Case Study: Banijay’s Sold!

As the saying goes, what’s old is new again. Indeed, Banijay International certainly believes in leveraging the potential of a classic format to secure continued sales by reinvigorating the concept. Such is the case with the property guessing game Sold!

The original format watches as two teams of professional real estate agents try to guess the price of houses just sold. The show takes audiences inside all sorts of housing in different parts of the country, feeding viewers’ inquisitive minds. "I think [everyone] is very curious to see how their neighbors are actually living," says Karoline Spodsberg, the managing director of Banijay International. "The format…gives a sneak peek into other people’s homes. That basic curiosity on how other people live and what their houses look like is the main driver of this format," she adds.

Originally created in Denmark, Sold! is set to enter its 17th season on DR, and is distributed as part of Banijay International’s overall deal with the Danish broadcaster. The show was recently recommissioned for a second season by Norway’s NRK, where its first run consistently outperformed the channel’s average share, peaking with 49.4 percent during its Wednesday time slot. As a result of this success, the Norwegian pubcaster has signed on for a further 12 episodes, six of which aired at the end of 2010 and a further six are slated for spring 2011.

Sold! has also been recommissioned in Sweden, where the fourth season on TV4 has been expanded to a full commercial hour (44 minutes) and has new features integrated for the next eight-episode run. Banijay is relaunching the format as such, extended and reversioned, at NATPE later this month.

As part of the revamp, Sold! now has the international element that part of the episodes will take place abroad, with the agents guessing the price of real estate in a foreign city. Spodsberg believes this will add to the show’s appeal because "more and more people are choosing to invest in houses abroad, with vacation homes or houses where they live during the wintertime." She is also upbeat about the show’s extended running time. "To have a commercial hour can be easier to schedule and adapt abroad than a half-hour slot," she explains.

Ultimately, what Spodsberg believes is the best selling point for Sold! is its established track record. "There is proven success of the format, and the world will get their eyes open to this once again. It’s very cheap to produce and is very cost efficient. The main driver, what makes this format work, is something that is quite universal: human beings are, by definition, curious!"

The rollout schedule for the revamped format kicks off at NATPE, continuing throughout the year at various markets around the world. Spodsberg says the format will also be top of mind for Banijay’s sales executives who are constantly on the road. "Because this format has been around for a while, it’s something that when visiting a client, discussing their scheduling and what they’re looking for, is easy to bring up again and rediscuss. I think the sales will very much be based on the local visits from our sales team."

Spodsberg adds that a "solid, classic format with a good production value and good record" is always something of interest for buyers. "There are many slots to be filled and buyers want security in every time slot they are filling. It’s very important to have a broad range of formats in your portfolio; a smaller but more classic and solid format is often something that is good for business in the long run."