Format IP owners in Cannes last week were firmly focused on showcasing low-cost, flexible solutions for cash-strapped broadcasters and platforms seeking broad, four-quadrant entertainment options. And game shows and quizzes dominated the news coming out of the market.<\/p>\n
Indeed, BBC Studios hosted an entire\u00a0event to tout its assortment of new and returning game shows<\/a>, where Sumi Connock, creative director of formats, highlighted the importance of the genre to broadcasters\u2019 schedules. \u201cIt\u2019s the most-adapted format genre ever,\u201d she said, \u201cwith the top three most-adapted formats of all time coming from game show. We\u2019ve seen significant growth over the past 12 months. In 2023, a quarter of new format adaptations were game shows. This year, that number has grown to a third. To date, five of the six top traveling formats are all game shows, including our own\u00a0The 1% Club<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Kate Phillips, director of unscripted at the BBC, added, \u201cTV is going through a tough time. Quiz and games, first of all, are cost-effective. We can record four or five episodes a day. You could literally record a series in two days if you wanted to. Also, it gives you a bit of certainty: They are your blocks in the schedule, and you know the audience you\u2019re aiming at. Particularly with daytime, it can be a habit-forming thing. In these uncertain times, quiz and game give certainty.\u201d<\/p>\n Last week also saw BBC Studios secure its first international license for the game-show format\u00a0In With a Shout<\/em><\/a>\u00a0with W9 in France<\/a>.<\/p>\n There were several games and quizzes on offer in the well-attended\u00a0Treasure Box Japan event<\/a>\u00a0presented by Broadcast Program Export Association of Japan (BEAJ)\u2019s Makito Sugiyama and The WIT\u2019s Virginia Mouseler, with commentary from Empire of Arkadia\u2019s Fotini Paraskakis and Small World\u2019s Tim Crescenti.<\/p>\n Japanese creativity was also on display on the main stage of the Grand Auditorium last week as\u00a0James Farrell, head of international originals at Amazon MGM Studios, and Akihiko Okamoto, president and representative director of Japanese content powerhouse Yoshimoto Kogyo<\/a>, discussed their long-standing partnership that resulted in the global hit\u00a0LOL\u2014Last One Laughing<\/em>. Okamoto, speaking via translator Matthew Ireton, noted, \u201cWhen I heard that Amazon was launching in Japan, we thought it was a great opportunity to make something for the world. With that in mind, [we] created this show.\u201d<\/p>\n The format is \u201cheavily\u201d adapted for each market, Farrell explained. The French and Italian editions, for example, play to a four-quadrant audience, while the upcoming U.K. edition \u201cis more potty humor,\u201d he said, while \u201cin Mexico and Colombia, it skews more edgy. But it\u2019s the number one show in pretty much all those places because it does adapt itself to the local sense of humor.\u201d<\/p>\n Another format that has proven its strong ability to play to multiple markets over the last few years is All3Media International\u2019s megahit\u00a0The Traitors<\/em><\/a>, which is now headed to South Korea<\/a>\u00a0in a deal with Luyworks Media and Something Special. Other game shows that made news last week included\u00a0Mattel\u2019s\u00a0<\/a>Pictionary<\/em><\/a>, with Whisper North making a version for ITV in the U.K.<\/a><\/p>\n It was also a good week for factual entertainment and lifestyle formats.\u00a0Global Agency, with a lavish event in St. Tropez, lifted the lid on\u00a0<\/a>Celebrity Dreams<\/em><\/a>, in which famous people reveal hidden aspirations to be an actor, singer or artist or meet someone influential from their past.\u00a0S<\/a>park Media Partners and Cineflix Rights inked their first format deal for the\u00a0<\/a>Ch\u00e2teau DIY<\/em><\/a>\u00a0brand<\/a>, bringing the show to Australia with a local treatment. The Canadian version of\u00a0Old Enough!<\/em><\/a>, co-produced by TVO and Blue Ant Studios and based on the Japanese format from Nippon TV<\/a>, was renewed. And\u00a0Studio Lambert\u2019s\u00a0<\/a>Buy It Now<\/em><\/a>\u00a0is to be adapted in India<\/a>\u00a0by Rose Audio Visuals.<\/p>\n As the week came to a close, K7 Media\u2019s latest\u00a0Tracking the Giants: The Top 100 Travelling Scripted Formats<\/em><\/a>\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0highlighted the latest developments in that space. With exclusive new data covering January 2023 to June 2024, the report found that BBC Studios\u2019\u00a0Doctor Foster<\/em>\u00a0leads the charge in scripted formats, having recently traveled with five new adaptations across Japan, Thailand, Germany, Slovakia and the Middle East.\u00a0Next up for that format is Greece<\/a>, which is also set to see its own version of the comedy format\u00a0Ghosts.\u00a0<\/em>Meanwhile, NBCUniversal\u2019s classic drama\u00a0Monk<\/em><\/a>\u00a0is on its way to India<\/a>\u00a0with a version being prepped for Disney+ Hotstar.<\/p>\n