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TVFORMATS
WWW.TVFORMATS.WS
APRIL 2018
MIPFORMATS & MIPTV EDITION
Scripted Formats / Dating & Relationship Shows Keshet’s Avi Nir / Stephen Lambert
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14 TV FORMATS
CONTENTS FEATURES
Learning to Play Nice
30 DRAMATIC DESIGNS Explores how distributors are finding success in the tricky business of scripted format adaptations.
30
After a two-year hiatus, American Idol has made its triumphant return. Ryan Seacrest is back, with a new judging panel. The format is intact, but there is one thing missing from the entertainment megahit: the bad auditions. Ricardo Seguin Guise Publisher Anna Carugati Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani Editor Kristin Brzoznowski Executive Editor Joanna Padovano Tong Managing Editor Sara Alessi Associate Editor Victor L. Cuevas Production & Design Director Phyllis Q. Busell Art Director Simon Weaver Online Director Dana Mattison Senior Sales & Marketing Manager Nathalia Lopez Sales & Marketing Coordinator Andrea Moreno Business Affairs Manager
Ricardo Seguin Guise President Anna Carugati Executive VP Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development TV Formats © 2018 WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, #1207 New York, NY 10010 Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.tvformats.ws
The show originally ran for 15 seasons on FOX. The early days of the original U.S. series featured a handful of out-of-tune singers and talentless performers in its audition rounds (who could forget the infamously awful rendition of “She Bangs” delivered by William Hung?), and viewers laughed along as the judges rolled their eyes and delivered cutting remarks. On the new ABC version, the producers have now done away with dedicating any airtime to contestants who are wholly unqualified for the show, removing mocking (or meanness) and upping the heartfelt emotion. This trend can be seen throughout the format business as well. In surveying buyers and distributors about what’s in demand in the current entertainment landscape, words like “feel good,” “lighthearted” and “fun” popped up quite frequently. In these uncertain times, viewers are often looking to television as a means of escapism, and producers have taken note. In this issue, TV Formats examines the current crop of dating and marriage shows on the market, as audiences flock to aspirational stories of fairy-tale romance and the hopefulness of finding love. This edition also explores the present demand for scripted formats, which are seeing a nice boost in popularity as the appetite for drama seems to be insatiable. The proliferation of on-demand platforms—from global players to those more niche—is certainly one of the biggest factors contributing to the uptick in the amount of scripted programming on the market. But will SVODs and OTTs have the same impact on the unscripted entertainment space? This is a question that many format creators and distributors will be mulling over at MIPTV this year. Avi Nir, the CEO of Keshet Media Group, weighs in on this very topic in our Q&A with him later in this issue, while Stephen Lambert, founder of Studio Lambert, shares with us his thoughts on the overall commissioning climate for producers in the U.K. and the U.S. today. —Kristin Brzoznowski
38 LOVE BLOSSOMS A look at what’s new in dating and marriage formats.
38 INTERVIEWS
46 Keshet’s Avi Nir
48
Studio Lambert’s Stephen Lambert
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18 TV FORMATS
Exathlon
Acun Medya Global Exathlon The newest format from Acun Medya Global is Exathlon, a reality-sports hybrid. In the series, two teams compete at specially designed locations. Everyday people face off against Olympic athletes, world champion boxers, famous football players and the like. “Sports are a huge interest in the world, and Exathlon is a show where sports meet reality, which appeals to any age and gender with great fun and adrenaline,” says Ebru Atasav Tahranci, the company’s CEO. The show was on air this year in Mexico and Romania, and it will start soon in Colombia and other countries. “We call Exathlon the new generation [of] sports, with backstage [coverage] of the competition and real personalities and emotions,” she says. “We aim to spread this new generation of television all around the world.”
“MIPTV is the first international platform where Acun Medya is presenting Exathlon.” —Ebru Atasav Tahranci
all3media international Wedding Day Winners / Whirlwind Wedding / Buy It Now The prime-time entertainment show Wedding Day Winners sees two engaged couples bring their weddings to the studio, as their friends and families play slapstick games in order to win prizes for them. “It’s feel-good family entertainment with a lot of laughs but also tears, as we witness the couples get married at the end of the show,” says Nick Smith, the senior VP of international format production at all3media international. He notes that Whirlwind Wedding is a “completely different type of wedding show.” Each episode sees a couple surprised with the news that they can have their entire wedding paid for, but with a catch: it all has to happen within the next 12 hours. Meanwhile, Buy It Now gives people with a product to sell the chance to pitch it to potential customers and a panel of retailers.
Whirlwind Wedding
“We are bringing 12 new format titles to MIPTV and believe our catalog has something for everyone.”
—Nick Smith
Armoza Formats
Rage Room
The Four / Rage Room / Sunday League Since launching last MIPTV, The Four has been making headlines with its successful airings in the U.S. on FOX and in Russia on CTC, as well as multiple deals worldwide. “Broadcasters are always looking for new prime-time shows that will appeal to a wide audience, and The Four definitely fits this need as we see that music competitions continue to be relevant,” says Sharon Levi, the head of sales at Armoza Formats. “The fresh and unique spin that the format has [put] on the genre has helped lead to its global success.” The company is also presenting Rage Room, which is available as a long-form and short-form format and finished series. Sunday League is a comedy in which the main character is tapped to coach the worst men’s soccer team.
“From market to market, we come in with new formats for all of our clients’ needs as well as success stories from our existing shows.” —Sharon Levi 310 WORLD SCREEN 4/18
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Banijay Rights Child Support / Date Night / Stars on the Rocks Banijay Rights is launching three big new entertainment formats at MIPTV: Child Support, Date Night and Stars on the Rocks. Child Support is a modern take on the big-money studio game show. “It combines the tension and jeopardy of a high-stakes quiz structure with the unpredictability and humor that results when one of the biggest names in comedy, Ricky Gervais, comes face-to-face with a bunch of elementary school children,” says Andrew Sime, the company’s VP of formats. Date Night is about the modern dating world, “and the fun that comes from watching people try—and often fail— to find romance,” says Sime. “We think it’s the perfect reality format for 2018.” Stars on the Rocks is an adventure reality show that offers a “new take on celebrity relationships and shows viewers a different side to some of their favorite stars.”
Child Support
“As the Banijay Group continues to grow, so too does the Banijay Rights format catalog.” —Andrew Sime
BBC Studios
King of Cakes
The Generation Game / King of Cakes / Flipping Profit The family game show The Generation Game sees different generations battle it out over a series of wacky challenges. “What we love about The Generation Game is that it’s feel-good, warm and lots of fun, but at the heart of the format it’s about bringing families together for a shared experience, whether you’re taking part in the show or watching from home,” says Sumi Connock, creative director of formats at BBC Studios. Also in the catalog, King of Cakes is a brand-new competitive cooking format that sees a top pastry chef on a mission to find the perfect cake. Flipping Profit features three very different profit hunters—an antiques dealer, a bargain hunter and an upcycler—going head to head to discover who can find and sell the most profitable item.
“All three of these formats are joyful, aspirational and provide entertainment with a purpose, which is absolutely in our DNA.” —Sumi Connock
CJ E&M
Love at First Song
Love at First Song / Thrifters On Tour / Boy or Man Contestants find their soul mates through music in Love at First Song. It marks the first Korean format “to be produced and commissioned outside of Korea first with great success,” according to Jangho Seo, the general manager of CJ E&M’s global content division. “We look forward to making local versions as well as coming up with new ideas with other partners.” In Thrifters On Tour, money-conscious celebrities compete to plan the best itinerary on a limited budget in a foreign country, while Boy or Man poses the question of whether or not a ten-year age gap in a relationship really matters. “These formats possess a common denominator: empathy,” adds Seo. “Differentiating familiar ideas by injecting empathic emotions is not only providing a new approach for Korean viewers but also for international viewers.”
