All3Media International’s Nick Smith Talks Format Trends

Nick Smith, the executive VP of formats at All3Media International, weighs in on what’s trending in the format marketplace.

All3Media International’s format business has been resilient throughout the pandemic, with a sustained appetite from broadcasters and audiences around the world for new locally produced programming. “We’ve been lucky to have formats such as Celebrity Call Centre, The Cube and Gogglebox, which can be produced in Covid-19-secure environments, and have also received multiple commissions for the formats Snackmasters, The Dog House and Sort Your Life Out,” says Nick Smith, the company’s executive VP of formats. 

Buyers, he says, are looking for “positive, feel-good programming,” which bodes well for All3Media International’s titles such as Sort Your Life Out, The Dog House and 10 Years Younger in 10 Days. 

“There is more focus on ‘intelligent reality’ titles, which our new format The Traitors offers,” Smith adds. “The series was a smash hit in the Netherlands, and several respondents described it as ‘intelligent reality.’ They found it gripping like a typical reality show but didn’t experience any guilt when watching.” Deals on the show are set to be announced in due course.

The company is negotiating new agreements for formats such as Race Across the World, as broadcasters are looking to the future. “There is a huge desire for travel series at the moment, so it has been great to see producers able to adapt titles such as Travel Guides, which has continued production in New Zealand and Australia through a focus on local holiday destinations,” says Smith. 

He also notes a significant resurgence in game shows as of late. The lighthearted quiz-show format Cash at Your Door has been acquired by NBCUniversal in the U.S., and the tense prime-time game show The Cube was recently adapted for TBS in the U.S. All3Media International has also notched up sales for Are You Normal? in Spain and for Lingo in the U.K. and Italy.  

So-called “loud formats” such as Naked Attraction and Who Bares Wins have also garnered solid attention from audiences and sold across numerous territories as both tapes and formats, according to Smith. 

All3Media International has seen demand for both fresh concepts and classics. The reality series Undercover Boss recently made a comeback in the U.K. as Undercover Big Boss, which follows a new group of chief execs and company bosses as they go in disguise to work on their very own shop floors. “We are also pleased to see the format is continuing to sell successfully internationally,” says Smith. 

“We are currently seeing less of a need for daytime from formats and more need for prime and access prime,” adds Smith, as he keeps his finger on the pulse of what’s trending in the format landscape.