With budget restrictions, fragmented audiences, declining linear viewership and a host of other challenges, the TV market can be a tough place for buyers and sellers right now. But \u201cformats offer something invaluable in today\u2019s unpredictable landscape: security and scale,\u201d says Rose Hughes, senior VP of format sales at BBC Studios. Formats \u201ccome with global expertise, brand recognition and a set of tried-and-tested beats that reduce risk. Every broadcaster is facing the same challenges, and formats provide a roadmap through those pain points.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve never been in a time when risk wasn\u2019t<\/em> a factor in content decisions,\u201d notes ITV Studios alum Pascal Dalton, founder of Shimmer Media. \u201cThe reality is that the nature<\/em> of the risk is what has changed. Commissioners are under immense pressure due to several market complexities.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCaution certainly stems from the current global economic situation,\u201d he continues. \u201cThe accelerating consolidation\u2014the bigger deals across studios and broadcasters\u2014can naturally put a temporary pause on major commissioning decisions. This flux, combined with global geopolitical situations, contributes to the overall difficulty, and, perhaps, to increased production costs. I wouldn\u2019t necessarily label buyers as simply \u2018risk-averse\u2019 but rather \u2018cautionary\u2019 and highly focused on de-risking their investments.\u201d<\/p>\n While known IP has immense power in today\u2019s market, providing safe, proven shows, it is still possible for newer formats to break through. It just takes a little creativity.<\/p>\n \u201cThe challenge lies in the inherent paradox of the market: commissioners need new content, but it\u2019s much easier for them to de-risk a commission by acquiring a format that has already traveled to 15 countries versus betting on a completely new idea,\u201d Dalton says. \u201cHowever, the industry is finding ways to support these incredibly good new ideas. One is risk sharing. We are seeing more creative deals in which the risk is shared more equally between the producer and the broadcasters. The commissioning component has become more complex, but this partnership approach helps inventive new formats get a foothold.\u201d<\/p>\n Dori Media Group has crafted a method doing just that: \u201cWe now offer 10 percent of the IP to the initial producers we work with,\u201d explains Nadav Palti, CEO and founder. \u201cWe say, \u2018If this format is a worldwide success, you will get 10 percent of what we sell around the world.\u2019 So, the one that will be the first to air the format, taking the risk, will get the IP.\u201d<\/p>\n Izzet Pinto, CEO of Global Agency, adds, \u201cIt\u2019s all about one country picking up the paper format. If it\u2019s a success, then it travels the world. We have always believed in paper formats and will continue believing in ideas, because everything starts with an idea. When you look at the big formats today, [they all started] as an idea, then someone believed in it and either shot a pilot or commissioned it. People forget that everything starts as paper.\u201d<\/p>\n In order to find success with a fresh format, you must not be afraid to represent ideas that have not been seen on-screen before or those that address shocking topics, says Nick Tanner, director of sales and co-productions at Passion Distribution.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of our current shows that best represents this is a format called Virgin Island<\/em>,\u201d Tanner says. \u201cIts premise is to explore the increase in young people who have intimacy issues. The approach of the show is to address the phenomenon head-on by putting the cast through a course of controversial therapeutic techniques. Our formats and series are always vibrant and eye-catching while delivering on quality. There should be substance and a point of difference.\u201d<\/p>\n Virgin Island<\/em> was renewed for a second season by Channel 4 after it smashed streaming records for the company, becoming its biggest new unscripted series to launch for 16- to 34-year-olds.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat gives me great comfort and encouragement is the success of genuinely new IP that is cutting through,\u201d Dalton says. \u201cSeeing these new shows [find success and] travel validates the appetite for fresh, inventive content.\u201d<\/p>\n It is important to not be afraid to take a chance on something. At Global Agency, each new idea is voted on by Pinto, the company\u2019s head of acquisitions and six sales team members. \u201cWhen six out of eight people believe in a project, I think it has a chance,\u201d Pinto says. \u201cThen we take on representation of the format and do our best to license it around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n He offers as an example Shopping Monsters<\/em>, in which five women go shopping with a budget and score each other. \u201cIt\u2019s a very fun format,\u201d he says. \u201cHowever, when I first watched it, I didn\u2019t like it at all. But, I thought, \u2018We have a democratic team, so I should ask them.\u2019 The majority of the team loved it! So, we took on representation, and it has been our best-selling format ever: in Germany, 3,000 episodes; in France, 2,000 episodes. That\u2019s how we do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Offering support for buyers after they have commissioned a format is imperative. Sabrina Duguet, executive VP for the Asia-Pacific region at All3Media International, notes, \u201cI\u2019ve always said to my team: How can we bring more value to the client at a time when everybody\u2014producers, broadcasters, platforms\u2014is facing challenges? Our duty is not just to bring a good idea, but to support them through the [adaptation] process with knowledge about the type of marketing, funding, sponsors and collaborations that have taken place in other countries.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also help during production,\u201d she continues. \u201cTake The Traitors<\/em> and the 35-plus versions we\u2019ve worked on; that comes with a huge amount of knowledge: the creative, the execution of the production, the editing, the marketing and the licensing. We don\u2019t just bring a show; we bring a brand.\u201d<\/p>\n BBC Studios\u2019 Hughes concurs: \u201cFor us, selling a format is just the beginning of the relationship. We\u2019re deeply committed to helping partners make the best possible version of a show for their audience. That means dedicated commercial teams to craft brand partnerships and live-event strategies, and flying producers who provide hands-on and remote support for everything from editorial decisions to production challenges. We host creative exchanges for our biggest brands where ideas and challenges are shared across our networks. Our teams know these brands inside out and care passionately about their success.\u201d<\/p>\n It is the same at Passion Distribution. \u201cEvery format receives bespoke attention tailored to individual markets, and we don\u2019t have a \u2018back catalog\u2019 of formats, so to speak; all<\/em> IP is valuable,\u201d Tanner says.<\/p>\n Ultimately, \u201cthe future success of the format market hinges on finding new mechanisms, perhaps involving more deals to appropriately share the risk, which will secure and support the next generation of inventive content that will truly attract audiences,\u201d Shimmer Media\u2019s Dalton adds.<\/p>\n And perhaps the most important part of the entire process is remaining (or rather, trying<\/em> to remain) flexible and positive. \u201cYou can\u2019t get anywhere with negativity,\u201d Pinto says. \u201cYou have to deliver your best, and then if it doesn\u2019t work, you have to say, \u2018OK, next.\u2019 Don\u2019t cry about it. Just do your best. If it doesn\u2019t work, keep on creating. That\u2019s what we always do. I love my job. I feel so lucky that I am in the entertainment business. There is no other business in the world that is more exciting than this!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A range of distributors tell World Screen Newsflash about the opportunities for fresh ideas in a risk-averse environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,69],"tags":[1337,143,101,188,826,1731,1025,182,4126,4164],"class_list":["post-15542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-features","category-top-stories","tag-bbc-studios","tag-dori-media-group","tag-global-agency","tag-izzet-pinto","tag-nadav-palti","tag-nick-tanner","tag-pascal-dalton","tag-passion-distribution","tag-rose-hughes","tag-shimmer-media","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n