“Original formats from CJ E&M are gaining success globally.” —Jangho Seo 4/18 WORLD SCREEN 311
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Snapshots
Distribution360 Just Like Mom & Dad / Leave It to the Designer / Snapshots Currently on the air in North America, Just Like Mom & Dad is a prime-time family game show that Distribution360 (D360) is offering. “Each episode puts three parent/child teams to the test to see how well they really know each other across three rounds,” says Diane Rankin, the company’s senior VP of international sales and acquisitions. “Two question rounds are designed to reveal what they know or don’t know about one another, and the final round sees the kids baking up some truly disgusting ‘treats’ for their parents to taste.” Other highlights are Leave It to the Designer, the format version of the hit home-reno show Leave It to Bryan, and Snapshots, a photo competition series for children that is nominated for an International Emmy Kids Award this year.
“D360 is carving out a niche in kids’ and family formats, an area that feels fresh and ripe with opportunity for producers and broadcasters.”
—Diane Rankin
Fox Networks Group Content Distribution Lynch / Grilled / Ultimate Survival Alaska The scripted format Lynch was recently licensed for a pilot on The CW and Fox Networks Group Content Distribution is now starting to roll it out internationally. A dark comedy, Lynch tells the story of the owner of a funeral home who sets up a business of helping people who need, or want, to disappear by faking their own deaths. The company also has in its format catalog Grilled, a competitive cookery show. The series takes ten food lovers—from owners of small businesses to home cooks—and sets them out on a range of challenges in real-life restaurants. The winner gets a chance to own their dream restaurant. There’s also Ultimate Survival Alaska. “This is one of the toughest competition formats in the world,” says Andrew Stephen, the company’s senior sales manager for formats.
Lynch
“Fox Networks Group Content Distribution has a rapidly growing formats business, with a raft of incredible ideas across the scripted and unscripted spaces.” —Andrew Stephen
FremantleMedia Secret Admirer / Time to Dance / All Your Wishes A new reality relationship format from Naked Entertainment, Secret Admirer has been enjoying success on Channel 5 in the U.K. and Bravo in the U.S. “Admirers of all ages, preferences and walks of life each secretly invite the object of their affections to join them, agreeing to be filmed as they openly admit their true feelings,” says Rob Clark, the director of global entertainment at FremantleMedia. Another highlight from the company is Time to Dance, a new talent competition that requires contestants to impress judges with a 30-second performance during their audition. The show has been commissioned by RTL 4 in the Netherlands and is launching this April. There is also All Your Wishes, a new prime-time entertainment format from FremantleMedia France featuring a talented magician.
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Secret Admirer
“The rumors of the death of the format market have been greatly exaggerated. The market is robust and healthy.”
—Rob Clark
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Global Agency The Remix / Heritage / Fashion Auction A live music reality show, The Remix sees DJs and singers pair up and compete for a big-money prize with the chance to cut their own album with a famous music label. The show began airing exclusively on Amazon Prime Video India in March. “From the very first day that we presented The Remix to the entertainment content market, we knew that it was a potential worldwide hit,” says Umay Ayaz, Global Agency’s head of acquisitions. “It’s a huge success in Asia, especially in Vietnam, and this additional big launch on Amazon Prime shows us that we will watch its local versions all around the world.” Global Agency’s catalog for MIPTV also includes Heritage, a format that sees a rich old widow, who realizes she has no heir to her fortunes, trying to find the perfect person to receive her inheritance. “During the adventure, the contestants will live with the lady and participate with her in surprising activities and events,” explains Ayaz. “They will also have to deal with her changing moods and strict values. At the end of each episode, she will eliminate contestants one after the other, based on obscure reasons of her own. Only two contestants will face her final decision in the last episode.” Meanwhile, Fashion Auction brings to television the trend of people selling second-hand clothes and accessories. “It is a very entertaining and unique format that will attract many buyers,” says Ayaz.
The Remix
“The Remix is an extraordinary format, offering a visual feast to the audience.” —Umay Ayaz
Inter Medya
The Perfect Couple
The Perfect Couple / 1 vs. 10 / Money Monster Taking place at a luxurious beach house located in the Caribbean, The Perfect Couple is a dating game show in which individuals compete against each other to secure a limited number of room keys for the chance to win a grand prize. “The losing contestants, who stay outside, have to fight in an elimination duel to determine the one going home,” says Can Okan, the founder and CEO of Inter Medya. After 17 weeks, only four couples will make it to the finale, where they will play elimination games as couples. The winner will be crowned “the perfect couple.” The show is positioned to air twice a week in prime time with either 60- or 90-minute episodes. Also being presented to international buyers at the market in Cannes is 1 vs. 10, a prime-time quiz show that sees participants choose one person out of ten who they think will not know the answer to a question. “If that person answers correctly, he or she wins,” says Okan. “If not, the contestant wins.” Then there is Money Monster, another prime-time game show, with this one looking on as participants try to win as much cash as they can in one minute. “Money Monster is full of adrenaline and entertainment,” adds Okan. The format Join Instant will be on offer as well. The interactive game show uses secondscreen technology to allow viewers at home to participate.
“We have been constantly working on creating fresh formats to broaden our catalog.” —Can Okan
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KABO International The Break-Up / Solved! Forensic Police Files / Our Crazy Family KABO International is presenting to buyers The Break-Up. Based on an existing couples-therapy method, the format seeks to help real-life couples who are having issues in their relationships. KABO International also has in its catalog the true-crime series Solved! Forensic Police Files, alongside the scripted comedy format Our Crazy Family, which has been airing successfully on French broadcaster M6. “When KABO International first launched a few years ago, our focus was initially just on formats and KABO Family’s productions,” says Arabelle Pouliot-Di Crescenzo, the company’s managing director. “However, as we have now grown, our catalog has expanded and diversified to include third-party acquisitions, so we are now positioned as a key global distributor of formats as well as ready-made programming.”
The Break-Up
“In light of the growing trend and recent explosion in demand for social-experiment and relationship formats, we are pleased to be presenting The Break-Up to our buyers.” —Arabelle Pouliot-Di Crescenzo
Keshet International The Search / Bad Habits, Holy Orders / Superstar Dogs A word-search game show with a physical element, The Search is one of Keshet International’s highlights. “The Search is a classic pen-and-paper game with a strong nostalgic element, and it’s something every age group is familiar with,” says Kelly Wright, the VP of distribution and new business. The company is also showcasing Bad Habits, Holy Orders, which brings a group of girls into a convent, where they interact with nuns who possess a radically different view of the world and contrasting moral values. Wright believes the program will “resonate widely because it reflects the social-media-obsessed age that young people now grow up in. It can be a very confusing environment and raises the question of how they value themselves and their self-worth.” Superstar Dogs, meanwhile, is a studio competition that sees dogs complete an obstacle course.
