Features

Red Arrow Studios International’s Tim Gerhartz, Media Ranch’s Sophie Ferron and BBC Studios’ Sumi Connock discuss the latest trends within the social-experiments format genre.

Celebrities have been featured in formats for years—from serving as hosts and judges to appearing in celebrity spin-off versions of shows—but now there are a number of new formats with famous faces starring as the main participants right from launch.

Kristin Brzoznowski explores the demand for game shows and where the genre is headed next.

Mega-formats continue to dominate prime-time grids, and many are being renewed and refreshed to keep audiences engaged. 

Game shows are proving to be a hot commodity for networks around the world, giving audiences the kind of escapist entertainment very much in demand these days.

Looking ahead to trends that will be shaping the format business in 2021, World Screen checked in with a number of producers and distributors about the format landscape in the Asia Pacific.

In an industry that loves a track record, getting a paper format over with broadcasters can be a bit of a challenge—but the rewards in launching a brand-new original concept that goes on to become a global success can be immense.

Formats are in high demand as commissioners and producers look for shortcuts in the high-risk business of scripted content.

Formats that allow for social distancing and safety measures to be easily implemented without changing the DNA or core format beats are in good stead as entertainment commissioning pushes forward.

The coronavirus has presented untold challenges for the companies that make studio show formats, but they have found ways to meet them—even discovering new ways of doing business that could be here to stay.