TV Formats MIPCOM 2015

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TVFORMATS

WWW.TVFORMATS.WS

OCTOBER 2015

MIPCOM EDITION

Top Buyers / Game Shows / Endemol Shine’s Sophie Turner Laing The Amazing Race’s Bertram van Munster / FremantleMedia’s Rob Clark / Next Top Model’s Ken Mok

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CONTENTS FEATURES

Power to the People While celebrities have long been at the center of the format universe, it seems as though star power is starting to fade and real people are taking the spotlight.

Ricardo Seguin Guise Publisher Anna Carugati Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani Editor Kristin Brzoznowski Executive Editor Joanna Padovano Sara Alessi Associate Editors Joel Marino Assistant Editor Victor L. Cuevas Production & Design Director Phyllis Q. Busell Art Director Simon Weaver Online Director Dana Mattison Alberto Rodriguez Sales & Marketing Managers Terry Acunzo Business Affairs Manager

Ricardo Seguin Guise President Anna Carugati Executive VP Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development TV Formats © 2015 WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, #1207 New York, NY 10010 Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.tvformats.ws

From serving as judges on competition shows to taking part in the challenges themselves, celebs (from the A-list down to the D-list) have played key roles in many types of formats. Sometimes it’s the use of these wellknown names that drives a show’s success, while there are other cases where the series has reinvigorated a falling star’s career.

There are still plenty of examples where famous faces are front and center, used as an important cog in the format’s core structure. Lately, though, there have been a slew of new concepts coming into the marketplace that turn the lens on everyday people.

A new wave of social-experiment formats has seen ordinary men and women being challenged to explore situations way outside their comfort zones. This includes everything from dating in the buff to marrying a complete stranger to starting life over in an entirely new setting. The “What if that were me?” factor, coupled with the unpredictability of the outcome, has made this type of show particularly appealing to viewers. The relatively low cost of production, meanwhile, has been a draw for broadcasters.

Cost-effective formats such as these tend to rise up in the trend cycle every time there is a resurgence in highquality drama globally—which certainly rings true today.

Game shows are among the low-cost, high-volume format propositions, and also feature the real emotions of ordinary people taking part in extraordinary events. A feature in this issue of TV Formats examines the new spins being put on this classic genre. In another feature in this issue, we learn what top format buyers are looking for. Endemol Shine’s Sophie Turner Laing and FremantleMedia’s Rob Clark also talk about trends they are seeing in the format business. Bertram van Munster, co-creator of The Amazing Race, and Ken Mok, who codeveloped America’s Next Top Model, share their secrets for keeping these long-running series fresh and weigh in on how they’ve been formatted worldwide. Both of these popular formats chart the journeys of everyday contestants in powerful ways.

—Kristin Brzoznowski

34 ON THE PROWL Leading buyers offer up some tips on the kinds of formats they’re keen to acquire.

34 42 SPIN TO WIN! Producers and distributors are putting innovative new twists on the perennially popular genre of game-show formats.

66 THE FORMATS PROJECT For the second year, Global Agency and World Screen are teaming up for a format competition.

INTERVIEWS

50

Endemol Shine’s Sophie Turner Laing

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The Amazing Race’s Bertram van Munster

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FremantleMedia’s Rob Clark

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Next Top Model’s Ken Mok

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A+E Networks Arranged / Seven Year Switch / Man vs Child: Chef Showdown “A+E Networks’ formats capture the imagination of the viewer by showcasing universal themes, utilizing new production methods (e.g., taking self-shot reality to a new level) and pioneering social experiments.”

The series Arranged, which A+E Networks is offering as a format, features modern singles whose cultural traditions include arranged marriages and charts their journeys as they are united in matrimony by their families. Another marriage-based format from A+E Networks is Seven Year Switch, which spotlights couples who are at their breaking points with their spouses.

They will take part in an innovative trial of switch therapy, in which they swap partners and partake in experimental marriages. There’s also Man vs Child: Chef Showdown, a culinary competition series that pits talented young cooks against professionally trained, adult chefs. Ellen Lovejoy, the company’s VP of international content sales, notes that these formats are all “scalable, relatable and engaging.”

—Ellen Lovejoy Seven Year Switch

all3media international Young, Free & Single: Live / Doctor in the House / Secret Lives of Americans In the entertainment category, all3media international is highlighting the dating show Young, Free & Single: Live, in which viewers observe, and even influence, the love lives of selected singles. Studio Lambert’s Doctor in the House watches as a doctor is integrated into a family’s life for a month. In Tattoo Fixers, botched ink jobs are transformed. Truths are uncovered when contributors share a big secret with people they’re very close to in the docureality format Secret Lives of Americans. In addition, Nick Smith, the senior VP of international format production at all3media international, says, “Just in time for Cannes, we will have footage from [the game-show format] The Fear, which is a really innovative show that mixes a number of genres, and buyers are super keen to see it.”

“All of our shows this market are fresh and feel quite different from other formats in the marketplace.”

—Nick Smith Tattoo Fixers

Armoza Formats The Virgins / Double or Nothing / Live from My Home This year marks the tenth anniversary of Armoza Formats, which is debuting the docureality series The Virgins, the studio-based challenge show Double or Nothing and the singing competition Live from My Home. “This MIPCOM, we will be launching a lineup that centers on first times and new experiences, taking viewers on a journey full of emotions, tears and laughter,” says Avi Armoza, the company’s founder and CEO. The Virgins tells the true stories of people who are encountering new, life-changing experiences for the first time. Double or Nothing sees a pair of contestants taking on different challenges to win money. Live from My Home is a daily stripped music show featuring people who love to sing.

“We are proud to be celebrating our tenth birthday this year with an innovative slate that focuses on what the buyers are looking for.”

—Avi Armoza Double or Nothing 458 World Screen 10/15

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Banijay International Game Changers / Age of Rock / May the Best Host Win The format Game Changers sees 14 fledgling entrepreneurs vie to win seed money to launch their business venture. In Age of Rock, a group of retirees gets the chance to live out their rock ‘n’ roll dreams. Each episode of May the Best Host Win sees a host and one of their celebrity friends compete to see who is the better presenter. “Each one of these formats is highly engaging, coupling smart production knowhow and creativity to deliver high stakes,” says Emmanuelle Namiech, the managing director of Banijay International.

“Each has wide, universal appeal for viewers of all ages and will work well on both traditional linear television and newly emerging digital platforms looking to build audiences with innovative and lively entertainment programming.”

“Car stunts, singing and dancing, crazy lab experiments, circus acts—in the entertainment fest May the Best Host Win, absolutely anything goes.”

—Emmanuelle Namiech May the Best Host Win

BBC Worldwide You’re Back in the Room / One in a 1,000 / The Office Among the format highlights from BBC Worldwide is You’re Back in the Room, which has already been recommissioned for a second season by ITV in the U.K. “The blend of comedy game show with hypnotism makes it a truly original, fun, family-friendly entertainment show,” says Suzanne Kendrick, the company’s head of format sales. There’s also One in a 1,000. “While the show tests both mental and physical skills, the format is comparable to a sporting event, with all the drama and entertainment associated with that wrapped up into an epic night of television,” says Kendrick. BBC Worldwide also has a slate of scripted formats for MIPCOM buyers, including The Office.

“Everyone has worked for a boss that has driven them up the wall, as the universal appeal of The Office shows.”

—Suzanne Kendrick The Office

Canal 13 Sudmedia Valió la Pena / Descarado / Freshman Mom Love stories are at the heart of the formats that Canal 13 Sudmedia is presenting at MIPCOM. The company’s latest is Valió la Pena, in which a successful real estate executive must deal with her attraction to her biggest enemy while also caring for a friend’s daughter after the child is orphaned. In Descarado, a man uses a high-tech yacht that allows him to clone people to regain the woman stolen by his younger brother. Freshman Mom follows a housewife who enrolls in college. Her adventures reunite her with an old flame, putting her family life in jeopardy. “The original versions of all these titles were highly successful, which makes them attractive adaptation offers,” says Marina Del Canto, the VP of international sales at Canal 13.

“All the formats we’re presenting at MIPCOM have universal stories that make them easy to adapt in any market.”

—Marina Del Canto Descarado 460 World Screen 10/15

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CJ E&M Corporation Three Meals a Day / Show Me the Money / Get It Beauty While living in a secluded countryside, Lee Seo-jin and Taecyeon use whatever ingredients they can find to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner in Three Meals a Day. CJ E&M Corporation is showcasing that title, which comes from the producers of the hit format Grandpas Over Flowers, to international buyers in Cannes. The company is also offering Show Me the Money, a musical competition for amateur rappers, and Get It Beauty, a lifestyle program that airs on CJ E&M’s OnStyle channel for women. Get It Beauty “has been beloved as the best original beauty bible by female audiences, and given the international recognition of Korean beauty, it has much to offer to today’s more demanding audiences around the world,” says Diane Min, CJ E&M’s senior sales manager.

“We were a [latecomer] in the format business, but our titles are beginning to gain a reputation and attention.”

—Diane Min Three Meals a Day

Eccho Rights Crack Them Up / Beat the Champions / EEI-EEI-OH! Regular people are challenged to make comedians laugh so they can win a cash prize in Crack Them Up, which is among Eccho Rights’ format highlights at MIPCOM. The fun continues as celebrities and amateurs take on world-class professional athletes and try to beat them at their own sports in Beat the Champions. Eccho Rights is also presenting the animal talent show EEI-EEI-OH!, which sees pets and their owners perform before a jury and a studio audience. “We love shows that make people happy,” says Fredrik af Malmborg, the managing director of Eccho Rights. “These shows have a warm, friendly tone that has a strong appeal for family audiences. In times when there is a lot of worrying about economic and political situations, these shows are the remedy!”

“Eccho Rights is the home of fresh, original ideas that can come from anywhere.”

