Producers and distributors are putting innovative new twists on the perennially popular genre of game-show formats.<\/p>\n
Long before the days of reality TV, viewers were flocking to their television sets to go along for the ride on a real-life emotional roller coaster with game-show contestants. The dramatic highs and lows of watching a person win (and lose!) life-changing amounts of money or big-ticket prizes in the blink of an eye have proven to be quite the draw\u2014and the popularity of game shows has lasted through the decades. Some format distributors would even argue that they are more popular today than ever, as the genre has evolved with innovative hybrids, while others note that the appetite has been consistently strong for a long while.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s true that there\u2019s a cyclical nature to the TV business, but one of the genres that bucks that trend is game shows,\u201d says Chris O\u2019Dell, the head of global entertainment production at FremantleMedia. \u201cThere\u2019s always going to be a market for a good game show. They\u2019re very reliable, very robust.\u201d<\/p>\n
The FremantleMedia catalogue is home to a number of classic game-show formats, many of which are still on the air today despite having launched 30-plus years ago. With long-running series like Family Feud and The Price Is Right, there\u2019s a nostalgia value for the audience and established brand value for the broadcasters. FremantleMedia has kept these classics fresh over the years by making subtle tweaks, explains O\u2019Dell, while ensuring that the core gameplay remains intact.<\/p>\n
LAUGH TRACK
\n\u201cWhat we are finding is that these shows are actually really, really funny,\u201d he says. \u201cComedy has become a very important part of the game-show genre. I\u2019m not saying that Family Feud wasn\u2019t funny in the past, but now we produce the show to play to that strength.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the U.S., comedian Steve Harvey was brought in to host Family Feud, while the \u201960s classic Let\u2019s Make a Deal, also part of the FremantleMedia catalogue, was updated for CBS with funnyman Wayne Brady leading the action.<\/p>\n
Similarly, BBC Worldwide has seen its classic game show The Weakest Link get a comedic makeover recently, which is quite a departure from the original version. \u201cThe Weakest Link was always led by that sort of scary Anne Robinson character around the world, with women who looked a bit like dominatrices being incredibly rude to the contestants,\u201d explains Kate Phillips, the creative director of formats at BBC Worldwide. \u201cNow we\u2019re seeing a much more joyful, entertaining feel. The version of Weakest Link that was brought back in France has a male comedian as the host. It has a different tone. It\u2019s still about people voting off others who are the weakest link, but it is done in a much funnier way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Humor is also at the heart of one of BBC Worldwide\u2019s newest game-show launches, You\u2019re Back in the Room. The format features contestants who have all been hypnotized trying to work together to win money. Phillips says the format is \u201cfilled with belly laughs,\u201d and is one that the whole family can watch together. \u201cIt\u2019s what I call a 3G show, as in three generations of people\u2014kids, parents and grandparents\u2014can watch it and all find it very funny.\u201d<\/p>\n
FEELIN\u2019 GOOD
\nMike Beale, the executive VP of global development and formats at ITV Studios, agrees that game shows nowadays have a more family-friendly, positive feel. \u201cIt\u2019s like we\u2019ve gone backward to go forward,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re now more in the age of game shows from the \u201960s and \u201970s, where we want people to win and take home the prize. Ten years ago there were shows being developed where you wanted to see [contestants] fail. Viewers want to laugh now, and they want to watch a show with the family and not be worried that it\u2019s giving out mean messages or anything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
In step with this trend, ITV Studios has produced a second season of Keep It in the Family for ITV. The game show sees three generations of two families go head-to-head in a series of challenges featuring performances, celebrities and games. \u201cIt\u2019s a very positive show,\u201d says Beale. \u201cMost of all, it\u2019s just fun!\u201d<\/p>\n
Jane Dockery, the senior VP of international distribution for formats at Sony Pictures Television (SPT), says the requests she\u2019s received from broadcasters as of late are for game shows that are \u201cfun, lighthearted and family-skewing.\u201d<\/p>\n
She adds, \u201cComedy is a big thing, as is the physical aspect of game shows. We\u2019re launching a new format at MIPCOM called Can\u2019t Touch This. It taps into the success of the big physical game shows that we\u2019ve been seeing go around the globe recently, but with a new angle to it and lots of humor. It\u2019s cut for comedy and to really bring the family audience together.\u201d<\/p>\n
CLASSIC COMEBACKS
\nSPT\u2019s catalogue also contains the megahit Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which debuted nearly 20 years ago. Even though it\u2019s a more traditional question-and-answer-style proposition, Dockery says the format is still in high demand. \u201cIf you go to pitch a broadcaster a new Q&A game show, often they\u2019ll say, \u2018I\u2019m not looking for Q&A,\u2019 but they are still licensing Millionaire. They know they can get a solid audience from it.\u201d<\/p>\n
CBS Studios International also benefits from the reliability factor of its classic format hits Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy! and Hollywood Squares. \u201cOur game shows have a long track record of success, so broadcasters know what they\u2019re getting,\u201d says Paul Gilbert, senior VP of international formats. \u201cOne thing that a stripped game show does is that, if successful, it comes back time after time. Broadcasters don\u2019t necessarily want to take a chance on a new strip, and I understand why, so they go to the old standards, the ones that have a great track record\u2014Wheel, Jeopardy! and Squares being three of those shows.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the other end of the spectrum, Harry Gamsu, the VP of format acquisitions and sales at Red Arrow International, believes the days of conventional quiz shows may be behind us. \u201cPart of the popularity in game shows coming back is that the genre has absolutely evolved,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s become a lot more ambitious. No longer does the traditional game show\u2014contestants in a chair, lights go down, questions, money ladder\u2014cut it with viewers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gamsu says that even the definition of what is (and is not) a game show is increasingly fluid in the current marketplace, since there is a mashing of genres. \u201cThere are elements of reality within game shows, as well as comedy, talent and food,\u201d he notes.
