Many Asian broadcasters are racing each other to produce that huge format that will travel the globe, recording enormous viewership. Japan started that by selling formats to the international market. Soon after, Korea has been doing likewise with hip-hop bands and formats that followed very quickly. The interest in Grandpas Over Flowers, a reality travel series that first aired on Korean’s tvN and follows elderly backpackers abroad, looks like it could be just the tonic as the country tries to expand its format business.
Having forged relationship with broadcasters and viewers across the region with finished programming, Korean scripted formats are now enjoying an easier ride. Tae-Ho Sung, deputy director of world business at Korean broadcaster KBS, says most demand comes from China, but it’s no longer a regional phenomenon. KBS’s relationship series I Am Sorry I Love You has been adapted for FOX TV in Turkey, where it is known as Bir Ask Hikayesi, while Latin Media Corp has picked up romantic drama Crazy Love and plans to remake the show, set in Mexico.
Leading Singapore-based Bomanbridge Media announced a deal with NBCU for Pan-Asian broadcast on its Diva channel of the hot Canadian cooking show, Chef In Your Ear (CIYE). NBCU acquired the finished Canadian programme which enjoyed the # 1 spot on The Food Network in Canada in Fall 2015. The show is also available as a format. CJ E&M from South Korea recently renewed the format for a second season, and is currently on air with Season 1 (locally known as Avatar Chef). Mongol TV Mongolia also licensed the format.
“Bomanbridge is pleased to bring NBCU the entertaining hit series, Chef In Your Ear. This hot cooking competition show, which is also a format, is enjoying tremendous success on important channel brands such as Food Network in Canada, and CJ Media in South Korea. This unique take on the cooking genre will be sure to please viewers in the region,” said Sonia Fleck, CEO of Bomanbridge Media. ITV Studios Australia has been commissioned by the Seven Network to make a local version of Cannonball, a spectacular outdoor water-based game show format created by Talpa. This is the first production to result from ITV Studios and Talpa’s exclusive production partnership, which saw ITV Studios becoming the production partner for Talpa formats in Australia and the Nordics. This followed ITV’s acquisition of Talpa early last year. Talpa presented their formats portfolio to more than 150 buyers at the ITV Studios Formats 2016 event in London recently.
ITV Studios Australia is also the producer of the hugely successful Australian versions of ITV Studios’ hit international formats The Chase Australia for Seven Network and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! for Network Ten. Both are now in their second series, as well as Keeping Australia Alive for ABC.
Several trends are developing in the format industry and redefining this genre – Arabelle Pouliot-Di Crescenzo, Managing Director at KABO International says the formats industry is at a critical stage of its development, when business models need to be re-examined and adjusted amidst massive technological transformation, rapidly evolving regulatory landscape and changing viewing habits.
“All the new technological developments and multiplication of platforms result in reduced budgets and a need to reach very targeted audiences. This trend results in innovative, cost-effective formats for niche markets. More than a TV show, broadcasters are interested in creating brands that resonate with a community and provide their audience with ways to interact with these communities through social media and the like. Having said that, major broadcasters are still looking for blockbuster formats that can attract a large audience and provide opportunities for coviewing for the entire family. This is why KABO International has secured international distribution rights to successful prime time formats such as Who’s Who? (produced in 10 countries and premiering in Sweden in April 2016) and Ciao Darwin (produced in 5 countries and premiering for season 7 in Italy in spring 2016),” she added.
Global accesses via online platforms have given consumers greater access to international content. Through streaming trends, it is easier to identify which popular international content would best fit a broadcaster or streaming platform to create local content says Abhi Rastogi, Founder and CEO of 108 Media. “With second screens becoming a popular trend of how consumers watch TV, social media has also started to play a larger role in identifying and re-creating international formats,” he added.
Gary Pudney, Head of Keshet International Asia says, “In terms of non-scripted, demand for cost effective, studio-based, shiny floor entertainment formats remains strong, especially in developing countries where budgets are more limited. However, there is now a renewed emphasis on finding the next big prime time weekend entertainment format, as broadcasters look to replace tired shows currently on air. Coming up with ideas that can really engage audiences who are forever turning to new platforms and technologies is one of the biggest challenges facing the non-scripted industry today.”
Part of Keshets’ MIPTV launch is Touch – a TV and mobile game played by viewers in the studio and simultaneously at home so that everyone can be part of the competition and potentially win a prize. Touch is the next step in digital engagement. It’s simple, highly addictive and engaging – just what you need to build loyalty with viewers who have an explosion of choice about how they are entertained nowadays.
Pudney say, “Demand for scripted formats in Asia is also buoyant, this is evident from our recent deal for Prisoners of War (the format upon which the Showtime’s Homeland was based) with Star Plus in India and the license of our scripted comedies Loaded and Traffic Light to Huace- Croton Media in China. The Korean remake of our drama format MICE as SPY was done beautifully and we are now taking the excellently produced finished show to MIPTV for sale to other territories.”
Mike Beale, EVP of Global Development & Formats from ITV Studios also agrees that the formats industry is at a critical stage of its development, when business models need to be re-examined and adjusted amidst massive technological transformation, rapidly evolving regulatory landscape and changing viewing habits.
He shared, “We continue to see demand for key brands that have proven themselves in multiple markets around the world, as well as a return to successful brands from the past. At ITV Studios, we are well placed to meet this demand as we represent a huge number of new and established formats across a range of genres and suitable for a variety of slots. We have a track record in distributing formats that deliver audiences for broadcasters in multiple territories, such as Come Dine With Me, which has been produced in 37 territories internationally or Hell’s Kitchen, which has been produced in 18 territories worldwide.
