Feelin’ Good

It’s a tough world out there. Between the doom and gloom of the economy, high worldwide unemployment rates and the current state of the housing market, many people are left looking for a pick-me-up. It’s no wonder, then, that consumers are flocking to their TV sets for feel-good shows that can whisk them away to a happy place.
 
“Viewers like to see uplifting stories where people who deserve a break get what they need,” says Trish Kinane, the acting president of worldwide entertainment at FremantleMedia. “That can be cash, romance, or the support of their family and friends.”
 
FremantleMedia has seen demand for shows with a feel-good factor, says Kinane. Welcome Home, for instance, is a family-oriented format about community, friendship and giving back to the ones we love. “What is particularly moving are the reactions of the families as they come back to their surprise welcome-home party, and see what their loved ones have done for them,” explains Kinane.
 
She also says viewers like to see people working passionately to make the world a better place—whether by volunteering, as is the case in Do the Right Thing, or through education and access to opportunities, as in Dream School, which features celebrity mentors.
 
STARGAZING        
Banijay International’s Star Save Our School also sees celebrities giving back. Launching at MIPCOM, the format features a star joining his or her former classmates to restore their school to a place where the current students feel safe, enthusiastic and ready to learn. “It’s…always heart-warming to see stars using their celebrity status to do good in the world and to give back to the community they came from,” says Karoline Spodsberg, the managing director at Banijay International.
 
Also launching at MIPCOM, BBC Worldwide’s Home Is Where the Heart Is offers disadvantaged people the chance to be mentored by a well-known personality. Elin Thomas, the VP of format licensing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at BBC Worldwide, says, “This format is full of touching moments, as celebrities realize the hardship some people have to face, while the [person being mentored] is offered life-changing opportunities.”

BBC Worldwide’s Tonight’s the Night, meanwhile, surprises deserving members of the public with a one-night-only opportunity to perform in front of millions of viewers. The performance angle ups the entertainment factor, and adding in competition elements provides another exciting twist. Such is the case with Televisa Internacional’s Dancing for a Dream, Singing for a Dream and Dancing for the Wedding of My Dreams.
 

THE WINNER’S CIRCLE               
“The main purpose of these shows is to win a competition in order to obtain the prize: change the life of a loved one through very specific help—health issues resolved, financial crisis support, special medical therapies for people in need,” says José Luis Romero, the director of formats and new content at Televisa. “They help people who don’t have the chance to solve their many problems by themselves.”

SevenOne International’s You Deserve It, born from the partnership between Red Arrow Entertainment Group and Dick de Rijk, also plays off the emotional elements a competition brings. The hybrid format—part reality series, part game show—sees individuals playing on behalf of someone else who could use the extra help.
 
Jens Richter, the managing director of SevenOne, says the show engages viewers by presenting a strong back story at the top of the program. Adding to the format’s allure is the element of surprise. The worthy recipient doesn’t know until the end that they are even part of a game show or that someone has been playing for their benefit. Richter says this keeps viewers glued till the end, since they want to stick around for the finale.
 
The emotional end to Holding Out for a Hero, a new format from 12 Yard Productions that ITV Studios Global Entertainment is launching at MIPCOM, also sees a winner handing over a life-changing amount of money. “The show is fresh, relevant and combines the best moments of tense quiz shows with the excitement of big entertainment formats, combined with moments of stunning generosity and heart-warming emotion,” says Andy Culpin, the managing director of the ITV-owned 12 Yard Productions.

TRUE TRANSFORMERS    
The idea of winning a large sum of money that changes your life is something nearly all viewers have fantasized about. And there are other types of transformations that audiences are touched to witness as well. ALL3MEDIA International has shows that focus on personal changes, with Too Fat to Fight, Expat Seeks Love and The Fairy Jobmother, as well as makeovers for an entire community, as seen in Desperate Neighbours, The Village, Wa$ted and Village on a Diet. 

“There’s a lot of takeaway for the viewer,” says Stephanie Hartog, the executive VP of formats at ALL3MEDIA. “If you look at something like 8 Weeks to Happiness or Desperate Neighbours, there’s potential for you to learn [lessons] that you can take away and apply to your own life. Same as in The Fairy Jobmother—there’s a lot of that.”
 
Witnessing someone else’s personal transformations can provide great practical tips that viewers themselves can use, especially when it comes to getting financial advice in these cash-strapped times. For example, ohm:tv’s The Poorhouse watches a group of people who’ve lost their jobs, had their credit cards cancelled by their bank or their houses sold in forced auctions.

Another ohm:tv show is The Baroness Takes Over. “The feel-good element involves the Baroness offering help and making a real difference in peoples’ ordinary lives by giving them a taste of luxury, downtime and counseling,” explains Joris Eckelkamp, the CEO and a co-founder of ohm:tv.
 
The human stories behind these transformations give the shows a personal feel. Armoza Formats has tapped into the power of human storytelling with its feel-good title The Package. “In a way, it’s a format that created a formula for human storytelling,” says Avi Armoza, the CEO of Armoza Formats. “The premise is that if you dig deep enough, in every person there is a story that’s worthwhile telling.”

UNIVERSAL TRUTHS        
Armoza explains that there’s much flexibility in the format, giving each territory the ability to do its necessary adaptation. ALL3MEDIA’s Hartog, too, has found that the feel-good genre travels easily, though some tweaks are needed to satisfy the emotional tone of various cultures.
 
Hartog has also recognized the added value for broadcasters that feel-good shows bring, as viewers form a positive association between the network and the contributions being made in the series.
 
Televisa’s Romero echoes that sentiment. “The broadcaster gets a good perception from the audience,” he says. “Being involved in a good-will project is always a great way for the broadcasters to say, We care about our audiences. The audience recognizes when the broadcasters care about helping, making them sensitive about different issues that need to be solved.”
 
Another benefit for broadcasters, Romero points out, is that they can attract several audience targets with these shows. While some feel-good programs skew slightly female, most are aimed at providing a co-viewing experience the whole family can enjoy.
 
Banijay’s Spodsberg is quick to point out the ratings success of feel-good shows as a definite pull for broadcasters. “Audiences obviously feel powerfully drawn to positive messages that reinforce values they may feel are lacking in some other kinds of programming,” she adds. “Very often there are also easy sponsorship tie-ins for these formats as well, which, as we all know, is a real bonus for commercial broadcasters in this climate.”

A BOO$T FOR BROADCASTERS    
The use of giveaways and makeovers common to these shows offers many promotional opportunities. “Star Save Our School could be easily tied in with a building and/or decorating materials supplier,” says Spodsberg. “My Big Fat Parents could be spon­sored by a gym chain, sports-gear manufacturer or diet-food brand; Honestly, Mum and Dad requires audio-visual equipment, so that is an immediately relevant sponsorship opportunity. I really think the possibilities are endless and that this genre presents a fantastic opportunity for commercial broadcasters.”

Spodsberg says Banijay pitches these sorts of formats as prime-time shows, but a plus point is that they can easily be adapted to fit an access prime-time or weekend night slot, too. Likewise, while most of these formats have been developed to air as weekly stand-alone episodes, there is potential to create serialized shows that could be stripped. Budget-wise, they can be produced for daytime as well, Spodsberg says.
 
ALL3MEDIA’s Hartog says that most of these programs are dealing with such important issues that broadcasters want to put them in prime time to have the biggest possible reach.

Given the potential for added revenue from sponsors and advertisers, along with the good-will association these shows can bring, broadcasters around the globe are certain to continue giving coveted prime-time slots to feel-good programs.

A longer version of this article appeared in the MIPCOM 2011 edition of TV Formats.