Orange Smarty’s Karen Young

Words such as “high volume,” “cost-effective” and “buzzworthy” frequently pop up when discussing the types of formats most in demand in today’s marketplace. Karen Young, founder and CEO of Orange Smarty, adds to that an ability to push boundaries and cultivate loyal audiences. She tells TV Formats about what it takes to break through in the current landscape.

TV FORMATS: What’s your view of the unscripted entertainment landscape at the moment?
YOUNG: With economic conditions continuing to put a squeeze on budgets, there has been a definite increased interest in unscripted formats. Producers are looking to acquire those that can be produced in volume, remain cost-effective but still deliver a high-quality viewing experience. It’s also increasingly important to have programming that can not only compete on linear but also create buzzworthy online moments that push people to the catch-up services. Formats such as Scarlett’s Driving School, a ten-part series for BBC One that looks to help struggling learner drivers and the loved ones trying to teach them, went viral on TikTok, contributing to an above-average iPlayer input in the consolidated figures.

TV FORMATS: What types of formats are working best?
YOUNG: Content that brings a united brand that people can automatically know what they are signing up to. Programming that creates loyalty so that audiences come back for more. Content that brings incredible access or a new angle that pushes boundaries. Our new consumer health format Dr. Xand’s Con or Cure, a ten-part series for BBC One exposing poor practice and phony treatments in the world of medicine, works well in this area, exploring the important theme of fact or fiction, drumming home that you can’t always believe what you read on the internet.

TV FORMATS: How risk-averse are broadcasters at present?
YOUNG: With advertising spend being squeezed, the appetite for big risks is limited; equally, everyone is asking for the next best thing. It’s a holding pattern until someone makes the first move. Being able to mitigate the risk with a proven track record of ratings, marketing and social media activity helps lighten the load.

Factual formats offer content that becomes more observational and immersive; you feel more involved because you recognize real life in what you are seeing. This offers great opportunities for offscreen engagement and a way of creating celebrity for future content.

TV FORMATS: What must a new concept have in order to break through?
YOUNG: Returnable, relatable and ratings-driven formats are the key.

TV FORMATS: Are you noticing an uptick in recommissions for what’s already proving to work?
YOUNG: If the format can prove itself, then a recommission is a natural extension of this success.

TV FORMATS: Where do you see the greatest opportunities in the formats market as you look at the year ahead?
YOUNG: Big entertainment formats are established, and breaking through this market is expensive and risky. Therefore, factual formats that can be grown in a home territory and sold as a finished product and format internationally are highly appealing. Despite mergers and budget cuts across most of the big platforms, AVOD and SVOD are still exciting markets for factual formats.