\nAmong the Red Arrow International formats that demonstrate this melding of genres is Decimate. \u201cIt\u2019s a game show meets a talent show in the way it looks and feels,\u201d says Gamsu.<\/p>\n
While more traditional Q&A-type shows still hold their place in daytime or access prime slots, in prime time it\u2019s all about upping the action, according to Keren Shahar, the managing director of distribution at Keshet International. \u201cFor prime time, the feeling is that you need to go bigger,\u201d she says. \u201cNot just in terms of production value and budgets, but also in the gameplay. You need more action in the studio. That\u2019s why we\u2019re seeing an increasing number of shows that combine physical and mental challenges, like BOOM! We\u2019re moving away from the blue-background Millionaire days to more colorful, energetic series, with a lot of interaction in the studio and even humor. It almost becomes more of a variety show.\u201d<\/p>\n
PHYSICAL ATTRACTION
\nAt MIPCOM, Keshet International is showcasing the new game show Who\u2019s On Top, in which players stand on a moving platform that rises and falls depending on the contestants\u2019 answers. Shahar believes that the format\u2019s combination of physical elements and comedy is going to be a winning mix with buyers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to get a game show into prime time, everything needs to be much bigger,\u201d says Avi Armoza, the founder and CEO of Armoza Formats, which is home to such game-show hits as Still Standing and Babushka. \u201cThe set has to be bigger, the premise has to be bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Armoza has also taken notice of how technology is opening up new opportunities in the game-show genre to engage with the audience. \u201cThis is enabling the potential to develop exciting new shows or give new life to solid, returning brands,\u201d he says.
\nFor example, The People\u2019s Choice, developed by Armoza Formats in partnership with TF1, allows the entire country to participate in the game, thanks to its interactive structure.<\/p>\n
\u201cTechnology is a key element for game shows now,\u201d agrees Revital Basel, the VP of sales at Dori Media Group. \u201cIt allows for live integration of the audience, in studio and at home, interaction with viewers and the usage of apps.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dori Media Group represents the Studio Glam format 300 Sec. Ride, which features a specially designed \u201cTime Track\u201d moving platform that runs back and forth, from one side of the studio to the other. \u201cThe technology makes the show new, unique and innovative,\u201d says Basel.<\/p>\n
The Dori Media slate also includes Smart Face\u2014Lo Sabe, No Lo Sabe, which takes the quiz action out of the studio and onto the street. The company has licensed the format to more than 30 territories to date, including Germany, Portugal, Brazil and Indonesia.<\/p>\n
In addition to putting an innovative spin on the game-show genre, having an on-the-street setting eliminates the cost of building an expensive studio set. Another money-saving move is the use of centralized production hubs, which allow for multiple territories to share resources.<\/p>\n
MONEY TALKS
\nIndeed, one of the key benefits of game-show formats is affordability. \u201cGenerally speaking, the cost associated with game-show formats is cheaper than that of talent shows,\u201d says Ricardo Ehrsam, the general director of entertainment formats at Televisa Internacional, whose catalogue includes The Assembly Game and Generation Gap. \u201cWith a talent show, you may have the expense of celebrities or a huge studio, but with game shows, you can make them very interesting without spending that much money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ehrsam also notes how a good game show tends to be long running, turning it into a high-volume proposition. Being able to use the same set for a large number of episodes helps to further amortize costs.<\/p>\n
Also, as prizes are on the line, these series can provide plenty of opportunities to integrate sponsorships or product placement in an organic way, Ehrsam points out. \u201cGame shows are the perfect example of a format genre that could be sponsored by an advertiser. It depends on the territory, of course, [as there are different legal regulations], but sponsorships are an important way to get money from different sources.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of Keshet International\u2019s latest game shows, Trade Up, in which families compete to win a dream car, was devised from its inception with sponsorship in mind. Shahar explains that it was an attempt to bring in money from the automobile companies in Israel that have invested less and less of their advertising budgets in TV as of late. \u201cThat was a great opportunity for us to lure them back to our screens,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
While many distributors report seeing an appetite for game-show formats in nearly all territories globally, Shahar has noticed a recent uptick in demand from Latin America in particular. \u201cHistorically, game shows haven\u2019t been a popular genre in Latin America,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re probably not going to see pure quiz shows going on air there, but I\u2019m seeing game shows like BOOM!, Who\u2019s On Top and Trade Up, which are more colorful and lend themselves to a lot of interaction in the studio, becoming more and more popular in Latin America. This is great news for the industry. It opens up more slots.\u201d
