Formats Take Center Stage at DISCOP

Distributors heading to DISCOP have high hopes for format pickups, given Central and Eastern European broadcasters’ affinity for local content. While the bulk of ALL3MEDIA International’s sales success across CEE has been driven by drama, Stephen Driscoll, the VP of international sales, says he’s seen the market open up. “Format sales are growing at a very fast rate for our top shows, such as Cash Cab, I Want My Mummy, The Cube and Undercover Boss, and we expect our format business to grow beyond Poland, Russia, Hungary and Ukraine, which are our strongest markets.” Driscoll highlights the reality shows Undercover Boss and Village on a Diet as programs that perform well as both finished programming and formats for prime-time audiences globally. "Both are very interesting," he says, "as they have an altruistic element to them rather than a wholly competitive drive."

SevenOne International is also betting on its formats for CEE sales. The company’s relationship with Dick de Rijk, creator of such hit formats as Deal or No Deal, has brought to the catalogue You Deserve It!, a game show with a feel-good approach. ABC has produced the first episodes for the show’s U.S. treatment, while further sales for the format include Germany, Italy and the Middle East. Another format topping SevenOne’s slate is My Man Can, which watches as four women gamble with the abilities their partners possess. Going into the second season in Germany, the game show already launched on 1+1 in the Ukraine and has also sold to Scandinavia, Benelux, Spain, Italy, France and Portugal. "Our sciencetainment magazine Galileo has a fantastic track record," notes Axel Böhm, regional sales director. "It just launched in Croatia on RTL. Galileo is in its fifth year on CTC in Russia and in its fourth year on Poland’s TV4. It’s also on air in the Ukraine (K1), Serbia (PRVA) and Romania (Prima TV)," he adds.

At MIPTV, Banijay International secured its first commission on the entertainment format Celebrity Stand-Up, signing a deal with TV2 Networks in Denmark. Now the company is hoping to notch up some new commissions across CEE as it heads to DISCOP ready to promote the show. Banijay is also betting on the game show Faces to drum up sales across the region. “There is a very big appetite for studio-based game shows in CEE,” says Karoline Spodsberg, managing director. She continues, “Both Honey, Pack the Bags! and Super Star Ding Dong have cross-genre appeal, with strong musical and variety-show elements, and could work either as shiny-floor event programming or stripped across the week.” Spodsberg also highlights comedy as being a top-seller. “Our comedy catalogue is very strong right now in response to a high demand for quality comedy formats.” At DISCOP, Banijay is launching the comedic factual-entertainment series Far Out Comedy.

Formats are a somewhat new focus for Cineflix International, says Caroline Schroeter, regional sales manager. The company will be exploring the area further at DISCOP. “The economic downturn took its toll on CEE, as it did everywhere,” she says, “but there are still great business opportunities in the region, especially in terms of format sales. The CEE territories are eager for content with a national flavor and identity—and we believe that many of Cineflix International’s shows…offer the perfect solution.” The company recently launched several "fresh, edgy and entertaining shows and formats," says Schroeter, pointing to the game show Instant Cash and In-Law Wedding Wars, in which soon-to-be-weds hand over control of their big day to one of their mothers. There are also the hidden-camera prank show Remote Control Star, the home-renovation series My Dream Home and the vocational cooking format Conviction Kitchen.

A prolific provider of telenovelas to Central and Eastern Europe for years, Televisa Internacional has recently found success in the region with an entirely different genre: light entertainment. Its variety format Dancing for a Dream has been adapted in several markets, including Romania, where it is in its eleventh season. Televisa hopes to follow up that success with Little Giants, another variety format, this one focused on talented kids. “This will be one of our big bets at DISCOP,” says Claudia Sahab, director for Europe. “It’s a big entertainment format for prime time. It’s great for the whole family. The [ratings] in Mexico have been amazing—every week it’s growing.”

Also having expanded beyond providing only novelas and fiction for the region is Dori Media Group. The company has had great success in CEE, with sales ranging from Bosnia to Bulgaria, Belgium to Monaco. “Most of these countries are loyal to our fiction projects and open to get to know our latest news and releases,” says Elena Antonini, the VP of sales. “They are keen on our formats Simon, First Love and Checked In New York.” First Love features short stories about young people in love. Checked In New York is a docu-reality format about individuals reminiscing at locations that marked their lives in New York City. Simon features trendy street games.