—Fredrik af Malmborg Crack Them Up

Electus International Separation Anxiety / Food Fighters / Jane the Virgin At this MIPCOM, Electus International is offering the game show Separation Anxiety, which was ordered straight to series

by TBS and is being evaluated for additional episodes. John Pollak, the president of Electus Studios and global distribution, says, “With Separation Anxiety, we have an exciting new twist that viewers have never seen before, and with the game genre being very sought after, it has a chance to really break through at the market.” The culinary game show Food Fighters has aired for two seasons on NBC. Electus’s offering also features the format of Jane the Virgin. Pollak says, “With scripted formats playing such a major role internationally, having a format as powerful, successful and fresh as Jane gives us a huge advantage over our competition.”

“Our goal, as it always has been, is to deliver content to our partners that stands out as the best any independent distributor has to offer.”

—John Pollak Food Fighters 462 World Screen 10/15

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FremantleMedia La Banda / The Eureka Moment / Who Knew?

The ultimate goal of the music-themed format La Banda, one of FremantleMedia’s MIPCOM highlights, is to find the next big boy band. “This is a different and fresh approach to talent shows; from the very beginning the studio audience is in control,” says Rob Clark, the company’s director of global entertainment. FremantleMedia is also promoting The Eureka Moment, an entertainment game show that sees couples test their popular-science knowledge and face a series of stunts and experiments for the chance to win a luxury vacation. “The Eureka Moment is like nothing you have seen before,” says Clark. “It’s loud, messy and dangerous, has very broad appeal and is event TV at its best.” Then there is Who Knew?, a celebrity panel quiz show featuring unusual trivia questions.

“Our formats slate feels very distinctive, and we fully believe that we have something for everyone’s scheduling needs and that the titles have the ability to travel.”

—Rob Clark The Eureka Moment

Global Agency Is That Really Your Voice? / It’s Showtime / All for One Singing and trivia are central to Global Agency’s newest format highlights, which include the variety show Is That Really Your Voice? Created by Izzet Pinto, the founder and CEO of Global Agency, it challenges jury members to guess who is the best singer based only on the contestants’ physical appearances and performances without audio. The competition It’s Showtime puts a spotlight on voice quality, stage performance, song selection and styling, featuring live musical performances on a nightclub-style stage. In a twist, the competitors judge each other. Meanwhile, a huge cash prize is waiting for 12 relatives who can come up with the correct answers to 12 questions in All for One. Pinto says, “I am sure they will all be new international hits by dominating access and prime-time ratings.”

“We will look to strengthen our relationships with the production community and add new formats to our extensive catalogue.”

—Izzet Pinto Is That Really Your Voice?

ITV Studios Global Entertainment Love Island / Pick Me / Keep It in the Family The dating format Love Island, from the ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) catalogue, looks on as a group of singles searches for romance in a luxurious villa, with the chance to win a cash prize. “It’s the world’s first live reality dating show, and as it airs stripped across the week, viewers can vote on who they want to be eliminated and interact with the cast,” says Mike Beale, the executive VP of global development and formats at ITV Studios. “It brings in a younger audience with this interactive and soap-style episodic daily construct.” ITVS GE is also presenting Pick Me, a quiz format produced by Possessed, and Keep It in the Family, a game show that is intended to appeal to viewers of all ages.

“We aim to build track records for each of our new formats, ensuring that they succeed in their home territories and can grow channel audiences before we distribute them internationally.”

—Mike Beale Love Island 464 World Screen 10/15

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ITV-Inter Medya Answer If You Can / Celebrities in the Kitchen / The League Game shows are at the forefront of ITV-Inter Medya’s format offers for MIPCOM. According to Can Okan, the company’s president and CEO, ITV-Inter Medya has a creative team that has been dedicated to working on game-show formats for the last six months. “This team has developed 15 unique and original projects, and we have chosen the best three out of them to be launched at MIPCOM,” Okan says. Among these new titles is Celebrities in the Kitchen, in which stars undergo a culinaryarts training and are then put to the test. Answer If You Can sees contestants try to answer questions in the hopes of winning a prize while facing distractions. “We believe that this new format will be the hit of the market,” Okan adds. There’s also a sports quiz show, The League.

“The production and international marketing of game-show formats will be a new line of business for ITV-Inter Medya.”

—Can Okan Celebrities in the Kitchen

MediaBiz Cunning Girls / Shysters / Only You MediaBiz is offering a lineup of scripted formats developed by Argentina’s Pol-ka Producciones. A top catalogue highlight is Cunning Girls, a dramatic comedy about five strangers who form an unbreakable friendship after losing all their money.

Together they will go through life sharing every tragedy and all their moments of glory. Another comedy is Only You, the story of a recently separated father of five who attempts to reassemble his life with the help of his best friend. However, both soon find themselves attracted to the same woman. Rounding out the slate is the drama Shysters. That title follows the cunning, wit and ruthlessness displayed at a law firm that makes the absolute guarantee of freedom for most of the criminals it represents.

Shysters

NeweN Distribution Say Yes Within the NeweN Distribution catalogue, which covers genres such as fiction, animation, documentary and more, there’s a new Turkish format, Say Yes. This daily stripped competition show created by Arti Film, which is the producer of unscripted series in Turkey such as Love Is Calling, Deal with the Crisis and Style Wars, sees four contestants trying to perform the best wedding proposal with random budgets. “Daily stripped competitions such as 4 Weddings, Shopping Monsters and Come Dine with Me are extremely popular,” says Christophe Nobileau, the president of NeweN Distribution.

“Say Yes is the next one, and we can’t wait to present it to our clients.”

“This is the very first time we are distributing a foreign format, and it was really love at first sight with this unique and fun competition.”

—Christophe Nobileau Say Yes 466 World Screen 10/15

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ohm:tv Clue for You / The Impostor / I Want to Have a Million Friends There are a variety of game shows, as well as formats with game elements, on offer from ohm:tv. This includes Clue for You, a studio game show in which contestants answer fun, crazy and sometimes absurdly hard questions in order to win cash and sponsor prizes. “The format is easy and economical to produce, as the software on which the game show is based is part of the format package,” says Joris Eckelkamp, the CEO and founder of ohm:tv. I Want to Have a Million Friends explores the concept of traditional friendship versus virtual friendship. “There is no other format on the market similar to I Want to Have a Million Friends, having such huge power to stimulate the online community,” Eckelkamp says. The Impostor combines the reality and game-show genres.

“Our key focus is to offer original content and to capture and engage viewers with our compelling programming.”

—Joris Eckelkamp Clue for You

Red Arrow International Diet Wars / Kiss Bang Love / The Day the Cash Came Formats remain a top priority for Red Arrow International, building on the global success the company continues to enjoy with shows such as Married at First Sight and House Rules.

“MIPCOM sees us bringing a tremendously diverse range of formats to the market,” says Henrik Pabst, the managing director of Red Arrow International. This includes the new U.S. network reality show Diet Wars, which pits six diet experts and their diet plans against each other, and the prime-time entertainment format Kiss Bang Love, a dating experiment from the creators of Married at First Sight. There’s also The Day the Cash Came, testing what happens when families living below the poverty line are gifted with a year’s salary in cash all at once, no strings attached. Safeword is a comedy panel show.

“Our formats slate at MIPCOM highlights our commitment to working with some of the world’s top creative talent across entertainment, reality and comedy.”

—Henrik Pabst Safeword

Secuoya Content Distribution Lubdub / TimeBox / The Anger Spain’s Secuoya Content Distribution is showcasing its gameshow and fiction formats at MIPCOM, offering buyers entertainment options with a twist. In Lubdub, the judges and audience members wear a brain-scanning device that records their feelings during the talent performances of eight contestants.

Once half of the audience registers a certain level of emotions, the set will fill up with shiny hearts. The reality show TimeBox, meanwhile, follows messages sent into the future by means of a locked box with a timer. The closed box can only be opened once the clock’s countdown finishes. Finally, The Anger is a thriller about seven people who move into a clinic hoping to be cured of ailments, not knowing they’ll be trapped in a place where government experiments are conducted.

Lubdub 468 World Screen 10/15

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Studio Glam Double or Nothing / Knockout / The Decision In Studio Glam’s shiny-floor studio game Double or Nothing, contestants work in pairs to accumulate points and win prizes. It puts to the test the question, Are two heads better than one? Knockout, meanwhile, is a hidden-camera prank show. In each episode, two celebrities get to pull a prank on their fellow celebrity in a given setup in the same location.

A live studio audience decides who pulled the best prank on their celebrity friend. The company is also presenting the new factual-entertainment format The Decision. Ilan Glam, the co-founder and co-CEO of Studio Glam, says that the show features “a roller coaster of emotions,” as it spotlights real people facing real dilemmas. The Decision is currently in production for Israel’s Channel 10.

“Studio Glam is expanding its cooperations with strategic international partners, strengthening itself as a creative content company.”

—Ilan Glam Knockout

Talpa Global Dance Dance Dance / Superkids / The Big Picture In the entertainment format Dance Dance Dance, celebrities reenact famous dance routines with people they are close to.

“We use revolutionary technology to mimic the original setting of the performance,” says Maarten Meijs, the managing director of Talpa Global. “We’re also launching the first-ever synchronized broadcast using the Dance Dance Dance app.”

Another highlight from the company is Superkids, which sees gifted youngsters showcase their various talents on stage while receiving constructive feedback. “With Talpa’s extensive experience with The Voice Kids, sold to almost 30 countries, Talpa is confident in Superkids’ international appeal as well,” says Meijs. There is also The Big Picture, a game show featuring a series of image-based questions.

