{"id":10229,"date":"2024-01-15T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2024-01-15T14:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev2.worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/game-time-trends-in-game-shows\/"},"modified":"2024-01-19T12:19:11","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T17:19:11","slug":"game-time-trends-in-game-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/game-time-trends-in-game-shows\/","title":{"rendered":"Game Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leading distributors offer up their perspectives on how to win in the competitive game-show formats space.<\/em><\/p>\n

Game shows never go out of style, but making an impact with one amid a sea of options\u2014from the long-running juggernauts to vintage classics being dusted off for a new era to brand-new spins that are tapping into technological advancements to make at-home viewers feel like they are competitors\u2014has never been more challenging.<\/p>\n

The good news is that demand is surging; the strikes in Hollywood left a lot of gaps in broadcast network fall schedules, so there are several game shows in U.S. prime time again. And the appetite in the rest of the world shows no sign of diminishing.<\/p>\n

\u201cGame shows are always in the forefront and always will be,\u201d says Paul Gilbert, senior VP of formats at Paramount Global Content Distribution. \u201cThey are less expensive than other forms of programming, and the return can be high. Low cost and high ratings\u2014it doesn\u2019t get any better than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I speak to clients around the world, there\u2019s always a feeling that viewers come to game shows,\u201d adds Andre Renaud, senior VP of global format sales at BBC Studios. \u201cRegardless of what\u2019s happening around the world, I don\u2019t see any waning of game shows happening anytime soon in markets where there is already an appetite for them. I am starting to see that markets that don\u2019t necessarily have a traditional appetite for game shows are also considering them. You can film three or four of these in a day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom Miyauchi, head of formats at Nippon TV\u2019s global business unit, is of a similar perspective, noting: \u201cOur view is that game-show formats are expected to remain resilient during budget constraints and uncertainties in the market due to their cost-effectiveness and trusted outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Global Agency is feeling especially bullish about the U.S. at present, looking to land local commissions on\u00a0The Married Game<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Match the Family<\/em>, according to Izzet Pinto, founder and CEO. \u201cThere is a great interest in unscripted from the U.S.,\u201d Pinto observes. \u201cIn the next six to 12 months, we will see many formats on the screen.\u201d<\/p>\n

The slowdown of scripted, in the U.S. and elsewhere, is goosing demand for game-show formats, concurs Sophie Ferron, co-principal at GRB Media Ranch, the distribution joint venture between GRB Studios and format specialist Media Ranch. \u201cHowever, game shows usually have hosts\u2014 who [were not] able to perform\u201d due to the U.S. actors\u2019 strike. \u201cAnd game shows take a lot of development and expertise to get right. I foresee perhaps a small bump in what we\u2019ll see out there\u2014but not a huge shift.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for how to craft the perfect game show, Renaud highlights the importance of having a simple premise that can be easily understood, questions and topics that can be easily localized, and, he says, \u201cmake it as visual as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferron also stresses the importance of \u201csolid, simple gameplay,\u201d noting, \u201cIf it has that, it is scalable. And relatability and playability. We all want to spell the word on\u00a0Wheel of Fortune<\/em>. We all want to guess the song on\u00a0Beat Shazam<\/em>. We all want to know if our answers fall in line with the top 100 on\u00a0Family Feud<\/em>\u00a0and to ask what that says about us. Our show\u00a0Watch!<\/em>\u00a0plays on the fact that no matter how enthralling a performance is, we all see things differently, and it\u2019s difficult to remember and describe reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

All3Media International is promising easy adaptability for\u00a0Catch Phrase<\/em>, the prime-time game show created by Pasetta Productions and Steven Radosh. \u201cEvery country has its own iconic catchphrases, and this beloved prime-time hit holds endless global appeal,\u201d says Nick Smith, executive VP of formats at the company.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, BBC Studios\u2019\u00a0The 1% Club<\/em>, a key highlight for MIPCOM, \u201cis not about what you know; it\u2019s just about what you see,\u201d Renaud says.<\/p>\n

At Nippon TV, Miyauchi distills the essence of a good game-show format down to three core pillars: universal appeal, scalability and audience engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, universal appeal is the key\u2014a strong, relatable concept, touching wider audiences while avoiding any cultural references that may be specific to a country or territory,\u201d he says. Alongside that, he notes, is the need to establish \u201cclear and concise rules and structure for the format to keep consistency and make it easy to replicate across multiple markets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miyauchi explains that scalability is paramount for accommodating different budget levels, and audience interactivity is more important than ever. \u201cBy incorporating elements such as guessing and voting that allow for audience participation, it builds a sense of community and engagement around the format.\u201d<\/p>\n

ARMCHAIR VICTORS<\/strong>
\nIndeed, in surveying leading format sales executives about what\u2019s transforming the game-show sector, it turns out that \u201cinteractivity,\u201d while not a new concept, is essential for a successful game-show format today.<\/p>\n