Bad Habits, Holy Orders
“We are looking forward to bringing a varied slate to MIPTV.” —Kelly Wright
Rabbit Films Globetrotters / What’s the Word? / Queen of the Day In Globetrotters, three unsuspecting celebrities get dropped in a different exotic location around the globe and must race to make their way back home before the others by solving eight clues in eight countries. Rabbit Films is also presenting the word-guessing celebrity game show What’s the Word? and Queen of the Day, which brings together former beauty-pageant winners from different decades for an eight-day journey. “Each day focuses on a different inspirational ‘queen,’ who will share their real untold life story during a personally chosen activity and over an elegant roundtable dinner,” explains Irini Kylkilahti, international sales executive. The format “brings wonderful variety to our catalog by being truly topical and a moving viewing experience.”
Globetrotters
“The target audience for all of these shows is broad, and they offer families a great co-viewing experience.” —Irini Kylkilahti 316 WORLD SCREEN 4/18
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Red Arrow Studios International Code to Love / State of Hate / Buying Blind
State of Hate
The power of science, big data and algorithms are called upon to solve the mystery of love in the social experiment Code to Love. Red Arrow Studios International’s slate also features the reality format State of Hate. From the creators of the hit Married at First Sight, the program seeks to end bitter rivalries between groups divided by hate through intense challenges. In Buying Blind, meanwhile, families trust their life savings to experts who purchase a home for them, even though they’ve never seen the house. President Henrik Pabst says, “Red Arrow’s focus for MIPTV is to continue to be bold and original. The new formats we are presenting are daring, innovative and ask universal questions that challenge the status quo. We are also focused on representing the creative power of Red Arrow Studios as a group.”
“Red Arrow has built a strong reputation for delivering innovative international formats that travel.” —Henrik Pabst
Talpa Global The Voice Senior / A Year to Remember / Superstar Chef Talpa Global is introducing the latest addition to the Voice franchise: The Voice Senior. “The Voice franchise—comprising The Voice, The Voice Kids and The Voice Senior—is the most successful format brand in the non-scripted global marketplace to date,” says Annelies Noest, the company’s director of formats and global network. “With this latest addition to the brand, Talpa now caters to three different generations with one format.” Building on the international success of I Love My Country, Talpa Global is rolling out the successor A Year to Remember. “The format has already been picked up in Germany and Belgium, and some more strong leads are in the pipeline for this nostalgic, feel-good show,” says Noest. The company also has a new cooking show, Superstar Chef, in which the best chefs in the country are paired with celebrities.
TV Asahi
A Year to Remember
“These titles offer big, cut-through content.” —Annelies Noest
vs KIDS
Test of Friends / vs KIDS / Experts Versus Experts TV Asahi worked with youngest Media to co-develop the new physical game format Test of Friends, which is a reimagination of Challengers on Fire, a Japanese weekly program from the 1990s. The entertainment series vs KIDS has been picked up globally by FremantleMedia. For Experts Versus Experts, TV Asahi partnered with Small World IFT. “The format has been a hit prime-time program, and more than 80 episodes have been produced in Japan,” says Yuka Kakui, the head of format development and sales. “Besides non-scripted formats, we are strengthening the scripted side of our business,” Kakui adds. A Family Goes Job Hunting, for example, has been sold to China’s Radiant Pictures. The show tells the story of family members who find themselves having to look for a job while facing various personal, familial and social issues.
“We have partnered with industry leaders to recreate and distribute top TV Asahi formats for the global market.”
—Yuka Kakui
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Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution How I Met Your Mother/ Prison Break / The Mick The half-hour comedy How I Met Your Mother ran for nine successful seasons in the U.S., and Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution is making the format available to international buyers looking to localize the show. The company also offers format rights for the hit drama Prison Break. The comedy The Mick already has two seasons under its belt in the U.S., and the format is available for licensing. Dorothy Crompton, the VP of format licensing at Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, says that the company’s scripted formats “cross borders to engage and resonate in each territory with the best in local storytelling. Scripted programs dominate channel rankings, and the popularity of localized scripted formats allows you to engage the more sophisticated viewers.”
How I Met Your Mother
“Big international television franchises are known in the industry, but the best success comes from local adaptations.” —Dorothy Crompton
Twofour Rights
Weekender
What Would Your Kid Do? / Change Your Tune / Weekender Making its international debut, What Would Your Kid Do? is an entertainment format that follows young children through a variety of fun-filled psychological tests and asks their parents to guess how they will respond. In the musical game show Change Your Tune, terrible singers perform in front of a live studio audience, but as the curtain falls, the “time-travel” transformation begins. “Change Your Tune is a fresh and warm take on the traditional singing format,” says Melanie Leach, chief executive of Twofour Group. “It’s a down-to-earth and relatable way of exploring singing ambitions.” Twofour Rights also has on offer the fixed-rig format Weekender. “Weekender takes the traditional fly-on-the-wall documentary style and blends it with the real-time constructed storytelling of that first holiday abroad for the younger generation,” Leach explains.
“We have a catalog of formats that can deliver big audiences for a competitive price.” —Melanie Leach
Warner Bros. International Television Production Game of Games / Genius Junior / Under New Management Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) has among its highlights Game of Games. “Featuring one-ofa-kind supersized physical games, it’s a studio game show like no other—promising big fun, big laughs and a big cash prize,” says Andrew Zein, the company’s senior VP of creative, format development and sales. Also a game show, Genius Junior celebrates the talents of brilliant kids aged 12 and younger. The competition is “the ultimate test of their intelligence,” says Zein. “Under New Management is a great new Canadian format, which explores the fascinating world of small businesses,” Zein adds. “Each episode follows the roller-coaster journey of budding entrepreneurs as they assess three businesses, choosing which will suit their goals and lifestyle and that they’ll choose to put ‘under new management.’”
Game of Games
“WBITVP is pleased to once again present a wide slate of proven hit formats suitable for global audiences.”
—Andrew Zein
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Pobeg, the Russian version of Fox’s Prison Break.
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Joanna Stephens explores how distributors are finding success in the tricky business of scripted format adaptations. ne theory behind the ongoing boom in scripted formats is that there aren’t enough good stories to go around. Great new stories are few and far between, and great new writers are even scarcer. So it’s much quicker, easier, safer and cheaper to take somebody else’s great story and make it your own. Nicola Söderlund, the managing partner of Stockholmbased Eccho Rights, puts it neatly: “The demand for scripted is huge at the moment, but there’s a real shortage of good stories. The result is a growing appetite for scripted formats, particularly in the U.K. and the U.S. The Americans are completely open to new ideas—and they don’t care where they come from.”
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RETELLING TALES For Eccho Rights, the hunt for good tales to tell—or, more accurately, good tales to retell—has taken it as far afield as Korea, Turkey and India. “Finding new and fresh ideas in unlikely places has become our forte,” Söderlund adds. He cites CJ E&M’s Tears of Heaven, which was originally a daytime drama for Korea’s MBN. Eccho Rights then licensed the format to Turkish producer Süreç Film, which transformed it into Cennet for ATV. My Father Is Strange followed a similar trajectory; it first aired on Korea’s KBS, was licensed by Turkey’s Most Production and remade as Life of Secrets for Star TV. “There’s a very strong trade between Korea and Turkey at the moment,” Söderlund says, observing that the two cultures’ drama traditions share specific characteristics, notably a penchant for romance and high emotion. In the run-up to MIPTV, Eccho Rights closed a deal with Korea’s JTBC to represent the format rights to Secret Affair. This is the first time that the Korean cable network has worked with an international distributor to promote a scripted format, and Söderlund has high hopes for the awardwinning drama. He also predicts more deals for The End, the Ay Yapim series that spawned Globomedia’s El Accidente for Spain’s Telecinco. The script was piloted in the U.S. as Runner on ABC, reversioned into Flight HS13 for NPO3 in the Netherlands, is gearing up for a launch in Russia on Channel One and has been optioned in Germany. Söderlund makes the point that, while the various localizations of The End are very different from the Turkish original,
all iterations respect the overriding story arc. “You have to be pragmatic,” he says. “We say a scripted format is like a Christmas tree. You can decorate a tree as you wish, but you must keep the trunk and branches intact, or the whole thing collapses. A format is the same. You can adapt it to reflect different cultures, but don’t touch the mechanics of the storyline. You’ve bought a great story that has worked in one territory and, with a few adjustments, it will work in yours.”