“At Talpa, we find it important that our content is innovative and unique, and that we’re able to create multiscreen experiences, expanding formats past just TV.” —Maarten Meijs Dance Dance Dance

Televisa Internacional Stand Up for Your Country / Little Giants / The Ticket Stand Up for Your Country is a musical talent show in which parents get to sing and dance with their kids. The format is being presented at MIPCOM by Televisa Internacional, which also comes to the market with Little Giants, another showcase for talented youngsters. “Each of our formats has been developed with elements that will allow us to reach clients around the world,” says Ricardo Ehrsam, the general director of entertainment formats for Televisa Internacional. Additional new formats are The Wacky Old Games, which follows six couples as they play eccentric games inspired by traditions and rituals, plus the multiplatform game show The Ticket, in which contestants must download a smartphone app and wait their turn to answer ten questions correctly.

“All of our formats are designed to be broadcast anywhere in the world… and they can be customized depending on our potential buyers’ budgets.”

—Ricardo Ehrsam Little Giants 470 World Screen 10/15

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Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution Modern Family / Bones / The Oaks The sitcom Modern Family, which entered its seventh season on ABC this fall, has been a hit with critics and audiences alike.

Thanks to Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, international broadcasters can license the format and adapt the show for their local markets. “A long-running, inventive comedy with an ensemble cast will always attract buyers; even if some of the comedy can be a challenge to adapt, creative solutions will always be found,” says Yoni Cohen, the company’s senior VP of international development and sales. Also available as formats are Bones and The Oaks. “With its phenomenal writing pedigree, The Oaks provides a perfect shortrun event series for broadcasters’ needs,” says Cohen. “Unlike most events, this one can return season after season.”

“Bones’ procedural formula for success is a perfect backdrop to the will-they-won’tthey blooming romance at the center, delivering broad appeal.”

—Yoni Cohen Bones

WDR mediagroup The Human Quiz / From Scratch to Pro / The Unlikely Events in the Life of…

As the commercial subsidiary of one of Europe’s biggest regional public-broadcasting stations, WDR mediagroup is showcasing a catalogue of popular formats from German TV. This includes The Human Quiz, which has celebrity teams competing against each other for charity in physical games and tricky quiz rounds about the human body. In From Scratch to Pro, a young host will try to learn a new sporting activity within 48 hours and prove his skills. The Unlikely Events in the Life of… follows as nine comedians take a trip through the imaginary world of their celebrity host. “What unites the broad range of our formats are the high-quality standards audiences expect of public television,” says Stefanie Fischer, the head of content at WDR mediagroup.

“We are constantly looking for formats based on high-quality standards and unconventional, creative concepts to expand our international catalogue.”

—Stefanie Fischer

The Unlikely Events in the Life of...

Zodiak Rights Monte Bianco / Undressed / Humble Pie Celebrities compete against each other on the highest mountain peak in Europe in the game show Monte Bianco. Zodiak Rights is introducing that title, along with Undressed, a dating format that looks on as strangers explore their feelings for each other by slowly removing their clothes. “[Undressed] is sure to be compelling viewing,” says Andrew Sime, the company’s VP of formats. Zodiak Rights is also showcasing Humble Pie, which tests the cooking skills and self-confidence of aspiring chefs, who must decide if they think they have what it takes to win the big cash prize. “It’s an easily adapted, entertaining cookery format with enormous international potential,” says Sime. “The self-elimination concept is what makes this show stand out from other cookery game shows.”

“Zodiak Rights will be taking a wide range of formats to MIPCOM, including a mix of original new ideas and returning brands.”

—Andrew Sime Humble Pie 472 World Screen 10/15

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Die Höhle der Löwen (Dragon’s Den) on VOX in Germany.

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TV FORMATS 35

PROWL Joanna Stephens surveys leading format buyers around the world about what they’re on the lookout for. y and large, format buyers around the world know exactly what they don’t want. They don’t want fabricated stories with predictable outcomes. They don’t want shock for the sake of shock. They don’t want me-too, derivative formats piggybacking on the genre du jour. And some aren’t too sure about cooking, quiz and talent shows.

When it comes to what they do want, however, it gets a little trickier. In broad brushstrokes, they want big, bold ideas—preferably ones that capture and reflect the zeitgeist. They want shows that are a little bit ahead of their time—but not too far ahead—and that are returnable, scalable, extendable, transferrable and can be migrated across borders, cultures and platforms. They want authenticity and emotional triggers. And they want to be excited and surprised.

Anette Romer, the head of acquisitions and formats at TV2 Denmark, sums it up neatly: “I’m looking for something new and relevant, with a current theme that connects with what’s important in the daily lives of our audience. I want wellexecuted stories and gameplays. And I want naturally incorporated digital and online elements that enhance the audience experience and add value to the format.”

She also speaks for many when she says that she has had enough of “predictable, over-formatted lifestyle programming, where viewers can practically write the script themselves.”

B

CREATIVE STAGNATION There has been much talk in recent years about the dearth of creativity in non-scripted formats as the global industry seeks—and so far fails to find—the “next big thing.” Riskaverse broadcasters, digital disruption and the continued dominance of the superformat franchises, which may no longer deliver the shock of the new but continue to bring in respectable ratings, have been blamed for the perceived creative stagnation. Another view is that, over the last 20 years, the formats industry has grown so far, so fast, that every conceivable creative angle has been explored, exploited and exhausted. As a result, novelty of execution too often replaces novelty of concept.

Fortunately for Romer, who buys for TV2’s main channel and its array of niche offerings, including Zulu,

Charlie, Fri and Sport, there is a rich pool of creativity on her doorstep. With its talent for generating clever, high-quality content on limited budgets, and its willingness to push creative and technological boundaries, the Nordic region has become something of a format incubator in recent years.

“We commission a lot of originally developed Danish titles each year, and some of them even turn into formats that can be sold internationally,” Romer reports, referencing the classic Danish format Big Class Reunion, which has now sold to more than 20 countries around the world; and Nordic World’s Biggest, which takes viewers on a tour of the largest man-made structures on the planet and which Romer tips as a show with a global future.

Her wish list includes “positive, aspirational, upbeat stories” for TV2, whose previous channel-defining formats have included such megabrands as The Farmer Wants a Wife, Strictly Come Dancing, Got Talent and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

“TV2’s main channel needs a high share of around 25 percent,” she adds. “We are very keen to secure strong, returnable titles for our 8 p.m. opening slot.”

As to what she would define as a “strong, returnable” format, she offers: “Unique and energetic storytellers sharing their passion is a proven recipe for success.”

TWEAKS AND TURNS Another advantage of strong, well-structured formats is that they require a minimum of modification to make them work for local audiences.

“We need to be able to adapt shows to our culture and channel profile,” Romer says, citing Intervention, A&E’s Emmy-winning show that sees addicts confront their darkest demons. “A&E agreed to let us deviate a lot from their stripped show to produce a series of weekly episodes.”

The flexibility to finesse a show into local shape is also a key consideration for Merrily Ross, the VP of formats for Viasat Broadcasting, owned by Modern Times Group (MTG), whose multichannel, multiplatform, multi-territory tentacles now reach into six continents. “We are buying experience and knowledge from the distributor, but we make tweaks to fit each of our markets,” Ross says. “We like to have full

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While sixx in Germany skews female, it expanded its audience reach with Red Arrow’s Horror Tattoos.

creative control, but if we are buying an international format, we keep to the rules.”

Ross, who buys for all MTG’s free-TV channels and AVOD platforms, as well as Nordic streaming service Viaplay, lists her priorities as “takeaway formats” that offer some form of learning experience; “emotional roller coasters,” such as The Briefcase or Undercover Boss; and physical game shows of the Ninja Warrior variety. In addition, she is interested in formats that can be cast in a number of different ways to reflect MTG’s various channel profiles.

Ross is happy to commission from both local producers and international distributors, as long as the idea is right. And if the idea isn’t right, “don’t oversell,” she advises. “If it’s a ‘no’, it’s for a reason. Also, know who you’re pitching to. I get tons of pitches that are completely irrelevant to our channels.”

Like Ross, Jörg Graf, the executive VP of productions and international acquisitions at Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, is on the lookout for properties for a number of channel brands. In addition to flagship services RTL and VOX, Graf and his team buy for a couple of special-interest feeds, such as RTL Nitro, and pay-TV channels GEO, RTL Crime, RTL Living, Super RTL and n-tv. Top format priorities are big, shiny-floor shows, real-life or reality formats and scripted procedural crime shows—a number of which are currently in development with international partners.

Graf is succinct as to what’s in (“good shows”) and what’s out (“bad ones”). He is equally clear on the need for flexibility when it comes to local adaptations. “It’s one of the most important things,” he says. Fortunately, he adds, sea-

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soned format players—the likes of BBC Worldwide, Sony Pictures Television, Talpa Global and Warner Bros. International Television—understand that a certain amount of local grooming is not only advisable, but inevitable. This is especially true of long-running series, which invariably need to be adjusted over time to keep them alive, fresh and delivering the numbers.

PERFECTING THE PITCH Graf is not averse to buying paper formats. However, he is not a fan of PowerPoint presentations, saying he prefers “more substantial bibles that show you the unique selling point of a format and how it could attract an audience in one of the most competitive TV markets in the world.”

Echoing MTG’s Ross, he urges distributors to research their customers thoroughly in order to familiarize themselves with their schedules, markets, strengths and weaknesses.

Indeed, “Know thy customer” is a common appeal—and inappropriate pitching a common grumble—among format buyers. Christina Kuby, the general manager of ProSiebenSat.1’s female-skewed commercial station sixx, also stresses that “a profound knowledge of our channel brand and our targeted TV audience” is the single most important factor in a successful format pitch.

“At the moment, we are up for classical and obviously female formats,” Kuby says, citing weddings, cooking, baking and—rather surprisingly—factual crime as particularly female-friendly topics. “However, we do try to find programs that attract male viewers as well, to create ‘couple-viewing’ events,” she adds. A successful example of the latter is the

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in-house production Horror Tattoos, in which body-art experts help fix botched tattoo jobs. Kuby reports that the show has achieved a market share of up to 6.1 percent in sixx’s key demographic of female viewers aged 14 to 39. “So apparently tattoos strike a nerve with our TV audience.”