BBC Studios is rolling out a play-along app for\u00a0The 1%\u00a0Club<\/em>, a fairly new game-show format that is becoming a significant hit for the company. \u201cThe success of\u00a0The 1% Club\u00a0<\/em>keeps growing for us and for Magnum Media,\u201d Renaud explains. \u201cWe\u2019re on air in seven countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Home play-along is also central to All3Media International\u2019s brand-new\u00a0Picture Slam<\/em>, which hails from Objective Media\u2019s Triple Brew. \u201cEasy to play, hard to win,\u201d says Smith. \u201cThis is the game where you need to know something about everything. Now more than ever, we are bombarded with pictures and images, making this addictive new prime-time quiz timely. Easy to play along at home, it will have viewers hooked to the TV and laughing from start to finish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Global Agency\u2019s Pinto observes: \u201cIt\u2019s very important to make formats more interactive right now. For example, a board game is on sale for\u00a0Joker<\/em>, and we are working on designing a live app for\u00a0Match the Family<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

GRB Media Ranch\u2019s Ferron has also witnessed new approaches to technology in game-show formats and points to an emerging interest in hybrids. \u201cFor example, our paper format\u00a0Watch!<\/em>\u00a0is a hybrid between variety and quiz; proven format\u00a0Round Table<\/em>\u00a0is singing meets game strategy; and our Horsepower incubator-made paper format\u00a0House Party<\/em>, which is based on the hit game\u00a0Just Dance<\/em>, uses state-of-the-art tech developed by Ubisoft to ensure that the TV version has the gameplay recognized by fans of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

BBC Studios\u2019 Renaud also points to the fusing of genres in game-show formats and is of the perspective that \u201cphysicality is back, but not necessarily in the way we might think. It\u2019s not necessarily physical game shows but something with movement. While budgets are tight, we\u2019re seeing something else come through: game shows that are not stationary.\u00a0Moneybags<\/em>\u00a0is an example\u2014they\u2019re physically picking up things as they go.\u00a0Breaking Point<\/em>, which we had on RTL in Germany, where you\u2019re waiting to see what the breaking point of something is, also has a lot of physicality. And the game within a game, a hybrid with reality, is also picking up interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nippon TV, too, is plugging hybrids like\u00a0Suspects on the Set<\/em>. \u201cThe murder mystery game show incorporates elements of scripted drama to heighten the thrill and create unique and engaging experiences across audiences from both genres,\u201d Miyauchi says. \u201cAlso, there is sometimes \u2018gamification\u2019 in game shows, taking inspiration from video games by incorporating elements such as leveling up, earning life points and clues to unlock stages. Our best example in this genre is\u00a0Time Potion<\/em>, a high-concept game show where time is the ultimate ruler and time potion is used as an item to recover time.\u201d<\/p>\n

FRESH FACTOR<\/strong>
\nInteractivity and hybrid elements are helping to inject new life into veteran game-show brands, with innovation required season after season to keep audiences engaged.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe work with the right partners as a distributor,\u201d says Global Agency\u2019s Pinto on maintaining the success of a game-show brand. \u201cThe local producers in each country are adding new elements or twists to keep the format fresh. As long as the format goes well, every season is better than the previous one, as their budgets increase. That\u2019s why many of our formats have been on air for about ten years, bringing new versions around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

GRB Media Ranch\u2019s Ferron stresses the need to \u201cbalance familiarity with freshness. There is a reason people watch, say,\u00a0Family Feud<\/em>. We get it, and it has a feeling of nostalgia and comfort. However, it also innovates in terms of the style of questions, the tone, the type of families, enhancing the set, etc. Also, new challenges and twists that feel authentic to the show are important to bring into the mix every so often.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking for a fresh take is especially important when trying to resurrect a classic game-show brand, observes Renaud: \u201cPeople are looking for authenticity and truth in storytelling. That also can go through into a great game show. If I look at\u00a0Friends Like These<\/em>, does it have to be gendered groups now? Can it be colleagues? Can it be things that make it a bit more modern and inclusive? If you look at\u00a0The Weakest Link<\/em>, the people hosting it now are true comedians. There\u2019s a wink and nudge that makes it feel more inclusive, warmer and less combative.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, choosing the right host is key to a game show\u2019s success, Renaud says. \u201cWe spend a lot of time on the role of a host in a particular game show. Are they on your side? Are they your enemy? Are they there to create a sense of fun? That\u2019s crucial in finding the talent to allow that to happen and create the atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s equally important to choose the right contestants, and that differs depending on the nature of the show, according to Paramount\u2019s Gilbert. \u201cJeopardy!<\/em>\u00a0is a very intellectual show that requires very smart contestants.\u00a0Wheel of Fortune<\/em>, on the other hand, looks for contestants who are outgoing and can solve the puzzles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe work with the best casting directors in each country,\u201d says Pinto at Global Agency. \u201cWe discover colorful characters for TV, and those characters even go viral on TV.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nippon TV is bringing\u00a0Masquerade<\/em>\u00a0back to Japanese viewers for the first time since the pandemic, with a special 99th episode planned for the show, which has been on the air since 1979. \u201cOne major point when we plan the show lies in the detailed meetings with the contestants so that the performances will be stronger and the talents are diverse, ensuring that the viewers\u2019 experiences are more engaging than ever,\u201d Miyauchi explains. \u201cIt is very difficult to \u2018better\u2019 the show each time, but our dedication casts a good vibe to the contestants and creates miraculous performances, leading to great results in ratings and views.\u201d<\/p>\n