LET IT GO This view resonates with Keren Shahar, Keshet International’s COO and president of distribution, who says the most significant challenge when adapting any drama is “staying true to the original writer’s vision, while allowing local writers to find their own voice.” Shahar’s advice to any writer seeing “their baby” reimagined for another territory is to let go mentally. “We are transparent from the start and let our writers know they may well see their original idea change shape. This is inevitable because often the story has to be adapted to suit the cultural expectations of a particular audience. We search each territory for the best writer and the most sympathetic creative team for the job.” An example is The A Word, which originated in Israel as Yellow Peppers, created by Keren Margalit. The drama, which tackles the subject of autism and its effect on family life, was commissioned by the U.K.’s BBC One, where it was co-produced by Keshet UK, Tiger Aspect and Fifty Fathoms Productions. Acclaimed British screenwriter Peter Bowker was entrusted with the adaptation—a particularly sensitive task since the drama draws on Margalit’s own family story. The end result was a resounding success for the pubcaster, averaging 5.5 million viewers. And the critics liked it as much as the British public, praising “Peter Bowker’s new drama” for its bravery, humor and emotional nuance. Looking ahead, Shahar sees a return to lighter, more optimistic drama. “I’d even say some territories want outand-out escapism,” she says. Keshet’s response is The Baker and the Beauty, which has started to travel as a format following buoyant ready-made sales. The rom-com has already been adapted in the Netherlands and Greece and is in development in Russia. Over at another Israeli drama powerhouse, Dori Media Group, Revital Basel, VP of sales, agrees that love is selling particularly well. “Romantic comedy is traveling amazingly
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A Russian deal is in place on BBC Studios’ Doctor Foster, a psychological thriller.
for us,” she says, pointing to Las Estrellas (5 Stars), which launched internationally at MIPCOM. Basel ascribes the allure of Las Estrellas to its “clear hook, great storytelling and modern take on the universal themes of love, friendship and family.” But, at a weighty 120 episodes, it also asks audiences to commit for the long haul. “And winning that level of loyalty requires excellent scripting, a lot of cliffhangers and brilliant acting,” she adds. Dori’s big scripted success is Israeli psychiatry drama Be’Tipul, which spawned HBO’s In Treatment back in 2008 and has subsequently been adapted for an additional 17 territories. Basel cites the Japanese and Russian versions as examples of the cultural challenges of reversioning. “In Japan, we had to switch all the patients to high school kids, because it’s a huge loss of face for Japanese adults to admit to mentalhealth problems. And in Russia, we had to make the therapist a woman, on the basis that no Russian man would ever share his intimate problems with another man. That changed the whole dynamic because a lot of the storylines and motivations had to be changed, but we made it work.”
CALLING THE DOCTOR At BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide), one of its most sought-after scripted formats is Doctor Foster. The format has been licensed to Russia with more deals in the pipeline, says Sumi Connock, creative director of formats. Part of Doctor Foster’s appeal, Connock believes, is that it taps into the trend for powerful female leads after years of men’s stories dominating prime-time drama. “We’re seeing a demand for strong women from everywhere, from the U.S. and Europe to India, Korea and China,” Connock says. Also gathering in popularity are youth-skewing dramas, notably sci-fi fantasy and fast-paced thrillers that can deliver on both digital and linear. Successes in this sphere include crime drama Luther, licensed to Russia and South Korea; Orphan Black, recently remade in Japan; dark comedy-drama End of the F***ing World; and immersive online murder mystery The Last Hours of Laura K, now being reversioned by Brazil’s Rede Globo.
For Connock, the advantages of buying a BBC Studios scripted format go well beyond the comfort of acquiring a concept that has been proven elsewhere. “Drama is incredibly expensive, so it helps to know a series has been successful in its original territory. But our dramas have also been through the filter of the BBC. When you buy from us, you not only cut down on development costs and go into production more quickly, but you also get the full backing of the BBC, with its experience and pedigree, and the advantage of working with some of the best writers in the world.”
LAUGH TRACK It is assumed that comedy is the most challenging genre to export, on the principle that the world may cry at the same things, but it doesn’t necessarily find the same things funny. Connock isn’t convinced. While acknowledging that oldschool comedy can be a tough sell, she says scripted humor is gaining in popularly, particularly with broadcasters targeting younger viewers who, thanks to SVOD and YouTube, are much more humor-agnostic than previous generations. More proof that comedy can travel comes in the form of David Brent, the cringe-inducing anti-hero of Ricky Gervais’s The Office. The mockumentary now has nine local adaptations under its belt, including NBC’s incarnation, which is rumored to be coming back for a tenth season. In February, it was announced that India has now also acquired the format. “I think The Office is so transferrable because every office in every city in every country has a David Brent. We all know one,” Connock observes. Arabelle Pouliot-Di Crescenzo takes a similar line. The managing director of KABO International, the distribution arm of French production group KABO Family Group, points out that two of the most successful scripted formats, Love Bugs and Camera Café, are pure comedy. But for global audiences to get the joke, she says, the humor must be grounded in universal experiences. She references KABO Family’s Our Crazy Family, heading into its seventh season on M6 in France and still pulling in more than 3 million viewers. The format has been sold to Canada’s Canal Vie and Greece’s StarTV, with a deal now in the works in Spain.
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to creating a local production “that doesn’t just feel like a carbon copy of the U.S. series with a foreign cast, language and setting.” The aim is to make the adaptation as appealing to its new local audience as possible, while retaining the tone and energy of the original. “For example, we might change the setting and time period, or add more cultural references,” Crompton says. “But we always insist that local formats maintain the integrity of the original IP.”
ON TAPE Stranger, a crime drama from CJ E&M, has been optioned for a remake in the U.S.
“When buyers watch Our Crazy Family for the first time, they invariably say, ‘That’s us! That’s my family!’ I think you need that sort of instant, visceral connection for comedy to cross borders,” Pouliot-Di Crescenzo says. She also notes that Our Crazy Family mines customs and emotions for laughs, not politics or beliefs. “It focuses on quirky traditions and intergenerational relationships, but in a lighthearted, affectionate way. It’s observational, not judgmental.” Both Our Crazy Family and Cops on the Block—another successful M6 comedy format, which has been licensed into Ukraine—are constructed on KABO’s “Pick’n Mix” sitcom model, under which individual comedy skits can be assembled to create a show of any length. This structure also facilitates adaptation, in that local producers can cherry-pick the scenes that will work for their audiences and ignore the ones that won’t. “For the most part, our partners stick to our scripts, because that’s their investment,” Pouliot-Di Crescenzo says. “But sometimes a skit will get thrown out for cultural reasons— for example, if it’s about putting grandparents in a nursing home in a country where that’s not common practice.” Another appealing aspect of KABO’s model is that it offers massive volume. Our Crazy Family alone now stands at 230 half-hours. This level of production is made possible by KABO’s 80 in-house comedy writers, who churn out around 70 hours of content a year. In terms of KABO’s involvement in the localization process, Pouliot-Di Crescenzo says a great deal of attention is paid to ensuring that producers “really get the psychology and motivation” of the characters. KABO also helps with the casting, but steps back when it feels that “a solid foundation” has been achieved. “At that point, we’re happy to give our partners more freedom. But first, we need to know that they not only understand the show but love it as much as we do.”