She also makes the point that, as one of ProSiebenSat.1’s smaller channels, sixx is able to tackle quirky topics such as tattoos, “that are probably too niche for the major channels.”

When buying formats, Kuby says she will generally try to obtain the free-TV, pay-TV and online rights for the whole ProSiebenSat.1 group. As to whether she would rather license a format from a local production house or buy an international brand and appoint her own producer, she says it makes no difference as long as the show “fits into the sixx niche” and comes with the necessary flexibility and versatility to be adapted to suit local requirements. Kuby will also buy off paper if a concept is sufficiently intriguing. That said, “We work for television, so having a first glimpse at moving images usually helps a lot.”

LIFE AND STYLE

Foxtel’s LifeStyle Channel has adapted a number of international formats, including Selling Houses.

Over on the other side of the world, Hannah Barnes, the general manager of Foxtel’s LifeStyle Channels, is looking for a range of content and production opportunities for the LifeStyle Channel, LifeStyle Food, LifeStyle Home and LifeStyle You. “We spend the bulk of our production dollars in prime time and acquire the best lifestyle programs we can find from around the world for the rest of our schedule,”

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Barnes explains. “We look at all factual-entertainment programming—everything from food to property to highend one-offs with an entertainment focus.”

She adds that, as a subscription-TV player operating in one of the most competitive TV markets in the world, exclusivity is crucial. “With the landscape changing so much and Foxtel offering an incredible on-demand service, all rights, including SVOD, are important to us.”

Among the international brands to have worked well for LifeStyle are Grand Designs, The Great Australian Bake Off and Location, Location, Location. “While we look at everything in the lifestyle genre, our particular focus at the moment is on food and property programming,” Barnes adds. That said, she is happy to mix reliable performers with the odd “brave choice” if she believes it has the potential to entertain and engage LifeStyle’s existing viewers while attracting new ones.

A case in point is Studio Lambert’s hilarious, heartwarming observational documentary Gogglebox, now in its second season on LifeStyle Channel.

Barnes describes LifeStyle’s channels as very Australian in sensibility and tone. When localizing a show, “our aim is always to stay true to the format while giving the shows a uniquely Australian feel,” she adds.

Barnes’s Australian viewers “really value their lifestyles and connect well with LifeStyle’s programming.” In the Philippines, however, any format driven by food or lifestyle is unlikely to generate massive audiences, reports Evelyn “Leng” Raymundo, the VP of integrated program acquisitions and

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MTG has adapted the Passion Distributionrepped format Paradise Hotel in Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

international distribution for ABS-CBN Corporation. She ascribes this to the “socioeconomic realities” of her country, where, despite being the second-fastest-growing Asian economy behind China in 2014, poverty and high unemployment prevail.

What does work well for Filipinos and many other Southeast Asians are entertainment formats offering good, clean family fun. Raymundo notes that this is not just a cultural preference but a practical one: the Philippines is predominantly a one-TV-household territory, strengthening the case for shows with cross-generational appeal.

FAMILY FUN So far, the format that has achieved this most spectacularly for the Philippines’ largest broadcaster is Pinoy Big Brother, which launched on ABS-CBN in 2005. “It’s the precursor of all reality shows in the country,” says Raymundo, who acquires for Channel 2, ABS-CBN’s flagship free-to-air channel. She adds that, 10 years and 12 seasons on, the format is still one of the most-watched and talked-about shows in the Philippines, and it has produced some of the country’s biggest stars.

Other big format franchises to have performed well for ABS-CBN include Pilipinas Got Talent, now in its fifth season, and The Voice Kids, which pulled in record-breaking ratings of 40 percent in 2015 in its second season.

“The Voice Kids is proof that, when all the right elements come together, [formats can] reap the highest viewership levels,” Raymundo observes. “It is also a tes-

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tament to the capability of our production team in adapting a foreign concept to local tastes. A successful format adaptation is a collaborative effort between licensor and broadcaster. We respect the creative work done by the format creators, but at the same time, we have to calibrate programs for local consumption. Our production teams have effectively managed this delicate balance, as can be seen in the successes of our adaptations.”

ALL RIGHTS Despite playing catch-up with its Asian neighbors in terms of internet uptake and broadband penetration, the Philippines “has not escaped the ‘TV everywhere’ trend,” Raymundo says. As a result, online, mobile and IPTV rights are now standard for any format deal. And that deal is more likely to happen, she adds, if ABS-CBN’s programming committee is presented with trailers, full episodes or wellexecuted sizzle reels.

“There has been an explosion of content as countries move toward producing their own local programs. In a sea of options, a unique concept and an eye-catching trailer or sizzle are very important. A presence in international publications and at TV markets is also helpful in making buyers more aware of brands and programs.”

But in the end, of course, nothing beats a strong central idea that, with a few judicious tweaks, can easily and costeffectively be recreated for any audience in any territory. As Raymundo puts it, “Ultimately, it’s always the strength of the concept that carries it through.”

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FremantleMedia’s The Price Is Right.

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SPIN to

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WIN!

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Producers and distributors are putting innovative new twists on the perennially

By Kristin Brzoznowski popular genre of game-show formats. ong before the days of reality TV, viewers were flocking to their television sets to go along for the ride on a real-life emotional roller coaster with game-show contestants. The dramatic highs and lows of watching a person win (and lose!) lifechanging amounts of money or big-ticket prizes in the blink of an eye have proven to be quite the draw—and the popularity of game shows has lasted through the decades. Some format distributors would even argue that they are more popular today than ever, as the genre has evolved with innovative hybrids, while others note that the appetite has been consistently strong for a long while.

“It’s true that there’s a cyclical nature to the TV business, but one of the genres that bucks that trend is game shows,” says Chris O’Dell, the head of global entertainment production at FremantleMedia. “There’s always going to be a market for a good game show. They’re very reliable, very robust.”

The FremantleMedia catalogue is home to a number of classic game-show formats, many of which are still on the air today despite having launched 30-plus years ago. With long-running series like Family Feud and The Price Is Right, there’s a nostalgia value for the audience and established brand value for the broadcasters. FremantleMedia has kept these classics fresh over the years by making subtle tweaks, explains O’Dell, while ensuring that the core gameplay remains intact.

L

LAUGH TRACK “What we are finding is that these shows are actually really, really funny,” he says. “Comedy has become a very important part of the game-show genre. I’m not saying that Family Feud wasn’t funny in the past, but now we produce the show to play to that strength.”

In the U.S., comedian Steve Harvey was brought in to host Family Feud, while the ’60s classic Let’s Make a Deal, also part of the FremantleMedia catalogue, was updated for CBS with funnyman Wayne Brady leading the action.

Similarly, BBC Worldwide has seen its classic game show The Weakest Link get a comedic makeover recently, which is quite a departure from the original version. “The Weakest Link was always led by that sort of scary Anne Robinson character around the world, with women who looked a bit like dominatrices being incredibly rude to the contestants,” explains Kate Phillips, the creative director of formats at BBC Worldwide. “Now we’re seeing a much more joyful, entertaining feel. The version of Weakest Link that was brought back in France has a male comedian as the host. It has a different tone. It’s still about people voting off others who are the weakest link, but it is done in a much funnier way.”

Humor is also at the heart of one of BBC Worldwide’s newest game-show launches, You’re Back in the Room. The format features contestants who have all been hypnotized trying to work together to win money. Phillips says the format is “filled with belly laughs,” and is one that the whole family can watch together. “It’s what I call a 3G show, as in three generations of people—kids, parents and grandparents—can watch it and all find it very funny.”

FEELIN’ GOOD Mike Beale, the executive VP of global development and formats at ITV Studios, agrees that game shows nowadays have a more family-friendly, positive feel. “It’s like we’ve gone backward to go forward,” he says. “We’re now more in the age of game shows from the ’60s and ’70s, where we want people to win and take home the prize. Ten years ago there were shows being developed where you wanted to see [contestants] fail. Viewers want to laugh now, and they want to watch a show with the family and not be worried that it’s giving out mean messages or anything like that.”

In step with this trend, ITV Studios has produced a second season of Keep It in the Family for ITV. The game show sees three generations of two families go head-to-head in a series of challenges featuring performances, celebrities and games.

“It’s a very positive show,” says Beale. “Most of all, it’s just fun!”

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Game shows that can draw a family audience, such as ITV Studios’ 5 Star Family Reunion for BBC One, are in high demand.

Jane Dockery, the senior VP of international distribution for formats at Sony Pictures Television (SPT), says the requests she’s received from broadcasters as of late are for game shows that are “fun, lighthearted and family-skewing.”

She adds, “Comedy is a big thing, as is the physical aspect of game shows. We’re launching a new format at MIPCOM called Can’t Touch This. It taps into the success of the big physical game shows that we’ve been seeing go around the globe recently, but with a new angle to it and lots of humor. It’s cut for comedy and to really bring the family audience together.”

CLASSIC COMEBACKS SPT’s catalogue also contains the megahit Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which debuted nearly 20 years ago. Even though it’s a more traditional question-and-answer-style proposition, Dockery says the format is still in high demand.

“If you go to pitch a broadcaster a new Q&A game show, often they’ll say, ‘I’m not looking for Q&A,’ but they are still licensing Millionaire. They know they can get a solid audience from it.”

CBS Studios International also benefits from the reliability factor of its classic format hits Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy! and Hollywood Squares. “Our game shows have a long track record of success, so broadcasters know what they’re getting,” says Paul Gilbert, senior VP of international formats.

