Patrick Schult is responsible for Asian development for the global production company as well as rolling out established Fremantle formats such as Idol and Got Talent in the region. Previously, he was senior Vice President in Europe, looking after development and sales in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. Schult has also worked at Pearson Television and Australia’s Grundy Entertainment. Television Asia Plus gets the low-down on how Fremantle has fared in this challenging but exciting year of format television. It was a more upbeat Mipcom in October, is this positive mood reflected in the Asian region? While I did not attend Mipcom this year due to the birth of my daughter, my team informed me it was definitely more upbeat as advertisers and broadcasters are beginning to see growth again. This also holds true for Asia, with the last six months showing steady growth in production deals Asia-wide. We currently have close to 40 localized formats in production in Asia and our new Mipcom line-up has gathered enough interest to suggest we will be building on this before year end. That said, format prices are said to be down and buyers more conservative, does that favour FremantleMedia with well-known brands? Our experience in Asia shows that buyers have always been somewhat conservative. But we don’t get a sense that format prices are down nor do we feel buyers are becoming more conservative than before. Programmes can no longer be presented with their international ratings credentials alone. Rights exploitation and all-round business solutions form a significant part of any proposal we make in Asia. It is important our shows are commercial successes for our partners. Does the current market make you more cautious about introducing new formats? Asia has always had a strong appetite for new formats, so we continue to be positive that new shows will be launched in 2011 as they have in 2010. This year has seen a number of new formats launch successfully for us in the region and with this comes an increased level of trust from our partners. Which areas of the region are most likely to experience growth, in your opinion? Why? We’ve had a number of success stories this year including Idol in India and Got Talent in the Philippines, so we are keen on building on the back of these achievements. Previously difficult to penetrate, the Vietnamese and Thai markets are now more receptive to international formats with Vietnam Idol returning for its third season this year and Got Talent to launch in Thailand soon. Indonesia continues to be a dynamic market for us with clients continuing to show eagerness to launch new formats, while formats like Take Me Out [comedic dating show] continue to be popular. In 2010 we also added a new market to the regional footprint of FremantleMedia shows airing across the region with Hole in the Wall selling into Cambodia. In your experience, what formats work best in Asia? Each broadcaster has different needs but we don’t get the sense that there is a distinctive trend, nor a specific category of formats that work best in Asia. But over the years we have become familiar with the different viewing habits which exist across this region and we tailor our sales activities and format development activities to suit. What formats are next in line for a local version? FremantleMedia launched a range of fresh formats this year at Mipcom, which were very well received by our Asian clients. Aside from the local roll out of X Factor in 2011, there will be several new shows in the market next year. The reality game show Total Blackout is the result of our FremantleMedia strategic creative alliance with Fuji TV in Japan. Before launch at Mipcom, four territories had already commissioned the series with significant interest elsewhere. We also expect to generate growth with entertaining game shows such as Push the Button and The Better Sex, music casting entertainment from My Name Is…. and factual entertainment from Work of Art and You Can’t Take It With You. In regards to X Factor, is it expected to take overfrom Idol eventually? We are extremely excited about the roll out of X Factor across Asia, beginning with India in May 2011. X Factor will be new in Asia for 2011 and we expect the format to be a great compliment to Idol and Got Talent. Our intention is to establish all three formats as long running series in the region.