It’s not uncommon for broadcasters to license the original drama along with the format rights. However, the jury is out as to whether two versions of the same story can coexist in harmony, with some maintaining that one is likely to cannibalize the sales of the other. The more optimistic view is that tape helps build interest in a local version. Indeed, some territories prefer to test the water with the original drama before investing in a local production. “We’ve had it happen where the success of one of our U.S. series has generated great interest in creating a localized format,” Crompton says. This has also been the experience for Diane Min, international sales manager for formats at Korea’s CJ E&M. “Asian broadcasters prefer to go with both versions because it makes them feel safe,” she says. “Then, if the original tape goes down well, it’s a safer bet that the format will also be a success.” Min says that CJ E&M’s clients are getting “edgier and more sophisticated” regarding their scripted requirements, looking
HOLLYWOOD HITS At Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution, Modern Family, Prison Break, How I Met Your Mother, Glee, Malcolm in the Middle and 24 are just some of the studio’s franchises to have generated local versions. One of the most successful, terrorism drama 24, was a breakout hit in India, fronted by Bollywood legend Anil Kapoor. Also performing well as a format is David Schulner’s 2007 paranormal pilot The Oaks, which has now spawned local remakes in the U.K., France and Mexico. “We follow industry standards in terms of adaptation, production support and localizing scripts,” Dorothy Crompton, VP of format licensing, says of the level of assistance that the studio offers to its scripted partners. The storylines are only the start; constant communication and consultation are key
Nippon TV’s new scripted-format slate for MIPTV includes anone.
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Dori Media is offering up the format rights to its Argentine romantic comedy Las Estrellas (5 Stars).
beyond the family and rom-com fare that has traditionally been K-drama’s heartland. An example of this trend is Signal, the ingenious plot of which revolves around a detective who solves cold cases via a two-way radio connecting the present to the past. Signal is set to be remade in Japan this year and has also been optioned in India. Another CJ E&M crime drama that is performing well is Stranger, originally produced by Dragon Studio for tvN, which has been licensed in Russia and optioned in the U.S. In recent years, CJ E&M has adapted a slew of foreign dramas for its home market, including Criminal Minds and Entourage from the U.S. and Mother from Japan. That experience has taught the Korean media giant that “localization is crucial,” Min says. Echoing her international counterparts, she adds that respect for the original IP and close communication are pivotal to a successful outcome for all parties. “We provide a consultancy service with the original producers. For the Thai version of Oh My Ghost, our production team flew to Bangkok three times to give initial guidance.”
CREATIVE DNA
Anne, has gone on to sell to more than 25 territories. Mother is a very female-driven story: the protagonist is an elementaryschool teacher who takes in one of her pupils to protect her from her abusive parents. Mother’s focus on women is part of a wider strategy that has seen Nippon TV allocate a Wednesday-night slot to dramas targeting female viewers. Mori elaborates: “We hear from our buyers that they want stories with an edge and uniqueness. There are a lot of medical, police and family dramas, but not many focusing on motherhood and the relationship between mother and child.” This is the niche that Nippon TV has made its own. Alongside serious dramas tackling women’s issues and concerns, Nippon TV’s Wednesday-night strand also features lighter fare, in which “heroines overcome problems in a bright, delightfully pleasurable way,” Mori says. Another scripted format to have emerged from Nippon TV’s pursuit of compelling, female-skewing drama is Woman: My Life for My Children, produced by the creative team behind Mother. The drama was also reversioned by MF Yapim for Turkey, where it rolled out on FOX last October to “stellar ratings,” and is another story of unconditional motherly love. Mori says the success of both titles in Turkey’s brutally competitive drama market has generated strong international interest in Nippon TV’s scripted slate, with several more sales due to be announced before MIPTV. That is clearly a welcome commercial result but, for Mori, it also has a deeper significance in a world that struggles with issues of diversity. Drama has proven itself to be effective in challenging attitudes, changing conversations and winning hearts and minds. Or, as Mori puts it, “We hope the messages that our dramas send out will be a small help to society around the world.”
So how much leeway is too much leeway when adapting formats to suit local needs? Min says that CJ E&M always asks a drama’s original writers to review the first few scripts of an adaptation, “to make sure that the new version doesn’t lose the core of the original.” Over in Japan, Arisa Mori, sales and licensing executive for international business development at Nippon TV, says it all comes down to flexibility, openness and “building trusted relationships.” She uses the Turkish adaptation of Mother, Nippon TV’s most successful scripted format to date, to illustrate her point. In the 2016 Turkish remake by MF Yapim and MEDYAPIM, the ending was changed, “but we could accept it because we felt the Turkish production team appreciated and respected the original script,” she says. “They truly understood the message that the original story wanted to deliver.” It was clearly a good call; the Turkish version, called KABO International’s flagship scripted-comedy format is Our Crazy Family. 328 WORLD SCREEN 4/18
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Kristin Brzoznowski explores what’s new in dating and marriage formats. hether tuning in for the cringeworthy awkwardness of a first date gone awry, the hopefulness of a budding fairy-tale romance or the lighthearted fun of young singles on the prowl to find potential paramours, audiences love a good relationship-based reality show. And so do broadcasters, as these programs have the ability to not only draw loyal viewers but also to become full-fledged franchises that make noise in the schedule and return season after season. One need look no further than The Bachelor for evidence of the strength and staying power of dating shows in today’s television landscape. The series, which debuted on ABC in the U.S. in 2002 and is fresh off its 22nd season, has spawned several spin-offs and a slew of international iterations. The American original has continued to see ratings gains, even after more than a decade and a half on air, and the format has managed to hit its stride globally. “In the international market, buyers originally looked at it and said, ‘It’s great but it’s very American—there are beautiful people, it’s slightly over the top and it’s almost saccharin sweet; that won’t work for our market,’ ” explains Andrew Zein, the senior VP of creative, format development and sales at Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP). “What we are able to say to buyers is, there’s an authenticity to it, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously. And that’s what has been reflected in the international versions; they are all incredibly close to the U.S. version in terms of the aspiration, escapism, look and feel. The humor and warmth work very well for audiences around the world.” Another long-runner in the relationship space is Wife Swap, which came onto the scene in 2003 with its premiere on Channel 4 in the U.K. “Wife Swap is about two key things: what makes one family different from another, and what makes them the same as each other,” says Andrew Sime, VP of formats at Banijay Rights. “At a time of enormous polarization in society, the format is as relevant as ever, perhaps even more so.”
W
In Wife Swap’s home market of the U.K., producer RDF Television brought the format back last year and updated it for a Brexit special. “It was a really novel approach to tackling a very contentious, topical issue, and we are keen to repeat the experiment with other controversial issues around the world,” says Sime.