“One thing that a stripped game show does is that, if successful, it comes back time after time. Broadcasters don’t necessarily want to take a chance on a new strip, and I understand why, so they go to the old standards, the ones that have a great track record—Wheel, Jeopardy! and Squares being three of those shows.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Harry Gamsu, the VP of format acquisitions and sales at Red Arrow International, believes the days of conventional quiz shows may be behind us. “Part of the popularity in game shows coming back is that the genre has absolutely evolved,” he says. “It’s become a lot more ambitious. No longer does the traditional game show— contestants in a chair, lights go down, questions, money ladder—cut it with viewers.”

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Gamsu says that even the definition of what is (and is not) a game show is increasingly fluid in the current marketplace, since there is a mashing of genres. “There are elements of reality within game shows, as well as comedy, talent and food,” he notes.

Among the Red Arrow International formats that demonstrate this melding of genres is Decimate. “It’s a game show meets a talent show in the way it looks and feels,” says Gamsu.

While more traditional Q&A-type shows still hold their place in daytime or access prime slots, in prime time it’s all about upping the action, according to Keren Shahar, the managing director of distribution at Keshet International. “For prime time, the feeling is that you need to go bigger,” she says.

“Not just in terms of production value and budgets, but also in the gameplay. You need more action in the studio. That’s why we’re seeing an increasing number of shows that combine physical and mental challenges, like BOOM! We’re moving away from the blue-background Millionaire days to more colorful, energetic series, with a lot of interaction in the studio and even humor. It almost becomes more of a variety show.”

PHYSICAL ATTRACTION At MIPCOM, Keshet International is showcasing the new game show Who’s On Top, in which players stand on a moving platform that rises and falls depending on the contestants’ answers.

Shahar believes that the format’s combination of physical elements and comedy is going to be a winning mix with buyers.

“If you want to get a game show into prime time, everything needs to be much bigger,” says Avi Armoza, the founder and CEO of Armoza Formats, which is home to such game-show hits as Still Standing and Babushka. “The set has to be bigger, the premise has to be bigger.”

Armoza has also taken notice of how technology is opening up new opportunities in the game-show genre to engage with the audience. “This is enabling the potential to develop exciting new shows or give new life to solid, returning brands,” he says.

For example, The People’s Choice, developed by Armoza Formats in partnership with TF1, allows the entire country to participate in the game, thanks to its interactive structure.

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“Technology is a key element for game shows now,” agrees Revital Basel, the VP of sales at Dori Media Group. “It allows for live integration of the audience, in studio and at home, interaction with viewers and the usage of apps.”

Dori Media Group represents the Studio Glam format 300 Sec. Ride, which features a specially designed “Time Track” moving platform that runs back and forth, from one side of the studio to the other. “The technology makes the show new, unique and innovative,” says Basel.

The Dori Media slate also includes Smart Face—Lo Sabe, No Lo Sabe, which takes the quiz action out of the studio and onto the street. The company has licensed the format to more than 30 territories to date, including Germany, Portugal, Brazil and Indonesia.

In addition to putting an innovative spin on the game-show genre, having an on-the-street setting eliminates the cost of building an expensive studio set. Another money-saving move is the use of centralized production hubs, which allow for multiple territories to share resources.

MONEY TALKS

Red Arrow International’s A League of Their Own features a combination of genres, including sports, comedy and entertainment.

Indeed, one of the key benefits of game-show formats is affordability. “Generally speaking, the cost associated with game-show formats is cheaper than that of talent shows,” says Ricardo Ehrsam, the general director of entertainment formats at Televisa Internacional, whose catalogue includes The Assembly Game and Generation Gap. “With a talent show, you may have the expense of celebrities or a huge studio, but with game shows, you can make them very interesting without spending that much money.”

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Ehrsam also notes how a good game show tends to be long running, turning it into a high-volume proposition. Being able to use the same set for a large number of episodes helps to further amortize costs.

Also, as prizes are on the line, these series can provide plenty of opportunities to integrate sponsorships or product placement in an organic way, Ehrsam points out. “Game shows are the perfect example of a format genre that could be sponsored by an advertiser. It depends on the territory, of course, [as there are different legal regulations], but sponsorships are an important way to get money from different sources.”

One of Keshet International’s latest game shows, Trade Up, in which families compete to win a dream car, was devised from its inception with sponsorship in mind. Shahar explains that it was an attempt to bring in money from the automobile companies in Israel that have invested less and less of their advertising budgets in TV as of late. “That was a great opportunity for us to lure them back to our screens,” she says.

While many distributors report seeing an appetite for game-show formats in nearly all territories globally, Shahar has noticed a recent uptick in demand from Latin America in particular. “Historically, game shows haven’t been a popular genre in Latin America,” she says. “We’re probably not going to see pure quiz shows going on air there, but I’m seeing game shows like BOOM!, Who’s On Top and Trade Up, which are more colorful and lend themselves to a lot of interaction in the studio, becoming more and more popular in Latin America.

This is great news for the industry. It opens up more slots.”

FremantleMedia’s O’Dell reports solid interest for game shows in territories ranging from the U.S. to Australia. “We’ve

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Keshet International’s BOOM! is heavy on the action, which has helped it secure prime-time slots.

sold lots of game shows across Europe and, notably, the Eastern European territories have joined the party in recent years,” he adds. “We have a very successful version of Family Feud playing in Croatia at the moment, for example. There’s a market in Eastern Europe now for these types of shows that possibly wasn’t there 15 or 20 years ago.”

BBC Worldwide’s Phillips also points to Eastern Europe, as well as Central Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as territories that have been showing more interest in game shows—in general for the types of shows that can churn out large episode counts at a lower price point.

“For a distributor like BBC Worldwide, you can’t underestimate the importance of having low-cost, high-volume shows in your formats catalogue,” Phillips says. “They’re what I call sweet-spot shows. It means that when countries are buying them around the world and they’re on a tight budget, they can record two, three, four episodes a day. They’re pretty costeffective to make and they can fill a schedule.

“Then again, if you wanted to, you could take those shows up to a much bigger, prime-time version,” she continues. “You could add celebrity specials and spend more money on your set and lights and graphics to make them prime time. They become a one-size-fits-all proposition, and that’s gold when you’re selling formats.”

PRIMED FOR SUCCESS Red Arrow International’s Gamsu echoes the sentiment that flexibility in game-show formats is key. “Long-running, highvolume quiz and game is very relevant, but you need to be able to scale it up for the bigger slots,” he says. “The Lie and Decimate are two examples of formats that could work for both.”

Gamsu has seen more game shows making their way into prime time recently. “Perhaps they haven’t been there for a little while, but now with this mixture of reality and game, with these very big sets, it all creates a real buzz and draws an audience. This is helping them move back into prime time.

“The game itself has to be fun and engaging enough to capture a high number of viewers,” he adds. “It doesn’t matter how many bells and whistles you’ve got in it—the game has to be strong at its core.”

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Increasingly, those bells and whistles include apps and other second-screen experiences. Game shows are, by their very design, interactive for at-home viewers, who can guess along with the studio contestants. So, are digital add-ons a vital evolution or an unnecessary distraction in this case?

“For me, interactivity is a double-edged sword,” says ITV Studios’ Beale. “If you’re watching a quiz show, you will shout out the answer if you know it. You don’t need an app to do that.”

He adds, “We strongly believe that the interactivity does have to enhance either the viewers’ appreciation of the show or the show itself. It’s got to offer the viewers something more than they would get from just watching a show in a normal way.”

SECOND SCREENS “We are still in the initial stages of interactivity with game shows,” says Armoza, noting that channels are experimenting with the technology that allows for audience engagement. “I am sure that the demand will grow, and also we will see more game shows that will bring in the live interactive element.”

Armoza emphasizes the idea that game shows, if broadcast live, hold much promise in creating appointment viewing, which is harder and harder to do in today’s on-demand media environment. Creating this sort of live TV event requires broadcasters to make a larger investment and take a bigger risk, but Armoza believes that the reward could be worth it. “There will be some failures,” he states, “but eventually there will be a few hits that will change the reality of live game shows, and we will start to see more of them.”

Be it large-scale, live events for prime time or cost-effective, high-volume series for access prime, game shows have proven their value as a staple in the TV landscape. It remains to be seen whether or not interactivity can transform the genre into something entirely new and innovative, but the format industry is certainly keeping a close eye on it.

“Everybody is looking for the next big show; nobody is making any secret about that,” says Beale. “Trust me, as creators we’re obviously looking for it. In the meantime, there’s a very good tranche of solid, fun entertainment and game shows out there that are traveling.”

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SOPHIE TURNER LAING

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ENDEMOL SHINE GROUP Endemol has created some of the biggest global hits since the earliest days of the format business. It boasts Big Brother, Deal or No Deal and The Money Drop among its long roster of shows that have been produced in multiple territories. Shine also has a string of formats that have traveled the world, notably MasterChef, The Biggest Loser and Minute to Win It. When Endemol and Shine merged last year, Sophie Turner Laing was brought in to lead the integration of the two companies. Today, as CEO of the Endemol Shine Group, which has production companies in some 30 countries, Turner Laing has a unique perspective of the format industry.

TV FORMATS: What trends are you seeing and what are the major issues facing the format business?

TURNER LAING: The biggest challenge when you talk to any production company, or indeed any buyer in the non-scripted business, is, Where’s the next big thing for prime time? Fortunately for us, we have two of the largest long-running non-scripted formats, Big Brother and MasterChef, which, despite all odds and despite viewing on linear TV slowly drifting down, are holding their own year-on-year. I saw the [ratings for] Big Brother in the U.S.; it’s the number one show every week. The Australian MasterChef [has been] the highestrated show that TEN has had on the network all year.

But these shows don’t just get themselves onto the screen; there is an enormous team who work behind the scenes to evolve the format. So you’re constantly adding something new, but there is a degree of familiarity with the brand for both broadcaster and the viewer, where they know to a certain extent what they’re going to get. And because there isn’t anything else that’s resonating as strongly, they are doing very well. Everybody always says to me, Surely MasterChef or Big Brother has had its day? But we continue to add new countries. For example, most recently Big Brother started shooting its first-ever Turkish version. There is no stopping them.

