All3Media International’s Sabrina Duguet on Asian Format Trends

All3Media International arrives at Asia TV Forum with a diverse slate across its strengths of scripted, premium factual and entertainment. Formats have proven to be a particularly strong suit for the company in the region, according to Sabrina Duguet, executive VP for the Asia Pacific, with a host of scripted adaptations and increasing traction on its entertainment brands, led in part by the megahit The Traitors. Ahead of arriving at the Marina Bay Sands, Duguet shared with TV Formats Weekly the company’s winning formula for bringing its stable of hit properties to channels and platforms across the region.

TV FORMATS: What’s driving your content licensing business in Asia? Is it formats or tape sales?
DUGUET: Our extensive portfolio at All3Media International allows us to serve both tape and format licensing needs across Asia, which vary by market and individual broadcasters. For instance, in India, formats have been exceptionally strong for us. We’ve seen high demand for both scripted and unscripted formats, with seven scripted format adaptations, five more in development and several unscripted format adaptations, including the recent announcement of The Traitors for Prime Video. Meanwhile, in Japan, Hong Kong, China and Korea, our business is predominantly driven by tape sales, particularly of our premium dramas and thrillers, such as Joan starring Sophie Turner, returning detective series such as Midsomer Murders and high-octane thrillers like The Tourist and Trigger Point, which has had a third series commissioned. Southeast Asia offers a balanced mix of premium factual and natural history programming, such as Parenthood, holding significant appeal, but also travel series like Travel Guides, science programming like Lion TV’s Irresistible: Why We Can’t Stop Eating, current affairs titles like 72 Films’ Trump: The Criminal Conspiracy Case and HOYO Films’ Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods, alongside a range of scripted and unscripted formats.

TV FORMATS: What’s leading on the formats side? Given the challenges facing the scripted sector, are you seeing greater traction in unscripted?
DUGUET: Scripted formats remain incredibly successful across much of the region for the Asia team, and we’re thrilled to have several new adaptations set to be announced soon. However, there is indeed a noticeable rise in demand for unscripted formats. For us, this shift is led largely by the international success of The Traitors, alongside fresh launches like The Anonymous for NBCUniversal’s USA Network in the U.S. and Buy It Now, which has been a success for both Channel 4 in the U.K. and was commissioned by Prime Video in the U.S.

TV FORMATS: You’ve long had a great story to tell regarding scripted formats in Asia. How has that business been this year?
DUGUET: While the first half of the year saw some delays in production and commissioning, we’re now witnessing strong momentum in Q3 and Q4 as many of our scripted formats in development are moving into production or are about to get released. Local versions of our formats have been well received; for instance, Kafas, the Indian adaptation of Dark Money by The Forge for Sony LIV, won several awards this year.

TV FORMATS: We’ve seen massive shifts in streamer strategies globally. What trends are you seeing among the big streaming players, regional and local, in Asia?
DUGUET: In Asia, streamers are prioritizing localized content—either through local productions or acquisitions that resonate with their specific audiences. Following this, they seek regionally relevant stories, and finally, they look for international productions, especially those featuring well-known talent or themes with broad appeal.

There have also been fantastic format opportunities with the streamers—at the local and regional levels. Several of our current productions for our formats are for streamers in the region on the scripted and unscripted side.

TV FORMATS: What are your forecasts for your AsiaPac content sales business in 2025?
DUGUET: We anticipate an active year with multiple formats currently in development and production across scripted thrillers, comedy series and unscripted genres, including some exciting news about The Traitors in the region. We’re also excited about several high-profile international scripted series set to launch, including the new title from Two Brothers Pictures, The Assassin, led by Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore, which promises a compelling storyline and exceptional production values. Premium natural history programming like Parenthood is set to make a strong impact, along with the return of audience favorites such as Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, which is returning for its ninth season in the U.S.