Paul Gilbert

TV Real Weekly, September 10, 2008

Senior VP, International Formats

CBS Paramount International Television

Now in its 11th cycle, America’s Next Top Model remains one of The CW’s top-performing series. And its longevity in the U.S. is being replicated internationally with local versions on air in a host of markets, including Australia, the U.K., Brazil, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and the Philippines. “Top Model is one of those shows that just keeps getting multiple-year renewals everywhere,” says Paul Gilbert, the senior VP of international formats at CBS Paramount International Television, which represents the rights to the format and canned version of the series around the world. “It’s had long-lasting staying power.”

Given the success of Top Model, Gilbert is excited to begin offering up the rights to Stylista, a new reality series, also for The CW, from Top Model’s Tyra Banks and Ken Mok. The new show takes a different look at the fashion industry, following contestants as they vie for an editorial position at Elle magazine. “It’s like The Devil Wears Prada to reality formats,” Gilbert says.

Another new offering at MIPCOM for CBS Paramount’s format-sales team is Greatest American Dog, which ran on CBS this summer. “We’ve made several deals and have a couple of others that we’re in negotiations on,” says Gilbert. “It’s well done. It’s fun to see how nuts some of these people can be about their dogs! A lot of the international broadcasters who’ve seen it feel the same way. We’re hoping for good things from that.”

While reality formats remain popular, Gilbert is also seeing a continued demand for what he calls “shiny floor game shows,” particularly those that can be stripped in a half-hour slot. As such, he is looking to Wheel of Fortune to continue its winning streak for networks across the globe. For Gilbert, the series’ success is particularly gratifying. “My first job in television was working on the development of Wheel of Fortune. For me, it’s just amazing that over all these years, it still has remained the highest-rated show in syndication in the U.S. and we just keep making new [format] deals.”

Recent launches for the veteran game-show brand include Portugal, New Zealand, Turkey and Italy, and it continues to fare well in France, Spain and the Philippines, among other territories. “Even without all the hoopla, we still get calls and enquiries constantly for the show.”

Like a number of other studios, CBS Paramount is also mining its deep catalogue of classic TV series for potential new formats that it hopes to eventually launch on the worldwide market. I Love Lucy has already been reformatted in a number of markets, with a Turkish version launching this month.

Gilbert is a veteran of the formats market, having begun his career at Merv Griffin Productions and spent a number of years at King World Productions and Sony Pictures Television International before joining CBS Paramount last year. The key to successfully exporting a format, he says, is having an open, flexible relationship with broadcast partners. “If somebody has a good idea and it makes sense to us, we’ll do it.”