\nFremantleMedia\u2019s O\u2019Dell reports solid interest for game shows in territories ranging from the U.S. to Australia. \u201cWe\u2019ve sold lots of game shows across Europe and, notably, the Eastern European territories have joined the party in recent years,\u201d he adds. \u201cWe have a very successful version of Family Feud playing in Croatia at the moment, for example. There\u2019s a market in Eastern Europe now for these types of shows that possibly wasn\u2019t there 15 or 20 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
BBC Worldwide\u2019s Phillips also points to Eastern Europe, as well as Central Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as territories that have been showing more interest in game shows\u2014in general for the types of shows that can churn out large episode counts at a lower price point.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a distributor like BBC Worldwide, you can\u2019t underestimate the importance of having low-cost, high-volume shows in your formats catalogue,\u201d Phillips says. \u201cThey\u2019re what I call sweet-spot shows. It means that when countries are buying them around the world and they\u2019re on a tight budget, they can record two, three, four episodes a day. They\u2019re pretty cost-effective to make and they can fill a schedule.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen again, if you wanted to, you could take those shows up to a much bigger, prime-time version,\u201d she continues. \u201cYou could add celebrity specials and spend more money on your set and lights and graphics to make them prime time. They become a one-size-fits-all proposition, and that\u2019s gold when you\u2019re selling formats.\u201d<\/p>\n
PRIMED FOR SUCCESS
\nRed Arrow International\u2019s Gamsu echoes the sentiment that flexibility in game-show formats is key. \u201cLong-running, high-volume quiz and game is very relevant, but you need to be able to scale it up for the bigger slots,\u201d he says. \u201cThe Lie and Decimate are two examples of formats that could work for both.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gamsu has seen more game shows making their way into prime time recently. \u201cPerhaps they haven\u2019t been there for a little while, but now with this mixture of reality and game, with these very big sets, it all creates a real buzz and draws an audience. This is helping them move back into prime time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe game itself has to be fun and engaging enough to capture a high number of viewers,\u201d he adds. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter how many bells and whistles you\u2019ve got in it\u2014the game has to be strong at its core.\u201d<\/p>\n
Increasingly, those bells and whistles include apps and other second-screen experiences. Game shows are, by their very design, interactive for at-home viewers, who can guess along with the studio contestants. So, are digital add-ons a vital evolution or an unnecessary distraction in this case?<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, interactivity is a double-edged sword,\u201d says ITV Studios\u2019 Beale. \u201cIf you\u2019re watching a quiz show, you will shout out the answer if you know it. You don\u2019t need an app to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He adds, \u201cWe strongly believe that the interactivity does have to enhance either the viewers\u2019 appreciation of the show or the show itself. It\u2019s got to offer the viewers something more than they would get from just watching a show in a normal way.\u201d<\/p>\n
SECOND SCREENS
\n\u201cWe are still in the initial stages of interactivity with game shows,\u201d says Armoza, noting that channels are experimenting with the technology that allows for audience engagement. \u201cI am sure that the demand will grow, and also we will see more game shows that will bring in the live interactive element.\u201d<\/p>\n
Armoza emphasizes the idea that game shows, if broadcast live, hold much promise in creating appointment viewing, which is harder and harder to do in today\u2019s on-demand media environment. Creating this sort of live TV event requires broadcasters to make a larger investment and take a bigger risk, but Armoza believes that the reward could be worth it. \u201cThere will be some failures,\u201d he states, \u201cbut eventually there will be a few hits that will change the reality of live game shows, and we will start to see more of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Be it large-scale, live events for prime time or cost-effective, high-volume series for access prime, game shows have proven their value as a staple in the TV landscape. It remains to be seen whether or not interactivity can transform the genre into something entirely new and innovative, but the format industry is certainly keeping a close eye on it.
\n\u201cEverybody is looking for the next big show; nobody is making any secret about that,\u201d says Beale. \u201cTrust me, as creators we\u2019re obviously looking for it. In the meantime, there\u2019s a very good tranche of solid, fun entertainment and game shows out there that are traveling.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Producers and distributors are putting innovative new twists on the perennially popular genre of game-show formats. Long before the days of reality TV, viewers were flocking to their television sets to go along for the ride on a real-life emotional roller coaster with game-show contestants. The dramatic highs and lows of watching a person win …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":350,"featured_media":4684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[134],"class_list":["post-4683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-features","tag-game-shows","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n