Red Hot!

This feature original appeared in the NATPE Budapest 2012 issue of TV Europe.

 

When it comes to the demand for TV formats, the Central and Eastern European region (CEE) is no longer the poor cousin coming to dine at the table of richer Western European relatives or other developed markets. The CEE’s former communist states are ravenous for the same high-quality entertainment demanded by viewers in the more affluent West. The TV formats they buy from international distributors play a crucial role in enabling the region’s broadcasters to gain as much access to juicy TV entertainment as their counterparts elsewhere.

 

“Development in TV globally has taken more than 60 years; for historical reasons, the CEE region did it in 20 years—they have caught up with the major TV markets, [and] nurtured a new generation of TV executives who scout the world for new format trends,” says Shakira Hoffmann, the sales manager for CEE at SevenOne International. “Some of the countries are so hungry for new ideas, they want to take on the role of pioneers who discovered the best ones that everyone else [later] copied.”

 

Among SevenOne’s format hits in CEE are My Man Can, a TV game show on Ukraine’s 1+1 network. It is also being adapted by networks in the Czech Republic and Russia. Benidorm Bastards, a hidden-camera format centered on a group of mischievous elderly citizens who turn the tables on young people, is entering its second season on 1+1 and has also been adapted by the Romanian commercial network Prima TV, where it is in its third season. SevenOne has also sold the Russian and Ukrainian remake rights to Danni Lowinski, a German legal dramedy, to the Ukrainian production firm Star Media Film. The localized versions will be on Russia’s Domashny and on STB in Ukraine.

 

Sabrina Duguet, the VP of international formats sales at ALL3MEDIA International, has found that CEE buyers have become less risk averse when it comes to format buys.

 

“Previously, it appeared that broadcasters in Eastern Europe would wait until a format was a success in several territories before commissioning it. But recently, this has changed and broadcasters/producers have been willing to take risks and be the first [to adapt] a production.”

 

The region’s cravings for hits have boosted business for ALL3MEDIA International’s portfolio of in-house and third-party formats. They range from game shows and constructed-reality formats, in which amateur actors are used to reconstruct real-life dramas, to location-based entertainment. ALL3MEDIA’s lineup includes the reality TV series Undercover Boss from Studio Lambert and The Cube, a fast-paced game show that tests contestants’ mental and physical agility. Another game show highlighted by Duguet is Are You Normal?, originally made by ZOO Productions for the U.S.-based OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.

Countries like Russia, Poland, Hungary, Estonia and Ukraine have been particularly keen on ALL3MEDIA’s German-originated constructed-reality shows, among them Families at the Crossroads, Cases of Doubt and Day& Night.

 

“The channels are looking for programs that are easier to adapt with lower budgets and flexibility, and have a feel-good, fun aspect to them,” Duguet adds. “That’s the reason why location formats like Cash at Your Door (by Matar Productions) and Cash Cab (by Lion Television) are doing really well for us.”

 

Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has sold a number of formats into the region, including both scripted and non-scripted titles. “Business is good,” reports Ed Louwerse, the senior VP of formats at SPT’s international distribution division. “CEE is a very important format-sales region for SPT. There is a lot of demand for our properties and they are performing well.”

 

Louwerse says that Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? continues to be very popular for many territories in the region, including Russia, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Poland and Albania. “Dr. Oz is gathering momentum, with format productions in Armenia and Russia, for example,” he continues. “Our scripted offering is a key focus as well. Scripted format deals through SPT in CEE currently include Rules of Engagement (Poland), Everybody Loves Raymond (Poland and Russia) and The King of Queens (Russia). Those in Russia are produced by SPT Productions Russia.”

 

For Shine International, a key factor in its success in the region has been its ability to offer a wide variety of formats from its sister production companies in different countries. Lisa Higginson, sales manager for CEE, among other territories, says, “This year, three of the top five highest-rated weekend prime-time shows in Poland were Shine International formats. We saw a third season of Must Be the Music and a first season of Got to Dance launching on Polsat, together with a second season of NBC’s original format Clash of the Choirs returning to TVP.”

 

Among the CEE broadcasters working with Shine are Channel One, Rossiya 1 and REN TV in Russia; Ukraine’s 1+1, STB and TET; Antena 1 and Pro TV in Romania; Slovakia’s Markíza, SVT and TV JOJ; Nova and RTL in Romania; plus Kazakhstan’s NTK.

 

Moreover, Shine has successfully sold The Magicians, from the BBC, to networks in Ukraine and Russia. Clash of the Choirs, made by the Stockholm-based Friday TV for NBC, is now in Russia. The prime-time format Mobbed, by Alevy Productions, will air in Ukraine this fall; and Minute to Win It, originally made by Friday TV with NBC, is doing great business in Kazakhstan.

 

“Recent trends have seen CEE broadcasters showing a greater level of interest and sales in Scandinavian formats from our partners at Metronome,” Higginson adds. “The recent success stories include the new weight-loss lifestyle series Honey, You’re Getting Fat, and Can We Come Along, a warm-hearted factual-entertainment show capturing the character and spirit of local people across Sweden.”

 

That some CEE markets are economically more affluent than the others cannot be ignored. Distributors, however, accept that it is still a developing region whose broadcasters need to be efficient with their production resources. Hits come at a cost, and the tight budgets of CEE broadcasters mean they cannot afford to overspend. But the competitive marketplace drives them to aim high.