TEMPTING TV The Banijay Rights catalog is also home to Temptation Island and Undressed, which is in the buzzy social-experiment space. “Undressed is one of our strongest recent formats and continues to launch in new territories,” says Sime. “A Danish version premiered this spring and introduced a new twist: for the first time, the show would be set in a real bedroom rather than a studio. It’s a small but significant change and has brought new levels of intimacy to the format, making it even easier for viewers to identify with the contestants. At its heart, and in common with all good social experiments, the show asks viewers how they would respond if they were placed into such an emotionally heightened experience.” Viewing relationships through the lens of a social experiment has reinvigorated the genre as a whole, and many producers and distributors point to the global success of Married at First Sight, sold by Red Arrow Studios International, as a catalyst that spurred the trend. There are more than 25 international versions of Married, and on the back of its achievements, the company launched Kiss Bang Love and has Code to Love coming up for MIPTV. “Social experiments like Married at First Sight, Kiss Bang Love and Code to Love bring something new to the genre,” says Harry Gamsu, the VP of non-scripted at Red Arrow Studios International. “The world of dating and relationships is often quite complicated. What these shows do very well is offer a new way into this space. They make it very accessible and engaging for the viewer from the get-go, and then you want to see what the outcome is.” While an intriguing or salacious title might draw in audiences (and buyers) initially, the show has to have substance
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Twofour Rights’ A Night With My Ex began in the U.K. on Channel 5 and was adapted in the U.S. for Bravo.
in its story to get them to come back. Married delivers on this, says Gamsu, and goes a step further. “There is the noisy topline of the ‘getting married at first sight’ hook, but then after that, the show can feel local and relevant. That’s why we keep seeing recommissions, because it feels like such a local show that people really buy into it.” Regarding the success of the social-experiment format Seven Year Switch, Hayley Babcock, A+E Networks’ head of formats, international programming and production, says, “The title, that sizzle of the promise of swapping [spouses], is there to bring in people, but the way we keep viewers is with the authentic story. The reason people come back to watch it, and the reason it’s working in other territories, is that you are watching something real and you can feel it—even if it’s packaged in a structure that wouldn’t normally exist in people’s lives.”
AUDIENCE ATTRACTION Similarly, Dating in the Dark, which has sold into such markets as the U.S. and the U.K., delivers exactly what its title promises, “and that has a lot to do with why the show became so successful,” says Annelies Noest, the director of formats and global network at Talpa Global. “It goes one layer deeper than the regular dating show, where you see two people meet, get to know each other and either like each other or not. Dating in the Dark is more like a social experiment, asking, How much do looks really matter? We all have the notion that it’s what’s inside that counts. How true is that? We put that to the test. That angle got people hooked to the show to see what happens when we eventually turn the light on. It’s a clever gimmick.” And, in order to stand out amid the deluge of dating shows on the market at present, it’s imperative that a format has some sort of a special hook like this. In Naked Entertainment’s Secret
Admirer, which FremantleMedia is launching at MIPTV, for example, there’s a lot on the line for the show’s participants, and audiences get a front-row seat. “It’s a dating show with real jeopardy,” says Simon Andreae, the chief executive at Naked Entertainment. “In nearly all current dating shows, you are being asked to pick someone you have never met. In Secret Admirer, you’re confessing your love to someone you know well: your boss, your best friend, your colleague. It’s incredibly high stakes. If it works out well, you gain a lover. If it goes badly, you often lose a friend.”
INTIMATE APPROACH The stakes are also high for the former couples in A Night With My Ex, a Twofour Rights format. The show uses fixedrig cameras to help deliver a deeper level of authenticity, which is part of the draw. “This format is all about creating a truly authentic experience,” says Holly Hodges, the company’s head of sales operations. “The fixed rig gives the couples real privacy and provides a gap between them and the film crew. Reality-savvy audiences are wise to the heavy hand of the producer and can spot when stories are being manipulated for entertainment. A Night With My Ex does the exact opposite, letting the natural drama play out in a completely unfiltered way. “The same could be said about Weekender, which is also shot on a rig and delves into the relationships formed on holiday,” she adds. “In such a saturated space, what will float above the crowd is the social-experiment way of exploring relationships,” says Amos Neumann, COO of Armoza Formats. “It is the most intriguing because it breaks the rules. We’ve done that with Sex Tape and Marry Me Now,” which both venture far beyond the boy-meets-girl convention of traditional
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The presence of an elimination also raises the drama, as is the case with Inter Medya’s new format The Perfect Couple. Billed as a “dating game show,” the series has contestants competing to win a limited number of room keys at a luxurious beach house in order to avoid sleeping outside. The gameplay also brings up plenty of conflicts and jealousy, two ingredients shown to have an allure all their own with audiences.
DIGITAL LOVE
In Global Agency’s Marriage Life Experiment, a woman chooses a potential husband after spending time with two suitors and their families.
relationship shows. Sex Tape brings up an in-depth conversation about a relationship or marriage from the prism of a couple’s sex life. Marry Me Now is about female empowerment, Neumann says. “It is about women taking their fate into their own hands, saying, ‘If you’re not going to propose, I will.’ ”
PASSIONATE OBSERVERS Global Agency, meanwhile, arrives at MIPTV with the brandnew dating format Power of Love, which sees singletons living together under the same roof but includes a twist in that they leave each night, allowing outside influences to shape their strategy for avoiding the week’s elimination. Members of the public are also invited to vote through SMS or by going online. “This creates great interactivity between the viewers and contestants,” says Izzet Pinto, the founder and CEO of Global Agency. “Each viewer feels like they’re in someone else’s shoes, thinking, This contestant is so much like me, I need to protect them from elimination. This interactivity is the perfect way to create fans.”
As technology has had a profound impact on how people meet their partners in real life—thanks to apps, your soulmate could be just a swipe away!—dating shows have followed suit. While this has pushed the genre forward, it must be integrated with care. “When technology is part of the format for the sake of the content, it works well, rather than just having tech for the sake of tech,” cautions Luci Sanan, head of formats at The Story Lab Global. With Game of Clones, for example, romantic hopefuls use the latest technology to create an avatar of their ideal partner. The tech is “integral to the format points, and it adds value to the story,” she notes. It also taps into what’s on-trend with younger viewers, a demographic that is coveted by broadcasters and advertisers alike. Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) has several dating shows that have struck a chord with the younger set, among them Ex on the Beach, Are You the One? and Make or Break? Encouraged by the success it has found in this space, the company is now betting on Swipe Date, which is based on the premise of “bringing your dating apps to life,” says Laura Burrell, VIMN’s head of formats. “As the ways that people meet change, we’ve got to try to develop shows that change with them and reflect modern dating,” she adds. Driving viewers to channels’ online platforms is part of the package as well. “That’s a key piece of what we try to do. If you go online, there are whole communities based around a show. Sometimes it will be just to watch the episodes, but we have all sorts of additional content that we try to put up and make available for our viewers. It could be some unseen footage, an interview with cast members, competitions—it’s going to depend on the format, but there’s so much you can do in that space now.” There’s a slew of additional online material surrounding the Bachelor franchise, explains WBITVP’s Zein. “In Australia, we’ve done digital content going behind the scenes, looking at how the shows are put together, how the
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Celebrity couples are featured in Talpa’s The Story of My Life.
styling decisions are made, how the dates are arranged. In Sweden, the show sometimes premieres on the TV4 Play on-demand service and then on the free-to-air channel. There is all sorts of lower-cost, shorter-duration spin-off content that gives more insight into what’s been happening on the show. This helps with budgets, and it helps drive the audiences—and we know that Bachelor fans are committed and invested.”
