MIPTV: The Week in Formats

Dating formats and feel-good studio entertainment dominated the formats news at MIPTV, with boundary-pushing social experiments also making a comeback as broadcasters and streamers alike look for ways to cut through the clutter.

Before the market kicked off in Cannes, ITV revealed it had commissioned a second season of Starstruck, the Banijay Rights format in which music acts impersonate their favorite stars. Katie Rawcliffe, head of entertainment commissioning at ITV, called the show a “brilliant addition to our sparkling Saturday night schedule, with its stellar panel, stunning transformations and standout vocals.”

Also in the entertainment competition space, Global Agency’s Beat Me If You Can scored a second season in Saudi Arabia.

Game shows continue to be sought after by broadcasters, especially those that provide a new twist on the well-worn genre. BBC Studios’ The 1% Club, which tests intelligence in a scientific survey, is to be adapted by RTL Netherlands after having previously been acquired in France and Israel. André Renaud, senior VP of global format sales at BBC Studios, commented, “It’s a testament to the format that, in a little over a year, The 1% Club has had three international versions confirmed before the original series has even hit screens in the U.K. It speaks volumes when a unique, family-oriented and highly entertaining format like this receives such prominence in a crowded formats market.”

BBC Studios also landed deals on the competition format The Great Sewing Bee and the guessing game This is MY House with Discovery in Italy. “Audience demand for feel-good entertainment series continues apace,” Renaud commented.

LEONINE Studios was also showcasing a variety of prime-time family entertainment brands at the market, among them Small Vs. Tall, optioned by Finland’s Aito Media and Spain’s Boomerang TV; and They Have No Idea What Will Happen, licensed by Boomerang TV and France’s Mediawan.

Red Arrow Studios International used MIPTV to announce its first raft of deals on the new social-experiment format My New Mystery Job. It has been sold to CPL Productions for the U.K., Redseven Entertainment for Germany, Satisfaction Group for France, Pesci Combattenti for Italy and Monday Productions for Norway. Tim Gerhartz, president and managing director at Red Arrow Studios International, commented, “Research shows that a significant number of people are unhappy in their jobs and are looking to make life-changing career decisions, so the format taps into the zeitgeist perfectly. It’s a truly on-trend concept that is ideal for broadcasters around the world who are looking for the next reality hit to boost and differentiate their schedules.”

In a different kind of reality experiment, Armoza Formats’ The Frame features eight couples who have the living space in their own homes reduced to one fixed camera frame and one rule: they cannot under any circumstances leave the frame. It landed a deal in the Czech Republic with Bedna Films.

While commissioners are willing to take chances on new concepts, the well-known formats continue to travel, among them World of Wonder’s Drag Race, which is now headed to Sweden on SVT in a deal brokered by Passion Distribution. The format has now been adapted in more than ten markets. Abu Dhabi Media has ordered a second season of The Selfie Challenge, distributed by Dori Media Group (DMG). “The show is great fun and highly relevant in today’s social media-driven world of viral videos and trending content,” said Nadav Palti, CEO and president of DMG.

The Québec-originated Love Bugs, meanwhile, is headed for its 25th version, with Distributions Avanti Ciné Vidéo scoring a deal for the scripted-comedy format in Slovakia. Also in the scripted-formats space, BBC Studios announced yet another deal on its acclaimed drama Doctor Foster, which is now being remade for Disney+ Hotstar in Indonesia.

With a pavilion on site in Cannes, KOCCA was eager to tout South Korea’s prowess in developing new entertainment formats; and the global community is certainly paying attention. Banijay inked a multi-territory deal with CJ ENM for the relationship format EXchange and acquired multi-territory format rights to MBC’s Bloody Game. WeMake, meanwhile, signed a first-look deal to produce formats from South Korea’s CJ ENM in France.

The week also saw Japan’s Nippon TV announce that it is working with Turkey’s Sera Film to co-develop a new unscripted format to be rolled out globally, combining Turkish storytelling with Japanese game shows.

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