Fremantle’s Danny Rowlands on Satisfying Buyers’ Needs

Fremantle has been offering channels and platforms successful formats for more than two decades—among them Idols, Got Talent and The X Factor. Alongside these global hits are many other genres. Competition, game and quiz shows remain in demand due to their adaptability and scalability. Recently, as Danny Rowlands, the senior VP of global entertainment, explains, Fremantle has also been tapping into creator-led, social-first projects to find shows that connect to the current culture.

TV FORMATS: What led to the partnership with Viral Nation to develop creator-led, social-first formats? What projects are in development, and why is it important to have content on YouTube and social platforms?
ROWLANDS: Our partnership with Viral Nation came from a very clear shift in where audiences spend their time and how new IP is being born. Social platforms have become the destination for entertainment for most households, and it’s a perfect opportunity for Fremantle to focus on talent development. Working with creative partners and strong talent has always been an important part of what we do at Fremantle, and this audience shift has allowed us to create innovative pathways for entertainment. We’ve got several more creator-led, social-first projects in development across entertainment and factual, designed specifically for platforms like YouTube.

Partnering with Viral Nation gives us that direct access to creators, communities and cultural insight at speed, which complements Fremantle’s ability to develop and scale formats globally. It’s a relationship that can support and grow each other’s content opportunities at scale. We announced last year an exciting format in development, Model Creator, a collaboration between Beach House Pictures (a Fremantle company), Viral Nation and Ford Models. We felt this was a real opportunity to deliver a fresh take on what a modelling format could look like for a more digital-native audience. The focus is on ideas that feel native and authentic to those platforms but have the potential to grow—whether that’s into bigger digital franchises or longer-form TV and streaming formats.

It’s important for us to be on YouTube and social because that’s where the global audience is heading at a rapid rate. Not just the younger audiences. It’s a real growth opportunity for entertainment, and we want to be leading the conversations and not just part of it. These partnerships, like the Viral Nation one, allow us to do that in an authentic way.

TV FORMATS: In general, how is the market for non-scripted formats, given buyers’ risk aversion and budget concerns?
ROWLANDS: Everyone needs content more than ever in order to retain and build audiences, so the right format ideas will always be appealing to buyers because they offer so much versatility. We’ve seen proven success in the last year with the continued growth of our formats, whether it is the funny and daring Freeze, which has seen multiple series in Portugal, Spain, and is currently in production in Italy and the Middle East, or the heartwarming series The Piano which continues to add new territories like Australia.

Budgets are tighter and commissioners are cautious, but what has always been proven is that good ideas that tap into culture will cut through and find an audience.

TV FORMATS: What type of reality competition shows are catching the attention of buyers?
ROWLANDS: Reality is always on the shopping list for most broadcasters and those formats that feel fresh and have a strong hook will always be part of the conversation. Formats that have these universal themes can be scaled up and down depending on budget.

Reality formats need to be distinctive and authentic, with a strong cast. We then see the potential to produce a tentpole format for broadcasters on streaming, linear and VOD. They give you the opportunity to create something that attracts an audience and holds them on a platform and that is what the broadcasters are crying out for in this new content landscape. The Lost Ones is an example of a reality adventure format. This was originally broadcast by TV2 in Denmark and just had its second commission in Canada. What’s interesting about this format is that it features well-known personalities and content creators known to a TikTok audience.

TV FORMATS: How are quiz and game shows satisfying buyers’ needs?
ROWLANDS: Quiz and game shows are in demand right now globally, and are ultimately resilient. As the market continues to be risk averse, quiz and game shows offer cost-effective, repeatable formats that can offer versatility to any broadcaster’s schedule.  We’re also seeing Gameshows and quizzes evolving beyond trivia—becoming psychological, strategic, and emotionally charged.

Quiz and game shows have been the mainstay of schedules for decades as they deliver that comfort and familiarity to audiences, particularly in times when the world outside is so uncertain.

Everyone is looking for escapism, and these formats offer this in a simple and familiar way that really appeals to audiences, so it makes sense that broadcasters are looking for innovative ways to deliver this in this space.
We’ve had an exciting new format in development that we’ll be talking more about soon – adapting the best-selling music party game Hitster into the game show space, which we believe will be an impactful new voice in the genre.

TV FORMATS: What factors contribute to the ongoing popularity of classic game shows like Password, Family Feud and The Price is Right?
ROWLANDS: These popular shows have a very simple core which can be evolved over time which keeps them relevant without ever losing the heart of these formats. They are also just fun, which we are all in need of at this time. We know from the record-breaking success of The Price Is Right, the world’s longest-running gameshow in TV history, which turns 70 this year, that nostalgia, simplicity and fun play-along are so important for the audience to feel familiarity and comfort. This year sees a number of big anniversaries for Fremantle formats—we’re marking 65 years of Password and 50 years of Family Feud.