DAYTIME AFFAIR While The Bachelor has been positioned as prime-time event programming in all its territories, there is quite a bit of scheduling flexibility in the dating and relationship genre at large. Global Agency’s Power of Love, for one, is formatted as a stripped show, playing five days a week in access prime time, with an additional prime-time episode that caps off the action. “It becomes like an unscripted telenovela,” says Pinto. “It’s a great opportunity in terms of advertising revenue because you have loyal viewers ready to follow the story. Imagine that you are having great ratings for five days—why not make it six?” The Australian version of Married at First Sight was the first to strip the series and the scheduling strategy is working well, says Red Arrow’s Gamsu. “There are a number of episodes stripped across the week, so it’s almost like a soap opera. They’ve introduced into the show a brand-new post-marriage stage where all the couples move in together in an apartment complex, which ramps up the reality aspect. That’s an interesting tweak, and it’s a huge change to the format.” Gamsu also notes how social experiments, the likes of Married, are able to cast a wider net in terms of audience reach than some of the more traditional romance-laden factual fare. “By purposing big questions—Can technology
help us find someone? Should we trust our senses rather than first impressions?—both men and women want to follow the show through to the end to find the answer. It doesn’t feel so female-centric then and makes for great co-viewing.” Regarding the audience, simple adjustments to the casting on dating and marriage shows can make all the difference—it’s an easy but effective tweak. With Dating in the Dark, “some countries want it a bit more young and sexy, whereas in Israel, for example, they did a version with slightly older people,” says Talpa’s Noest. “Anything goes! We even have a celebrity version in development. We’re looking to find the best possible casting for that at the moment.” In addition to the flexibility in scheduling and casting, many of the series in this space are easily scalable in terms of budgets as well. Producers and distributors have gotten quite savvy at coming up with innovative ways to deliver cost-effective relationship shows. “For A Night With My Ex, we adopted a dual shooting approach, running two rigged apartments through one shared gallery, which allows you to capture two episodes in one 24-hour period,” says Twofour’s Hodges. In the case of Seven Year Switch, “some territories have chosen to send their switched couples to far-away, exotic locations for their two weeks of experimental living together, while others might send them within their own country to a seaside town or somewhere that’s not quite as far or expensive,” explains A+E Networks’ Babcock. “You’re still getting them out of their regular lives, putting them somewhere really lovely and relaxing, but it could be two hours away as opposed to two plane rides away.”
THE NEXT STEP Babcock believes that in the current environment, buyers and audiences are seeking out feel-good programming that provides some escapism. Love at First Flight, a dating/travel hybrid that A+E Networks is launching at MIPTV, delivers on this, she says. The show is “playful and upbeat. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s fake or fluffy; it still has real stakes and is very genuine, but it is lighter and happier” in its tone. One of the key new launches for Banijay Rights at MIPTV is Date Night, which gives viewers an up-close look at what it’s like to find love on a dating app. “What’s exciting about Date Night is that it’s a really warm dating format, which has been made possible by the technological innovations in the world of dating,” says Sime. “As this process continues, I think many more opportunities will open up for format creators and producers around the world.”
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In the ultra-competitive arena of music talent shows, Keshet International has managed to break through with its interactive format Rising Star. In addition to its stellar performance in Israel, where five seasons have been broadcast, the series has seen hundreds of episodes airing worldwide, and the format has evolved over time to incorporate fresh creative concepts that originated from different territories. This dedication to constant innovation is one of the hallmarks of Keshet Media Group’s overall business strategy. The company currently has 18 formats on air globally, including another strong performer in the talent space, Masters of Dance, and a number of hit scripted shows that have been remade around the world. Avi Nir, CEO of Keshet Media Group, gives his view on the current state of the format market. TV FORMATS: What sort of cross-pollination and shared practices are there between Keshet’s various assets inside and outside of Israel? NIR: This is one of the toughest managerial challenges. On the one hand, it’s about keeping the various parts of the group totally independent and hungry and eager to create their own IP. On the other hand, it’s about gaining from the connection to the other companies. We are constantly trying to work on communicating, listening to each other, [exchanging] ideas and IP. We have been pushing the limits. Every manager in every country has their own brainchild and IP, but we’ve also had some great takes on remakes. All in all, Keshet has been an expert in the art of remakes, which is a complicated task! It’s about reincarnating a show, with some DNA resemblance. This is what we strive for. The results this year have been very positive. TV FORMATS: What are the key ingredients a scripted show must have to travel widely as a format? NIR: There has to be something in the basic story, the one-liner, that has the ability to connect and engage people very quickly, creators and viewers alike. Sometimes it’s a very idiosyncratic or indigenous story, but they get it. There’s something there that relates to their emotions or conflicts. The creators in Israel and elsewhere tend to go for big stories with strong resonance, and that’s what creates this effect. TV FORMATS: Looking outside of the scripted-format arena, what must a large-scale, big-budget entertainment show have in order to break through in today’s marketplace? NIR: It’s been a big year for two of our shows, Masters of Dance and Rising Star. The challenge now, to break through the clutter, is to have the ability to connect. The way we look at it in Israel is that we have to make it a national phenomenon. For prime time, this is what it takes. There has to be something in the basic idea that can create this kind of national impact. Then it’s all about execution, which is always a critical part of achieving what you aim for. From the point of view of free TV, entertainment and reality are incredibly
important parts of what we offer. These shows, if they are conceived in the right way and executed in the right way, have the ability to connect with a lot of people and create the sensation of a live, ongoing phenomenon. It doesn’t have to be a live show in the technical sense. It has to feel like something that is happening now. We currently have another two big formats in development, along with some smaller formats. It’s a very crucial and important part of our diets to have these ubiquitous reality shows. TV FORMATS: How does digital play into that? NIR: About 40 percent of Keshet employees are people who deal with digital and social applications. That’s the way we’ve been leaning for the last eight years. We have a very strong digital presence in Israel, so it’s become part of our DNA and the way we tell stories. Sometimes it has to do with the stories we tell on television; sometimes it’s totally independent. A very interesting move we made this year was into the social-network arena. We created four new brands, which are very entertaining. They are not Keshet-branded; they have their own brands. They are very successful. It is usually based on native content, but done in a very entertaining way and not a “commercial” way. This is part of who we are. As a content company, this is how we define ourselves. It’s not limited to Israel, it’s not limited to linear; it’s the whole package. TV FORMATS: Do you think that digital and streaming platforms are going to shake up the format arena like they did the drama market? NIR: With scripted, good drama and comedy are totally indifferent to a streaming service or linear TV. The jury is still out on short-form content. We have a very active digital studio in L.A. that has some bright, fresh concepts that we are currently developing. In the non-scripted arena, it’s still challenging. The bigger success stories are mostly scripted or documentaries. Entertainment and reality formats are still not a major part of the streaming services; their future has yet to be decided. TV FORMATS: What’s your sense of how the overall format market is faring these days, and where do you see the greatest opportunities ahead in this space? NIR: We have come a long way and are satisfied with where we are now, but realize there is much more to do. I know how many ideas we are getting [from people] knocking on our doors, and the challenge is to take all of these stories and place them throughout the world. We need, on the one hand, to be very attentive to these stories and, on the other hand, we need to keep growing so that we can totally exploit their potential. Some of the recent steps we made will show you how we plan to do this. We are aiming to step up our infrastructure in order to fully leverage the ideas and stories we have in our company.
