the back of my mind: it’s the largest market in the world today, and we believe it will be for a long time to come. It is 10/13 World Screen 433
Counting the cash: The Money Drop, aired on Channel 4 as The Million Pound Drop, emerged from Endemol’s U.K. operations and has become one of the company’s biggest global format hits.
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TV FORMATS: Come Dine with Me is among the world’s top formats. What’s your overall strategy for developing entertainment properties that will translate well to other markets? LYGO: Come Dine with Me is unlike anything else and came out of left field. Who could have predicted its success? There’s a pragmatic challenge for people coming up with new ideas; if it can be done on a modest budget and it’s still a fresh new idea, then it’s a very good thing. Come Dine with Me is in 36 countries, whereas I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, which is a huge show that we make here, is only in a few countries because it’s much more expensive to make. Almost every nation in the world could afford to make its own version of Come Dine with Me. When we’re looking at formats we’re thinking, Be pragmatic here: can Serbia afford its own version? It shouldn’t shape the idea, but it helps us in thinking how much we want to invest in a particular new format. These ideas are few and far between, and the most important thing is to create an environment where creative people feel enabled to muck around, try crazy things, have resources to pilot little things, have the comfort that a failure is not a terrible thing at the piloting-and-development stage. In fact, it’s absolutely inevitable half the time and therefore don’t think you’re going to get fired or crawl into a corner and cry when your idea falls flat on its face. Our job as a production house is to allow creative, interesting people to have the space to try things out and fail and succeed with equal measure. Sometimes it’s overlooked, but just one really successful program can have an enormous impact on your business. And it all comes down to an idea for a TV show that just explodes. You want to build your pipeline, get all your relationships ready, get everybody expectant and hopeful for your next show, but the most important thing is to have the next show. To have the right people in the right place in the right frame of mind, in an environment where they are allowed to try new things. The next big thing will not be like the last. The copycat shows are inevitable. People have tried to rip off Come Dine with Me, there’s a world of that. But Come Dine with Me became the great big show because it was unlike anything else. You can never underestimate audiences’ desire to latch
ITV Studios’
Kevin Lygo By Mansha Daswani
In 2012, ITV Studios’ Come Dine with Me accounted for more than 5,000 broadcast hours around the world, making it the year’s most-screened format. Since originating on Channel 4, the dinner-party format has been adapted in 30-plus markets, among them the U.S., Australia, Canada, Germany, France and Brazil. Kevin Lygo, ITV Studios’ managing director, tells TV Formats about how the company is developing properties in-house, acquiring successful indies across the globe and using its network of production companies to adapt its portfolio of hit formats, among them The Chase, Hell’s Kitchen and Four Weddings.
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Fancy food: The ITV Studios’ format hit Come Dine with Me has been expanded with a celebrity version in the U.K. on Channel 4.
on to something new when they see it. They don’t know what it is until they get there. It’s much more exciting to try things and come up with something you’ve never seen anything quite like before. TV FORMATS: You’ve acquired a number of production com-
panies in the U.S. and U.K. recently.What’s your strategy when deciding what kind of company to bring into the ITV fold? LYGO: We’re very happy with our acquisitions so far, both here in the U.K. and in the States. We’ve acquired So Television,The Garden and Big Talk Productions in the U.K. and Gurney Productions, High Noon Entertainment and Think Factory Media in the U.S. Plus Mediacircus and Tarinatalo in the Nordics. So we are moving at some pace but we’re quite cautious and very selective about who we want to be in business with. We do look at it as a partnership. These companies are generally good because two or three people have grown them to the size that they are. What we can do is help them grow substantially from that point. If you’re a two-man band, there’s a limit to what you can do. In the U.K., for example, we bought So Television and The Garden, which are small companies, very solid—they make a nice little profit—but most importantly, we think they will grow exponentially. They have an expertise in areas that maybe we didn’t until we acquired them. What we offer is infrastructure and global reach through our distribution arm. That can really help them to expand. What we want is longterm growth and the creation of intellectual property that we can then take around the world and grow. Firstly, we want people that make shows that are undeniably good, people who are really respected in the industry, that complement perhaps what we do already. In America, it’s the same. We’ve got a couple of proper monster hits on our hands with Duck Dynasty [from Gurney Productions] and so forth. TV FORMATS: How do the ITV Studios production businesses around the world contribute to your format development and rollout process? LYGO: We have ITV Studios production businesses in the U.S., France, Germany, Australia and the Nordic countries. As 436 World Screen 10/13
well as developing their own shows they have all had success producing our U.K.-originated formats for their own markets. For example I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and Four Weddings in Germany, Come Dine with Me in Australia, Four Weddings and Coach Trip in France, and Come Dine with Me across the Nordics. Eleven seasons on, Hell’s Kitchen continues to be a hit in the U.S., and the U.S. team has recently produced The Chase, which is a very successful quiz show in the U.K., for GSN. We want to keep doing more of this. TV FORMATS: What did you learn from the adaptation of Prime Suspect for NBC in the U.S.? LYGO: We had a very happy experience with Prime Suspect. It was a show that only went to 13 episodes. We learned that we really don’t want to be in the deficit-funding business of great big long-running network shows. We’re not big enough. We’re not the size of Fox or Warner Bros. But we really felt the power of having a good American show on our books, and certainly our sales team at ITV Studios Global Entertainment found it a glorious thing to sell. We sold it to many, many countries; it brought new clients to us and it was something nice to offer our existing clients. The international distribution of American scripted content is something we want to do more of. But we’ve got to walk before we can run. We are distributing the Sundance Channel series Rectify. It’s been a fantastic hit for Sundance and the critics love it. So far we’re really happy with that kind of strategy. TV FORMATS: How important is it to have nonlinear or
consumer-product extensions to some of your big entertainment brands? LYGO: I don’t think it’s essential at all, and only some lend themselves to it. We launched a show here that was a big success called The Big Reunion, which was getting a bunch of pop stars from the last few decades back together. On the back of that, their records were back in the charts, and so they could do a huge tour in big arenas because they have such a big fan base that hasn’t seen them in years. In that way there are spin-offs. As always, it’s the idea and the show first.
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