 

“The big formats are selling to CEE as much as anywhere else,” says Luci Burnley, an international sales and acquisitions executive at Banijay International, whose reality series include Tempted, which was conceived by Nordisk Film TV and is on MTV in Russia and TET TV in Ukraine. “Most of our CEE buyers want tested hits in prime-time studio entertainment, or big reality shows that can be either stripped or scheduled weekly. Channels need these shows to bring in the advertising revenue that makes them a worthwhile investment.”

 

Other Banijay titles present in CEE include the studio-based entertainment show Honey, Pack the Bags!, which is by Air Productions and is airing on Ukraine’s Novy TV, and the scripted format The Day My Life Changed.

 

The Israel-based Armoza Formats has also been successful with scripted formats in CEE. The Naked Truth is in production for HBO Polska; Shall We Kiss premiered in October on HBO Hungary; and in Lithuania, The Green Project is on Rytas TV. This is in addition to the numerous Armoza formats adapted in Russia and Ukraine.

 

“There are waves of interests in specific genres, but in the end it’s all entertainment,” says Avi Armoza, the founder and CEO of the company. “They are looking for good television. They are professionals and they know a hit when they see it…. In the current economic climate, broadcasters are looking for a sure thing; they aren’t looking to take fantastic leaps into uncharted territory.”

 

Still, his company has been able to tout unconventional adventurous formats that might make broadcasters in developing markets wary. “We’re able to see ahead of the curve to bring to broadcasters more risky and innovative programming that has already been tested in our market,” Armoza says.

 

Flexibility in selling is also required. “Our formats are scalable. Even for big, prime-time game shows like Still Standing, we can offer creative solutions that help counter larger budget concerns.”

 

Out-of-studio shows are equally popular, as they avoid the costs of the expensive shiny-floor studios that are de rigueur for today’s demanding audiences. An example of the out-of-studio format is Armoza’s new Upgrade, which is entertaining audiences in Russia and Ukraine. Formats based outdoors or in people’s homes offer “high-entertainment value and lots of emotions,” notes Shine’s Higginson.

When they are determined to get the big shows, CEE broadcasters get creative and imaginative. And distributors are taking notice.

 

“The broadcasters are becoming more savvy in their approach to funding through product placement, sponsorship and licensing, and we’ve responded to that by providing a really strong in-house service to help facilitate financing without impacting the integrity of a series,” Higginson says.

 

While much has changed in CEE, executives stress that when selling to the region, distributors cannot be completely oblivious to history. Global Agency’s formats, such as Shopping Monsters, the studio-based contest The Hand, and the wedding format Perfect Bride, are popular, “but countries experienced the region’s history in different ways,” says Catherine Stryker, the head of sales for the Americas and CEE at the company. “So they look at historical dramas and films with caution. But with modern dramas and series, they are more at ease because they have instant recognition of familiar relationships, romance, social lives and family concerns.”

 

Distributors have also noticed the way history and geography are influencing the skills developed by the local broadcasters. For example, SevenOne International’s Hoffmann has seen differences in approaches to formats as broadcasters “bring local spice to the adaptations.” There is a lively Latin flavor given to shows airing in countries like Romania, while the Baltic markets embrace the more measured Nordic approach, she says. “They’re also good at making good-looking shows on a shoestring budget. With limited resources, they’re making miracles happen.”

 

The growing CEE TV market is attracting attention not only from its Western European neighbors, but from farther afield. Televisa Internacional’s Dancing for a Dream has shown the Mexican media giant that it has the know-how to tap into the CEE format markets effectively.

 

The show will be in its 13th season this fall on Romania’s ProTV in prime time. The same show, which features a contestant taking part in a dancing contest to fulfill a long-cherished dream, has also been bought in Slovakia, Serbia, Czech Republic and Ukraine.

 

The format had already been a sensation in its native Mexico, where it nabbed a 50-percent ratings share in its slot, according to Claudia Sahab, Televisa’s director of sales in Europe. “In a region where the standard of living can be difficult, this is the type of entertainment they love. All our clients said it has the right ingredients.”

 

The show’s success has encouraged Televisa to dig deep into its treasure chest of more than 500 telenovela titles to see if any can be adapted as scripted formats for CEE. “Our original telenovelas sell very well there and we’ve seen that countries like Poland have their own telenovelas. Czech and Romanian broadcasters and producers also want to start their own based on local stories. So we know there is a demand there.”

 

If there are economic issues and cultural differences to deal with, how do distributors ensure that broadcasters maintain the integrity of formats when producing local adaptations?

 

Most distributors, who have had experience producing the formats in several other countries, offer consultancy services to help the channels avoid unnecessary mistakes.

 

SevenOne International sells a “tool kit” to its clients to ensure that the broadcasters follow a standard on-air formula. That guarantees that anyone would recognize the program as a SevenOne format. “It means they don’t have to reinvent the wheel; they only have to insert changes based on the time slot and the audience’s profile,” Hoffmann explains.

 

Armoza believes you must allow the channel to make changes as it sees fit for its own audiences. However, “we have a flying consultant on each set to ensure quality control over the production.”