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By Kristin Brzoznowski
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Gogglebox has been on a global tear since its Channel 4 premiere in the U.K. in 2013. One of the few breakout format hits of the last few years, the show—which chronicles people watching and talking about television—has been adapted in the U.S., Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, the Middle East and Mongolia, among other territories. The format hails from Studio Lambert, the prolific trans-Atlantic production outfit founded by Stephen Lambert with all3media. Lambert, whose long list of credits also includes Faking It, Wife Swap and Undercover Boss, tells TV Formats about the keys to Gogglebox’s success and his approach to casting, and reveals details about some of Studio Lambert’s new creations that will be launching at MIPTV with all3media international. TV FORMATS: Tell us about how the concept for Gogglebox originated. Why do you think it translates so well around the world? LAMBERT: Our team came up with it, in particular producer Tania Alexander and Tim Harcourt, our creative director. It’s a great way to show the best of television that week. There’s so much TV out there and people miss things, so if you watch Gogglebox, you’ll get to see what everybody’s talking about. Everyone can join in on the national conversation, and what people talk about is what’s on television. It’s not just a clip show; it’s also a way of getting to know a cast of very likable people that reflect social diversity in terms of class, age, geography. In that sense, once people start watching Gogglebox, they identify with and feel good about their nation. The real challenge of that show is its comedic element, and that you’ve got to make it very quickly. You only have a week to produce the show to keep it timely. The teams that make it all over the world do a brilliant job. You are filming all over the country. It’s very important that people are filmed in their own homes. One of the things we quite appreciate is how intimate it is to film people in their sitting rooms with the people they feel closest to and most relaxed with, talking and watching television. It feels like you’re at the heart of a very intimate moment in people’s families. They speak with authenticity and honesty. Obviously, as they get more well known, there’s a danger they start playing to the camera, but we cut all that out. TV FORMATS: How do you approach casting Gogglebox? LAMBERT: Casting is very important for all kinds of shows. In Gogglebox, we deliberately didn’t want to find people who wanted to be on television. Certainly in Britain, we’ve never advertised for people to be on the show; we’ve worked out the kinds of people we’d like to have on the show. For example, it would be good to get a North London Jewish family, so we have teams that go to the Waitrose [an upscale supermarket] in Golders Green [an area of North London that is home to a Jewish community] and start talking to people and asking people for recommendations. We wanted some retirees from the north, so we went around the bridge clubs
in Liverpool until we found Leon and June [an elderly couple who were favorites on the Channel 4 version of the show. Leon passed away in late December]. It’s more of a documentary sensibility. On the whole, if you’re making documentaries, you don’t advertise for people to be in them; you find a subject matter that you’re interested in and then you find people who you think will be good in it and you persuade them to be in it. That’s the kind of approach we’ve taken with Gogglebox and quite a few of our other shows. TV FORMATS: How long does it take for the people on Gogglebox to forget about the cameras? LAMBERT: Part of the casting process is to find people who you think will be good at doing this. People find it pretty easy to do because it’s such a natural thing just to sit there and start talking with your family. Nobody from production is in the room. We have a couple of cameras that are controlled from another room, one essentially getting a wide shot and the other a tight shot. If we weren’t there, it wouldn’t feel very different for them. So in that sense, it’s quite easy for them to get relaxed. I was amazed by how good the Lebanese version of Gogglebox was that was shown around the Middle East. It was beautifully done. I thought it was going to be very difficult to make it in the Middle East, for all kinds of reasons. I’ve also been delighted by how well Endemol Shine Australia has been making Gogglebox. That’s probably the one that’s closest to the British one, but it’s different in its Australianness. TV FORMATS: What about on Undercover Boss? LAMBERT: That’s harder. Obviously you have to persuade the people that this person who is actually the boss of their company has a legitimate reason for working on the front line alongside them. As the series goes on, you have to come up with more elaborate ruses to do that. One of the things we’ll often do and then cut out is we’ll have two people working alongside [the participant], one after the other, and we’ll have a host as well. We’ll say, this is a competition show and you have to judge between these two people. We’ll cut all that out, but we use it as a way of ensuring people don’t think it’s Undercover Boss. Occasionally people do realize it’s Undercover Boss, but we’ll often feature that in the program. The absolute truth is that it’s a real surprise to them when they discover what’s happening. We are launching a show featuring celebrities going undercover into their industry. It’s great because the people that our celebrities are working alongside are the undiscovered talents in their world. They’re up-and-coming singers or athletes or chefs. They often talk about [the actual celebrities] while we’re filming: “And my real hero is X,” and X is the person they’re working alongside! We have to have very elaborate disguises because they are so well known, of course. When [the aspiring participants] discover what they’ve been doing, they are blown away.
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Lebanon is among the territories that have adapted Gogglebox.
TV FORMATS: Undercover Boss premiered on CBS just as the U.S. was recovering from the 2008 recession. How are you and your team brainstorming ideas that reflect what’s happening in society today? LAMBERT: There’s no magical science to it. You do spend a lot of time thinking about what it is that we’re all talking about. We have quite a few shows that are [variations] on that Gogglebox way of getting groups of people to comment on something, as opposed to experts. It’s harder to launch a new show with an expert as the host than it used to be. I think people are a little bit tired of that. So we’re developing a new show where it’s a crowd advising people on what clothes to wear for a fashion show. We’re doing a show where it’s a group of people around the country watching videos of parenting problems. It reflects a lot about the way in which we live our lives. We rely on social media and lots of different viewpoints, synthesizing what we want to draw from those views. We’ve got quite a few shows where we’re riffing on that. We also do a lot of things that feel like they’re picking up on the power of the internet. We’ve got two, maybe three big drama series that all have the internet at their heart. And we’ve got a big new reality show we’re working on that, again, has the internet [as its focus]. The fact that we’re living with it as such a big part of our lives, in all its different ways, is a constant source of inspiration for us.
always been to make the British version and then sell the format rights around the world. We always make the American version ourselves, because we’re a BritishAmerican company. In one respect, it’s lovely if a streamer wants to take your show because often they will resource it quite well. But they don’t give you the possibility of a massive upside if it becomes a global hit. We made quite a big decision recently to concentrate on fewer but bigger shows. There are two very big unscripted shows we’re putting together for [this] year. In some ways with the very big shows, there’s slightly less competition—it’s hard to persuade networks to commit. But if you get some headway and they start to fall in love with something, then eventually they will order it. It’s very exciting when that happens. It’s also true that fewer production companies aim for the massive shows. That was a strategic decision that we made that may or may not be paying off! [Laughs] We also made a big move into scripted. [The Feed was ordered to series by Amazon and Liberty Global.] Plus, we have several new shows launching through all3media international at MIPTV. These include Celebrity Undercover, plus Buy It Now, our new studio game show [where] the product pitch turns into an entertainment performance. We have a few animal documentaries in the catalog, so we’ve transferred that approach to the formattable with Nightmare Pets SOS. And a show that taps into the global approach to small is beautiful in the food and drink world is Best in Shop.
TV FORMATS: Your new show Catch Me Out, piloted by the BBC, is being formatted in Thailand before its U.K. launch. What support can your teams provide? LAMBERT: We’ve made the pilot, and BBC said it’s fine if Workpoint goes into production first. They will learn things as a result of making it that I’m sure will be helpful to us, and we’ll pass on a lot of what we learned from making the pilot. Pretty much everywhere in the world, people are expressing interest in the idea to all3media international. Everybody is looking for a new take on how to do the variety show. TV FORMATS: How is the commissioning climate for producers in the U.K. and the U.S. today? LAMBERT: Everybody needs shows, so in that sense it feels good as a producer of content and a company that comes up with ideas. There are a lot of buyers who want good ideas. It’s tricky with some of the global streamers who want to take worldwide rights because our model has
Celebrity Undercover is a new Studio Lambert format.
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