TV FORMATS: From your experience overseeing the production of The Tunnel, what are the best ways of taking the essence of a scripted show and adapting it to another culture and language?

TURNER LAING: Well, we’re incredibly fortunate to have in our group superb talent like Lars Blomgren—who leads Filmlance—the creator of Bron/Broen or The Bridge, which then is The Tunnel in the U.K./France version. Lars, in fact, chairs our Scripted Exchange, which connects our drama talent from around the world. The Bridge is a very unique drama format that actually has multiple iterations. With drama, one needs to be very careful; adapting it for another country is not always the right thing. However, there have been enormous successes, whether they’re ours or other people’s.

For example, Prisoners of War that became Homeland.

There is an opportunity to take a drama format that

could have been produced locally at a smaller budget, probably not in the English language, to other markets.

Whether you can successfully carry on doing a British version, an American version, remains to be seen; it totally depends on the show itself. But the premise of The Bridge is so brilliantly adaptable because you have borders in every country in the world, and often, trouble on borders!

TV FORMATS: Tell us about Endemol Beyond. What kind of content, talent and creative voices can be found there, and is there potential for crossover from what they’re doing into traditional linear television?

TURNER LAING: Yes, I definitely think there is. What is fascinating is that young creatives are naturally drawn to [the digital space]. Since we need to keep attracting young talent, it’s a great portal to have in-depth conversations with Millennials. Endemol Beyond was only launched internationally in November 2013 and the channels it provides are now generating something like 1.8 billion views a month. So it’s among the top ten MCNs worldwide. Most recently, Endemol Beyond Germany won the first Gold Lion at Cannes this year, which is really exciting. I’m genuinely inspired and excited by what we can do from this area because not only is there the opportunity of creating MCNs, but also specific digital content that could migrate to linear TV or the other way around. It’s very much a two-way street.

Equally, we’re in a digital solution business and working with brands, so the application that won the Gold Lion was for a Media Markt campaign, “The Big Easter Bunny Race,” which is superbly clever and funny.

That sheer creativity of understanding what the audience wants, a great sense of humor and a brilliant campaign, shows that there is a great way of harnessing different enthusiasms and energies from what you would say is old and new media when in fact, quite frankly, it’s all one bucket now. To me, again, it goes back to what is the creative idea, the storytelling idea, right at the very heart of it, and it doesn’t matter if it’s delivered by YouTube or by a terrestrial broadcaster or even by Sky. What we have to do is make sure that whomever we’re working with, we’re delivering the most perfect piece for them.

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By Anna Carugati

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TV FORMATS 53

Bertram van Munster The Amazing Race Since its debut in 2001, The Amazing Race has been enthralling audiences with the breakdowns and shakeups of teams traversing the globe in a competition to win a handsome sum of money.

Along the way, the show has earned an armload of awards, including ten Primetime Emmys for outstanding reality-competition program, and has bred numerous international iterations. The series, which is in season 27 in the U.S., was created by the husband-and-wife duo Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri. Van Munster tells TV Formats about some of the tactics used to keep the show fresh season after season, which as of late has included tapping into the power of social media.

TV FORMATS: Few shows, notably in reality TV, have had as much long-running success as The Amazing Race.

What’s the engine that’s driving the series forward after all this time?

VAN MUNSTER: The main engine is creativity: How are we going to do this? What are we going to do next? The good thing is that we have the entire world as our canvas. In that sense, it’s a huge reality competition show just because of the lay of the land. I also think we hit a bull’seye with the creation of the show; it had all the makings of a potential evergreen.

TV FORMATS: What are some of the ways you’ve gone about keeping the series fresh?

VAN MUNSTER: I read the papers and I know what’s going on in the world. So, I know where to go and where not to go. We also bring a lot of humor into the show, and it’s very relatable.

Starting with season 25, we opened the show up completely to social media. For that season, I also said, Why don’t we start from Times Square? There was a time when I was asked to keep this all a secret. But I said, Why keep it a secret? I’ve got a diamond in the attic and nobody knows where the diamond is! Why not just open it up, start in Times Square, and let the whole world see what we are doing—isn’t that much better than keeping it all a secret?

So, now we’ve done that.

For anyone who wants to take a video or post a picture [on social media], it doesn’t matter where we are in the world—whether we’re in South America, Asia or Siberia—I say, Go for it! With that, you also create a huge following, and I think that has made a big difference in the popularity of the show.

TV FORMATS: The casting is also part of the show’s success.

What are some of the qualities you look for in potential contestants?

VAN MUNSTER: The first thing I always look for is if they have a sense of humor, because you need that when you go on the road like this. It gets serious enough and everybody becomes competitive. We look for people from all walks of life, and for people who are genuinely enthusiastic and really want to do something like this. I look for all age

groups. I don’t care if they’ve never traveled before. I don’t care if they have big muscles or little muscles, it doesn’t make any difference. Anybody can win this race; that’s the way it’s set up. So in that sense, it’s extremely fair.

We stay away from making it too physical. There has to be a balance; it has to be mental and physical. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking it’s just about going from challenge to challenge. The reality is that the most difficult part is to get to the challenge. That’s why [contestants] make a mistake with taxis or with directions, etc. I tell people, there are two things you need to do: read your clue, and it’s not about doing these challenges—at the end of the day, these challenges are something that anybody can do—it’s about getting to the challenges. That’s what’s difficult.

We are very careful about who we pick, but you also do not know how people are going to react to certain things.

That’s also what’s fascinating for the audience; even they realize that we as producers never know what the outcome is going to be for certain things. You can just feel it. We turn these people completely loose and we do not know what the outcome is [regarding] their personality, their strengths and weaknesses, etc. That is part of the ingredients that make the show exciting.

TV FORMATS: How do you keep coming up with new challenges? And once you have an idea, how do you evaluate if it’s actually viable to execute?

VAN MUNSTER: Most of the ideas are coming from Elise and from myself. We create those challenges, and we are very, very picky about this. I have to travel to some of these challenges myself; you can’t come up with this sitting in an office. As I travel around the world I see stuff that is extremely unusual and fun and that has a difficulty to it that we don’t recognize with our cultural backgrounds.

Then we test it. We test all of them to see if it’s really doable before we [send the contestants] out there.

TV FORMATS: What are some of the most pressing logistical issues of coordinating a series like this?

VAN MUNSTER: I don’t want to completely give away how it works [laughs], but the word “logic” is in there somewhere.

When I put something together, there is an absolute logic to

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By Kristin Brzoznowski

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The Amazing Race, airing on CBS in the U.S., has spawned versions in Canada, China and several other markets.

it. To most people it may feel random, but it’s not random at all. Where we go and how the route makes itself around the globe are completely based in logic. Sometimes we throw a little curveball in there. For instance, last time we went to Europe, then down to Africa, then back to Europe, which surprised everybody. I’m also commingling climates— from hot to cold, rain to snow to extreme humidity—all of that is laid into the route so that people can be jarred. By the time they come back and sit on the couch at home, they don’t believe what happened to them.

TV FORMATS: How do you stay ahead of the contestants to make sure that you’re at the right place at the right time?

Does it ever happen that you’re not?

VAN MUNSTER: No, it never happens. The camera crews that travel with these guys are with them 24 hours a day. A team does not go on a plane unless they can buy four seats. They can’t leave them behind. Otherwise I don’t have a TV show!

We also have a 20-foot rule: they have to stay within 20 feet of our camera teams. But our camera teams are usually fast; they can run faster, think faster and are faster on their feet than the team members.

TV FORMATS: What do you consider to be the secret to winning the race?

VAN MUNSTER: First of all, read your clue—which nobody does. For some reason, they think you should start running and then read it. It’s too late. Number two, I’ve seen people argue their way around the globe and win, but mostly the people operating in harmony are more successful. Also, you have to be very, very sharp and think on the spot logically about what your next move is going to be. And you’ve got to do this in 4 seconds. Very simple!

TV FORMATS: The show is known for having a dedicated fan base that keeps in touch with the producers and contestants. Tell me about some of the ways that fans are engaging with the show and harnessing social media.

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VAN MUNSTER: We only started this a couple of seasons ago.

I think we can do much more. We have a version of The Amazing Race in China. We got 1.5 billion hits on social media in China. That shows you what the potential is. In China they are making even more use of social media than we are here in the U.S. In terms of popularity, the show just keeps growing.

In terms of social media, we’re just scraping the tip of the iceberg.

TV FORMATS: In looking at the international versions, how closely are you working with those producers, and what are some of the essential pieces of wisdom you impart to help?

VAN MUNSTER: We are very involved. We have put together a collaboration where our producers, and very often a director of photography, travel with these teams to show them the format that our company has put together. The show looks like [it’s easy to do], but when you actually do it, you find out how difficult it really is. Our experienced, talented producers travel with these teams to show them the pitfalls. That has been very successful. It also ties in to how much money they have available, and that may depend on the size of the market. That will also dictate the creative. But I’ve got to say, the Canadian version is a fantastic adaptation. It shoots partly overseas and a lot of it in Canada.

TV FORMATS: What continues to motivate you to put out the best show season after season?

VAN MUNSTER: What drives me is the love for the work that I do. I love to create shows. I have connections all over the world. I’m a very passionate person and I’m very passionate about doing this work. I can’t think of anything better.

As a director and cinematographer I have been traveling all over the world most of my life. I never want to just rest on my laurels. I would get no satisfaction out of that whatsoever. I’d rather stand in the middle of the battlefield and get it going!

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ROB CLARK

FREMANTLEMEDIA

By Anna Carugati

For years, FremantleMedia has been providing broadcasters with formats that have been huge hits in territories large and small around the world, from Idols, Got Talent and The X Factor to classic game shows like The Price Is Right and Family Feud.