“Alongside this, the creation of local formats for local people continues. In Asia, ITV Studios has recently signed a co-development deal with Huace TV in China for Huace to produce a new show in the lead-up to the 2020 Beijing Olympic Games and we represent Star China’s entertainment format Sing My Song internationally. We also signed a landmark format collaboration deal with South Korea’s CJ E&M.”
The next ‘big think’
In the topic of formats going creative, KABOs’ Crescenzo says creative format will reflect our human experience and also our deepest aspirations, and ideally should have success in its home country. It’s also important to find new ways of combining genres, or reinventing an existing genre. “We have done this with our parent company KABO Family’s in-house production Our Crazy Family. This is an example of a scripted comedy format that has revolutionised and modernised the sitcom genre by offering a unique and highly successful Pick’n Mix format that provides licensees with
over 3,500 scripts enabling them to Arabelle Pouliot-Di Crescenzo Gary Pudney Mike Beale customise their episodes and combine these scripts in any order.
“The formats that tend to succeed – those most in demand by broadcasters – are scripted, game shows and entertainment floor shows. One element of a format that is currently of great importance to almost all broadcasters around the world is co-viewing. There is a lot of demand for formats that can attract a broad range of demos. Although it is now about to finish, American Idol was a great example of this – it really was a show watched by all the generations together.
“That said, the elements that make up a successful format that can travel worldwide are as follows: you need a strong idea, preferably with a new or clever twist; success in its home territory – preferably on a major broadcaster and in a strong slot – lots of episodes; and high production values,” she added.
Gary Pudney believes there isn’t a formula. Good formats come from brilliant ideas and in the first instance they have to be nurtured for the primary audience in the country where they will make their debut. “If you get ahead of yourself thinking about international, you can lose focus. If the idea is good enough – scripted or non – it will travel, it’s as simple as that.
“You also have to be open-minded about where the next big idea could come from, it might not necessarily be created by a renowned producer. We already represent a huge Chinese format called Not A Star Yet and have our ears to the ground in places like India, Thailand and the Philippines for exciting new content. Our door (and our minds) are always open.
“Who knows what that next big thing Ciao Darwin will be? We just need to make sure thatwe keep pushing the boundaries with formats that innovate and continue to surprise people. I think Touch is a great example of this – along with some of our new dramas like The Writer which tackles the sensitive cultural divide in Israel in a brutally honest and human way,” he added.
But “Creating local content with a global component will assist in making the format sellable in many countries. Using themes and storylines that can be re-told in additional markets but still stay true to the original content will assist in making your format “the next big thing”,” added Rastogi. He continued, “Our acquisitions team is constantly searching for and is working with top content creators from all international markets to help bring new formats to both the Asian territories as well as the rest of the world. With our new hire Mike Leeder in Asia working on developing formats and series, our sales team is excited to bring our formats from Asia to the global market.”
Beale says, “We focus on creating a successful and interesting show for the local audience in a territory before we look to replicate that success elsewhere. ITV Studios has a label structure which allows each of our label heads to run their own businesses, which creates an environment that encourages creativity and so we have a wide range of new and interesting formats.
“However, it’s not realistic to have an overnight global hit; successful international formats build over time. For example, we first launched game show The Chase in the U.K. in 2009 and it took time for the format to bed in and prove itself in its home territory. It has now been produced in 11 countries worldwide, adding a territory or two a year as its success is proven in different territories, with very high volume episode orders in many of those places.
Travelling formats
Crescenzo claims that a successfully format has to be original with a universal story that resonates and speaks of human experience on a deeper level. She recommends Ciao Darwin, a prime time entertainment format from Mediaset Italy with over 75 episodes produced. In each episode, two competing categories of 50 people each led by celebrity captains who fit certain opposing stereotypes such as: Men vs Women, Young vs Old, Executives vs Laborer’s, Bald vs Hairy, and more, will determine which categories are considered fittest for the survival and evolution of the human species.
Rastogi says formats can come from any region to be globally successful. “We have seen in the past few years, formats from international territories getting picked by major broadcasters and online platforms in the U.S. markets. Success stories from Asia, Israel, Turkey, UK and beyond have found homes and great success in the U.S. bridging the gap between east and west. 108 Media is excited to be bringing formats from the Canadian and the Asian Market to the international buyers at MIPTV and to be assisting in bridging the gap between eastern and western content,” he added.
Pudney strongly believes the essential ingredients are things which provoke a buzz – originality, uniqueness, and excitement. In Asia, broadcasters ideally like to see a strong track record but that doesn’t necessarily have to have been gained in markets like the U.S. and UK. “Our kid’s talent show Master Class had great success in Israel, Greece and Hungary before launching in China. It’s now into its second season because the first made such an impact – one of its youngest contestants was selected to sing in official Chinese New Year CCTV1 Gala – that was a proud moment for us.
“An advantage that we have at Keshet International is our huge experience in marketing formats to potential buyers – we are all marketers in one form or another – our group CEO Avi Nir has a marketing background which resonates at every level within the organisation. What it means is that when we package a format, it’s on point and translates easily to potential buyers. Asia’s exporting market is not quite as mature and I think it’s fair to say that there is a way to go before content makers here can deliver IP and materials to buyers at the level of their international competitors. We feel we are a capable pair of hands to take the best of Asian IP (and there is some great IP to be exploited) out to the rest of the world,” he added. There is no magic formula, but successful international formats need to have a universal theme and a successful track record, and international licensees need solid production support to help them make high quality content.
“Having a format that has been successful in the U.S. market certainly helps, but success in a combination of key international markets like the U.S., UK, France, Germany, the Nordics, the Netherlands, Australia and now China will also help to build a track record for a show,” claims Beale. “We need to think of ‘viewers’ in a different way and encourage them to interact with our shows across a variety of platforms, both during TX and when the show is off air. If we do that successfully in significant numbers then we can find ways to monetise it – but you still need success first.