GRB Media Ranch\u2019s Ferron distills her approach to casting game shows down to three words: \u201cExcited, entertaining, confident. We want to feel excited to get the correct price on\u00a0The Price Is Right<\/em>\u00a0and feel that rush and jubilation of the contestant while laughing with their over-the-topness.\u201d<\/p>\n

TIME WARS<\/strong>
\nPerhaps the biggest selling point of game-show formats is their versatility; the best can be easily adapted to any budget level and time slot.<\/p>\n

\u201cA good format has to be scalable,\u201d says Renaud at BBC Studios. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about elements that satisfy a daytime viewer and budget versus a prime-time viewer and budget. You\u2019re possibly looking at games that can be played across the week in a daily strip instead of high-stakes stand-alone. The tone is usually lighter for daytime, and there\u2019s quite a lot more tension in prime time. Let\u2019s remember that game shows have transitioned from daytime to prime time and can have those versions, and you see what scales up.\u00a0The Weakest Link<\/em>\u00a0in the U.K. at the moment is in access. An excellent format is always scalable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paramount\u2019s Gilbert has a similar opinion, noting, \u201cIt\u2019s possible to take most any access game show and make it look prime time by making the set bigger and flashy. Referring to\u00a0Wheel of Fortune<\/em>, in the U.S., the daily version also plays in prime time. The prime-time version is 60 minutes versus 30 minutes for the daily show, and the prize money is more.\u201d<\/p>\n

A studio set can be scaled up to accommodate a prime-time slot, Pinto notes. \u201cNaturally, in this way, a shiny-floor project emerges for prime time. Bigger productions come out due to having a big budget. We run the business with one celebrity in smaller studios for daily access formats. But, since daily formats are aired five times a week, they are even more significant than prime time in the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would say that daytime and access prime are more familiar and comfortable,\u201d observes Ferron at GRB Media Ranch. \u201cLess focus is needed, and it\u2019s more about the zaniness of the contestants. Prime time has higher stakes, more tech, bigger budgets, more celebrities and drama.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the genre has long been best suited to linear viewing, Renaud doesn\u2019t count out game shows in the streaming space.<\/p>\n

\u201cStreamers will continue to try all genres to capture the audience,\u201d he says. \u201cEven if you look at how streamers were exploring reality as a genre to begin with and how we all thought perhaps that wouldn\u2019t be something that would work, they continue to test the models. The insight and the data streamers have means they can drill down into what viewers enjoy when they\u2019re watching something. There\u2019s a way of differentiating that streamers will probably continue working on. I don\u2019t think they\u2019ll walk away from it\u2014especially streamers with linear channels that can stream across all their platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trends in game shows.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":10230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,69],"tags":[157,2037,1337,101,3535,188,532,314,2647,2236,1501,2263],"class_list":["post-10229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-features","category-top-stories","tag-all3media-international","tag-andre-renaud","tag-bbc-studios","tag-global-agency","tag-grb-media-ranch","tag-izzet-pinto","tag-nick-smith","tag-nippon-tv","tag-paramount-global-content-distribution","tag-paul-gilbert","tag-sophie-ferron","tag-tom-miyauchi","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nGame Time - TVFORMATS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/game-time-trends-in-game-shows\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Game Time - TVFORMATS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Trends in game shows.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/game-time-trends-in-game-shows\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVFORMATS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-15T14:00:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-19T17:19:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/07\/SuspectsSet_NipponTV.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"395\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mansha Daswani\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/game-time-trends-in-game-shows\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/game-time-trends-in-game-shows\/\",\"name\":\"Game Time - TVFORMATS\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-15T14:00:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-19T17:19:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/game-time-trends-in-game-shows\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/game-time-trends-in-game-shows\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/game-time-trends-in-game-shows\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Game Time\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/\",\"name\":\"TVFORMATS\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/#\/schema\/person\/83da304c8bad8bfdb3edd7eb47cfe5ad\",\"name\":\"Mansha Daswani\",\"description\":\"Mansha Daswani is the editor-in-chief and associate publisher of World Screen. 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