If pre-MIPTV deals and announcements are anything to go by, baking and celebrity challenges seem to be the next big thing this year. ITV Studios Global Entertainment and Banijay International are offering formats that challenge well-known personalities while BBC Worldwide’s The Great Bake Off has to date been licensed to Finland, The Netherlands, France, Australia, Poland, Belgium, Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden; with a further format licence to CBS in the U.S.
“The Great Bake Off has been an instant hit for us. What sets it apart is that although it has all the drama of a competition format, there’s camaraderie between the contestants that gives it a unique warmth. And of course, everyone loves baking, but every country has its own specialties, so it’s a universal format that can be remade with a distinctive local feel,” Joyce Yeung, BBC Worldwide’s Executive Vice-President, Asia, tells TV ASIA Plus. The distributor’s official announcement of the format has various company execs echoing Yeung’s sentiments.
“We’ve seen broadcasters put their own special twist on the Bake Off format to great success,” says Elin Thomas, VP Format Licensing EMEA at BBC Worldwide. “Baking is a tradition EVERYONE can relate to so I have no doubt this format will continue to win more fans around the world.”
Pete Paavolainen, Head of Formats of Finnish broadcaster MTV3 says that “The Great Bake Off is probably the hottest lifestyle format right now and we´ve been following it closely when it has triumphed in other Nordic countries. Now it´s our time to also make it a great hit here in Finland.”
Paavolainen is not far off the mark. The format has whipped up considerable ratings throughout Europe. The Swedish version, Hela Sverige Bakar (All Sweden bakes), on TV4’s Sjuan, served up 27.3% market share of adults 12 – 59 and averaged at 21.1% across the series, making it the highest rating show on the channel ever. The Danish version, Den Store Bagedyst (The Great Baking Joust) is the most successful of all new formats that have premiered this season on any Danish channel. The French have also feasted on Le Meilleur Patissier (The Best Pastry Chef) on M6, where the finale attracted 3.5 million viewers.
Although the format has only sold to European territories so far, Yeung believes this format has huge potential for Asia too, especially in markets where lifestyle channels are popular.
Celebrity challenges, while not a new concept is gaining momentum. A title to look out for is ITV GE’s The Big Reunion.
The Big Reunion reunites former chart-topping pop groups and explores what happened to team members their glorious performing careers. Each band will go through an intense training period before they re-enter the limelight to perform in front of capacity-filled venues, and of course, the cameras will capture the tears and tantrums, with a little bit of unscripted drama thrown in.
“Following the success of the ITV2 series that premiered to 1.2 million viewers, it became clear that The Big Reunion would work as a global format,” Mike Beale, Director of International formats, ITV Studios, tells TV ASIA Plus. “It has the potential to work everywhere as not only has there always been a global trend of pop bands; the plethora of talent shows over the last 13 years have created many groups which had a few hits and then split up so we can now put them back together… there is an enduring fascination to see what has happened to them.”
The Big Reunion follows on the heels of other ITV hit formats featuring celebrities – Soapstar Superstar, Born To Shine, Celebrity Fit Club and Popstar To Operastar, commissioned for a second series in Korea and also picked up in Vietnam.
Banijay International’s Stars In Danger: The High Dive, is another format that has (literally) created more than just a splash. The show has seen sales to the U.S., China, Turkey’s Show TV (inked at last month’s Discop West Asia), Spain, Italy, Canada, Norway and Sweden. In The High Dive, celebrity contestants are trained and coached by some of the world’s greatest divers in order to compete in a series of Olympic-style dives.
In a press statement, Karoline Spodsberg, Managing Director Banijay International, attributes the show’s success to its adaptability. “Distributors are always looking for formats that not only have a strong track record in their primary territory but that can translate easily into other markets. The fact that it is now travelling to MENA, having already broken into regions such as North America, Asia, Northern Europe and Southern Europe, shows that Stars in Danger: The High Dive is one of those dream formats.”