Broadcasters have always wanted to limit their risk by choosing shows that have been successful in other territories, but Rob Clark, the company’s director of global entertainment, is hearing that they now want shows that indeed have a proven track record, but are not like other shows on the air. Clark is confident his MIPCOM slate of formats offers the right mix of tried-and-tested and different.

TV FORMATS: What elements have contributed to the longevity of FremantleMedia’s most successful formats?

CLARK: There are two specific things that have to do with formats: the first is that they are not associated with either a time or a place—they are culturally neutral. You can take The Price Is Right as an example. It’s older than I am, I’m not telling you how old that is, but it doesn’t feel like a show from the ’50s. And when it plays in Portugal, for example, it doesn’t feel like an American show, it feels like a Portuguese show. That culturally neutral element is really, really important to the longevity of any format. The second is how they are managed. These formats that we have had on air, for decades in some cases, are not just left there. They are cared for and constantly creatively prodded and poked. We don’t say, that’s the way we do it and that’s always the way we do it. You constantly have to refresh. You make a mistake when you don’t understand a format and you don’t understand why people watch it and you change the essential elements to why they watch it. You have to be careful, but if you are knowledgeable and you care about your shows, you can refresh them successfully.

TV FORMATS: How and when do you decide to refresh an existing format?

CLARK: You don’t decide when the ratings have slipped. That’s rule number one. You decide from a position of strength. It’s a constant process. It’s maybe just the nuance of something; maybe you just change the opening title. Or it may just be a refreshing of the set. It may be the changing of a host. It may be the sort of contestants that you’ve gone for. It may be that you want to make the show slightly more humorous. I will give you three examples. Steve Harvey in hosting Family Feud has turned it from a show that always had a comedic element into a show that is genuinely funny. That’s meant that in the U.S. it’s been a huge success in both access prime time and now prime time.

That’s been a real fillip to the rest of the world; it’s made everybody aware of the pacing and humor in their version of Family Feud. It’s not just getting it right in one territory. It’s learning what works and then passing that on down the production lines in many, many different versions of the shows. Changing a host is always complicated; there are huge risks attached to it. Audiences sometimes genuinely love hosts, but you know the time has come to change them and the change with Steve Harvey has been absolutely brilliant.

Another example is a quite simple change to Got Talent—the golden buzzer moment. This came from Germany. They wanted some way of elevating the audition process and that’s where the golden buzzer

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La Banda is a new talent show from FremantleMedia, Syco Entertainment and Saban Brands for Univision in the U.S.

moment came from. The idea that anybody can go straight to the next round and not have to go through the whole process has really provided anticipation. As a viewer, when you’re watching, you think, Oh, will they give them the golden buzzer? I would have given them the golden buzzer, or, Oh, what a waste of the golden buzzer. Oh, that was a brilliant moment! Did you see the golden buzzer moment last night in Got Talent? It just creates that change in pace; that climax mid-show, which you don’t usually get. It’s not just when it’s used, it’s when it’s not used and that’s what’s clever about the golden buzzer.

The last example is the six-chair challenge in The X Factor, and this derives from the Dutch version. It was introduced three or four years ago and that is a big element of all of our versions of X Factor.

We’ve been lucky as a company because we can try something in one territory and if it doesn’t work, then we don’t let it happen anywhere else. We can quickly change back. But if it’s successful then we can roll it out, so it speaks to the connectivity of our creative units in that we encourage people to sometimes [experiment] with a format. Sometimes it works quite successfully and sometimes it doesn’t. If it doesn’t, you’ll never hear of it because it’ll never go anyplace else. But if it does we will try to encourage everybody else to use it.

TV FORMATS: You have to allow them some freedom to experiment, don’t you?

CLARK: Absolutely. When I was a producer I would have hated being told, this is the way it is and this is how it should be, because I never came in to do painting-by-the-numbers as a producer and I don’t expect any of our producers to produce that way. And if they are I actually get quite upset with them, because if you haven’t invested a bit of your heart and a lot of your mind in it, then the show won’t work. Chris O’Dell [head of global entertainment production] really encourages people to be creative in the way they produce shows, no matter what they are. But there are certain elements that they can’t change.

It’s about knowing what to change, what can’t change and the degree of risk. My mother would say, Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water; it’s knowing where to stop.

TV FORMATS: What elements do you look for to say a given show can work in another country?

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CLARK: I look for three things, what I call transferability, returnability and scalability. First, the show has to be a format.

People come in with shows that they want us to invest in or acquire the rights to, but they are not formats. They are very nice stories and television programs, but they are not formats.

Not everything is meant to travel. Some things are just good programs. You could probably make something similar in a different territory but you can’t protect it in terms of its IP and there is not a discernible structure to it that you can replicate— there is no beginning, middle and end. It needs to have a structure. Then you need to be able to look at it and say we could make that much bigger in a country like Germany or America or the U.K. Or we could make it on a much smaller budget in some Central European territories or some smaller Asian territories. Once you’ve got that degree of scalability, then you know it can roll out and be made in all those different territories. If it’s culturally transferable, then you know there is nothing in it that would stop it from being transferred globally, or even regionally, so it’s not something specific to that one country. That’s why game shows, singing competitions, the reality arc, the models, beauty, all travel because they are culturally transferable. Some things don’t travel. Food competitions within good formats travel rather well; recipe shows don’t travel. They may work as tapes, but they don’t travel as formats.

So that’s what we look for at the very early stage, often before a show has been on air. I have access to everybody’s development pipelines and there are things that they will either bring to my attention, or we’ll bring to their attention something that we’re really keen on. And we’re keen on it because it feels different enough to be interesting, but it also hits those other elements of transferability and returnability [a show that can come back season after season] and scalability—they are the big three.

Another one I look at now is the promoteability. [If you are in a market with] only two or three channels to choose from, is it that important to be able to promote? Probably not. But if you are operating in a multichannel broadcast environment, you need your show to be really promotable. It needs to be very loud very quickly or have something that makes it look very different so that it stands out. You need to recognize it when you see any of the elements of that show, whether it’s the Xs of Got Talent, or the look of the set of Master Athletes, or even Bake Off. That’s not our show, but it’s really clever because you know instantly

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In the U.S., ABC’s summer lineup included Celebrity Family Feud, hosted by Steve Harvey, in prime time.

you are looking at Bake Off—every single element is from the same pallet, and I mean that as a compliment, not a criticism.

You know instantly where you are. In one second I can tell you that’s X Factor, Idols, Got Talent, Family Feud, Bake Off, Top Model. You can instantly do that with some shows.

That’s The Apprentice, grey suits running down streets!

You instantly know where you are with them.

TV FORMATS: What new shows will you have at MIPCOM? CLARK: The Eureka Moment and The Freestyle Games from Holland, Who Knew? from Germany and Master Athletes from Sweden are really different shows. They are trying to obey some of the rules that we’ve all known from our experience in television, but try to give the viewers and the broadcasters something that is different. That’s not to say we’ve lost faith in the talent show. We are bringing a new talent show to market called La Banda, which launched on Univision. We still believe in [talent shows], but it goes to this idea that broadcasters keep saying they want something different. Whereas before when something different has come along they have been nervous about it, I think this time [they will react differently]. The Eureka Moment gets really good ratings on RTL 4 in Holland. If we had gone to a lot of broadcasters with this show they would have said, Oh no, no, no, that’s not for us. But because it got good ratings, I think it genuinely stands a chance of being picked up. It’s a really good show. It’s a big studio entertainment show that has a thread of a game show in it, but it’s effectively based on science experiments. And it’s really, really funny. It’s a balance between humor, entertainment, science and takeaway. So at the end of it you feel, Oh I didn’t know that, it’s quite interesting, but you’ve laughed for an hour. That’s what I mean about being different.

Who Knew? is on ARD in Germany and it’s from our German operation. That is in the same vein, it’s an accessprime quiz show. It has had an amazing ratings run, it’s gone up week after week. Why? I think the reason is that is hasn’t got all those Millionaire lights that indicate the tension. It’s not that sort of show. It obeys different rules. It’s all about how interesting the questions are, not necessarily how interesting the people are or the answer is. It’s fun and it’s different and the ratings are a testament to the fact that this is what audiences are looking for. The prime-time version of that show was the highest-rated game show for eight years in Germany. So there’s something to my belief that if it’s

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different enough, audiences come to it and then broadcasters around the world will have the comfort of knowing that it has rated well on a big broadcaster in Germany and a big broadcaster in Holland.

Then we go to what I would call our familiar shows and they fall into two categories. La Banda is the search for the next boy band; it launched on Univision. It’s a Syco Entertainment and FremantleMedia production, so there is all the familiarity with knowing how we make those shows and all the production values we put into them. But there is a really different feel to it. Having taken all the experience we have in this area for the last 12 years together, we’re now giving more power to the fans and changing the audition process. It feels different and it feels fresh. It feels fun again.

Then we look at Celebrity Family Feud. Family Feud is 40 years old and yet it was the highest-rated new show on air this summer in the most difficult non-scripted market in the world, the U.S., second only in the ratings week on week to Got Talent, and that’s including all the dramas [that were on the air]. You ask why? Because it’s a really different approach to Family Feud: it’s funny, it’s real celebrities and their families and it plays well in prime time. It’s a brand that everybody loves and knows, it’s just done a little bit differently and a little bit smarter and it’s a prime-time version; it feels good and fresh.

Also on ABC we’ve re-versioned To Tell the Truth. We’ve taken a relatively staid panel show and turned it into what feels like a big, relevant entertainment format. It hasn’t aired yet in the U.S., but when it does I think it will do very well. It has a young funky host, very urban. They have upped the production scale, but at its heart, it’s exactly the same as what we’ve done with Family Feud, we haven’t changed the gameplay at all. The gameplay is still three people claiming to be the same person with the same extraordinary tale to tell: My name is Rob Clark and I’ve been attacked by a shark. But only one of these people has been sworn to tell the truth [and the celebrity panel has to figure out who it is].

These shows just feel different. It’s about what the audience wants. It’s about what broadcasters have asked for, and we are trying to work with them on creating something that is different and has worked in the territories where we have launched them. Hopefully we will get good response from people at MIPCOM. It doesn’t feel like it’s the same old same old. I’m very excited about this slate.

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were multiple bidders right away. We had good fortune off the bat.

TV FORMATS: From the beginning did you see potential for the show to be replicated internationally?

MOK: We did see the international potential for the show.

Fashion travels. It has no language barrier. Everybody in every country, big or small, is consumed with fashion; we are all affected by it, whether we like it or not. We all make fashion choices every day. Every morning when you get up and pick out what to wear, you’re making a fashion choice.

So we knew that this show would travel very, very well.

TV FORMATS: Walk us through some of the tweaks that have been made over the years to keep the show fresh.

MOK: We’re never afraid of change. We always want to make sure that every year the show feels fresh for the viewer, not only in terms of the models’ challenges and photo shoots, but also in terms of the talent. Over the years there have been many different people on our judging panel, ranging from Janice Dickinson to Paulina Porizkova to Twiggy to Nigel Barker. We’ve constantly had changes in the talent and the judges on our show.

Along the way we’ve also instituted different changes that reflect advancements in technology. Social media

KEN MOK NEXT TOP MODEL

By Kristin Brzoznowski

Season 22 of America’s Next Top Model launched this fall on The CW in the U.S. Featuring 14 male and female aspiring supermodels living together under one roof and battling it out for a career-launching prize package, this season marked the third “Guys and Girls” edition, in what is one of many twists the producers have introduced over the years to keep the series fresh. The show was developed by supermodel Tyra Banks and Ken Mok, who both serve as executive producers. Through CBS Studios International, America’s Next Top Model is under license in more than 100 markets around the world and has 20 international versions in production. There are local iterations of Next Top Model airing this year in such varied territories as Australia, China, Germany, India, Mexico and the U.K. There are also pan-Asian and pan-African editions. Mok tells TV Formats about what gives the series its wide global appeal.

TV FORMATS: How did you and Tyra Banks come together for the creation of America’s Next Top Model?

MOK: That happened 14 years ago, believe it or not. We were introduced because I had been a producer of unscripted [programming] and was known for creating aspirational series, in which the show itself is a launching pad for somebody who wants to be a singer or a wrestler, etc. I had created Making the Band, which started out on ABC and went to MTV. I also created Tough Enough, which was about [amateur wrestlers trying to make it into WWE]. So my agent thought it would be a good idea for Tyra and me to meet because she was looking to do a show about the making of a model.

We met and hit it off. I came up with a format with her very quickly, and she liked it. We went off and sold it; there

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wasn’t around when we were setting up the show, or at least it was in its very nascent stages. As time has gone by, because of the rapid growth of social media—including Instagram, Twitter, Vine—we have not only incorporated it into the challenges, but we have also incorporated using social media into the show itself. There were a few cycles in which we actually had the audience vote for the models online. We’ve done away with that, but now we’re [providing viewers the opportunity to have] their comments from social media posted on the episodes themselves. When you watch the show, you’ll see people’s comments on the screen.

TV FORMATS: What led to the addition of male models on the show?

MOK: The world of fashion has changed over the years. We’d like to take a little credit for that. When we started the show and had all female contestants, we made sure that we had a very diverse group of cast members. We wanted plus-size, skinny, tall, short, and a truly diverse ethnic cast. At that time, 13 years ago, modeling was a very monochromatic, homogeneous business. There were only a couple of African-American models out there. As time has passed, the fashion industry has really opened its doors to all different types of people. I think we’ve influenced that. Now you’re also starting to see more and more men in the industry get their day in the sun.

As the series went along, ten-plus years into the cycle, we thought it was time to introduce men into the show. The modeling world had changed and we [wanted to reflect that

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people who are going to succeed, who actually do have the potential to be a model. If they pass that test, then we take other elements into consideration. We start to look at height, size, ethnic diversity and personality. You can’t have all alphas in the house; you’ve got to have some alphas, some people who are shy, some who are headstrong, some who are conciliatory—you want to have a nice mix.

Through CBS Studios International, America’s Next Top Model has been licensed into 100-plus territories, with 20 local versions produced internationally.

and] thought it would introduce a new dynamic to the series and revitalize it. And it certainly has! Our ratings have really done well. It has helped the show tremendously.

TV FORMATS: How important is the dynamic between the judges to the success of a particular season?

MOK: The chemistry among the judges is key. You have to make sure that each person on that panel not only brings a different perspective of the fashion industry to the show, but that they also complement one another energetically. You can’t have three judges up there who are Simon Cowells. [Laughs] The current lineup [Tyra Banks, public-relations maven Kelly Cutrone, runway coach J. Alexander and photographer Yu Tsai] is fantastic in that everyone complements one another. Everyone also has a very different perspective on the fashion industry, and you need that in order to get a fully realized picture and complete analysis of each model. It helps to sift through the pretenders and the contenders in a very thorough way.

TV FORMATS: Do you also look for a certain dynamic between the models?

MOK: The first thing we look at, above all else, is whether they can model. Can they make it in this industry? We want

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TV FORMATS: Do you share know-how with the producers of the international versions of Next Top Model?

MOK: Yes. Every year we have a conference in Miami, where our international franchises gather and exchange ideas. We do our own presentation of what we’re doing with the show [in the U.S.] and what we did with the latest cycle. We walk through storytelling, casting, new aspects of social media that we’re using on the show, and the feedback we’ve received about things that we have done. We show a big video presentation and have a discussion. Then the franchises themselves each do their own presentation for us.

It’s a great exchange of ideas about how to make the show work.

The one thing that we always tell all the [international producers] is: process is boring, people are not. One of the mistakes that a lot of modeling shows make, one that our franchise partners sometimes make, is they will focus on how fantastic the photo shoot is; they’ll focus on the process of the shoot.

That’s interesting for about 30 seconds, but after that you’re bored. There’s no personal point of view that’s coming through that.

However, if you tell a story through the perspective of one of the models, what her experience is during that shoot, it makes the story emotionally engaging. That is something that we always teach our franchise partners how to do. If you focus on the individual journey rather than the overall picture, you will have success.

TV FORMATS: What do you think makes Next Top Model such an audience hit around the world?

MOK: First of all, it’s an aspirational show. A lot of people aspire to be in the world of fashion. Secondly, in its casting the series can be very relatable. The fashion industry wants quirky, different-looking girls. So you get models on the show who kids in high school can look at and think, I could be that person! Thirdly, we do a really good job of building up great personal stories and personal journeys so that the viewers get emotionally involved. Unscripted shows are no different than scripted dramas; you have to have characters that you care about, an emotional arc, and a narrative with a beginning, middle and end. If you can successfully tell a story that people are going to want to get involved with in every one of your episodes, then you’re going to have an audience that’s engaged. With all of those elements together, we’ve had success.

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nities in the marketplace for a new talent-competition format “if the idea is unique.”

While these four genres do stand out, The Formats Project is open to all kinds of formats. “We are looking for originality,” Pinto says. “The format shouldn’t look similar to something that already exists in the marketplace. The same genre or basic idea might already be out there, but it’s about having those unique twists—that’s very important.”

Each of the top three projects will receive development funding for either a pilot or trailer. These winners will also be represented worldwide exclusively by Global Agency.

Pinto is proud of the company’s current position in the market and believes it is the perfect home for fresh ideas to flourish. With its sole focus on distribution, Global

THE FORMATS PROJECT

By Kristin Brzoznowski

wo years ago, Global Agency, in partnership with World Screen, launched a worldwide competition to find the most innovative new format concepts with the potential to become international success stories. Hundreds of entries came pouring in for The Formats Project, but ultimately three ideas stood out above the rest. The winning submissions received a pilot investment from Global Agency as well as worldwide representation from the company.

The inaugural venture “went beyond expectations,” according to Izzet Pinto, the company’s founder and CEO. “In terms of participation, we received around 300 format pitches, which is a lot! I think this time will be even better,” he says, noting that he’s expecting some 500 entries in the 2015–16 competition.

The competition—which runs from September 1, 2015, to February 15, 2016—is open to anyone who owns the copyright of his or her format. From the format pitches submitted, the Global Agency acquisitions team will select 20 projects, which will then be evaluated by a jury made up of a mix of representatives from leading broadcasters around the world, wellknown producers and experts within the format industry. This group will then work to identify the top three submissions.

Global Agency is particularly interested in the genres of cooking, dating and game shows. Pinto also points out that, while many buyers may say they are fed up with talent shows, there are still plenty of opportu-

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Agency’s full attention is on placing the titles in its catalogue in as many markets as possible. “We have a dedicated team of ten salespeople working every day on selling projects,” says Pinto. “We are always open to new ideas. Every six months we launch six new formats, so when we have chosen the three winners for The Formats Project, half of our highlight slate will be these newcomers.”

Since its inception, the company has made it a point to support formats that have the ability to make noise with their unique concepts. “Buyers know that when they come to us, they are going to find something that’s new and fresh,” Pinto says.

Plus, as an independent, Global Agency is able to work with all producers and broadcasters, “whereas other companies may not work with their rivals,” Pinto notes. “We work with everybody, and that’s really important. Global Agency is also well known for its marketing. We create buzz; we make sure that when we have a new project that we believe in, everybody hears about it.”

Global Agency is now putting out a call to the creative community, urging format creators to submit their ideas to The Formats Project for the chance to turn them into worldwide hits. “One idea can change your life!” Pinto proclaims.

The deadline for entries is February 15, 2016, with the winners to be announced during MIPTV 2016. Rules, regulations and information on how to enter can be found online at theglobalagency.tv/formatsproject.

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