{"id":4821,"date":"2016-03-23T15:49:48","date_gmt":"2016-03-23T19:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/dating-formats\/"},"modified":"2016-03-23T15:59:07","modified_gmt":"2016-03-23T19:59:07","slug":"love-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/love-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"Love Rules"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Kiss-Bang-Love\"<\/a>Kristin Brzoznowski explores the latest trends in formats focused on dating, love and marriage.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks to the sweeping popularity of matchmaking websites and dating apps, \u00e0 la eHarmony and Tinder, the start of a meaningful long-term relationship (or brief romantic rendezvous) is now just a click or swipe away. The widespread acceptance of this so-called digital dating has stirred up a renewed interest in TV programming focused on all aspects of courtship, from first meetings to marriages to fanning old flames.<\/p>\n

The new series in this genre that are generating the most buzz globally differ greatly from the Love Connection<\/em>s and Dating Game<\/em>s of years past. Rather than featuring quizzes or competitions, many of the dating-focused formats selling well in the marketplace are observational in nature. They provide a fly-on-the-wall view or even veer into the social-experiment space, rooted firmly in reality.<\/p>\n

REAL ROMANCE<\/strong>
\n\u201cCapturing the authenticity of dating is the trend nowadays,\u201d says Mike Beale, the executive VP of global development and formats at ITV Studios. \u201cIt\u2019s not about three people sitting on a stool answering questions. It\u2019s about trying to capture real life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beale points to Love Island<\/em>, which spotlights singles sequestered in an exotic locale, as a good example of where the genre has headed. \u201cIt\u2019s in a manufactured environment, but you create a microcosm for young people and force dating on them to see what happens and capture what goes on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beale says that more and more channels in a diverse range of territories want \u201cauthenticity and a softer hand of the producer\u201d in the formats they\u2019re commissioning, hence why social experiments have been in high demand. \u201cWe want to create the environment but then we want to let the guinea pigs out to see what happens in it, rather than be steering it and constantly throwing in bombs during production.\u201d<\/p>\n

The success of the social-experiment format Married at First Sight <\/em>is testament to the power of authenticity in relationship-focused shows. Red Arrow International has licensed the series for 24 local versions since launching it just two years ago. The format has been recommissioned everywhere it\u2019s gone on air.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarried at First Sight <\/em>was definitely a trendsetter and a game changer,\u201d says Harry Gamsu, the VP of format acquisitions and sales at Red Arrow International. \u201cWhat\u2019s interesting about it is that it stars real, relatable people, who don\u2019t have any ulterior motives for going on the show. They genuinely want to find a partner to have an everlasting relationship with.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds, \u201cThe pairing process is also extremely credible. There are experts who have algorithms. The process is almost scientific, and there is a genuine goal to match two strangers in order to find love. People really buy into how credible and authentic it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

THE SCIENCE OF DATING<\/strong>
\nRed Arrow International is also touting the dating\/social-experiment format Kiss Bang Love<\/em>, which takes a similar scientific approach to matching up mates. The show \u201cthrows the process of dating into fifth gear,\u201d says Gamsu. \u201cIt\u2019s about testing to see if our bodies are the best judge of who we should be dating rather than algorithms or apps or the advice of others. It gets down to the basic instinct that brings two strangers together.\u201d<\/p>\n

In today\u2019s TV landscape of increasingly crowded EPGs and shrinking attention spans, it\u2019s important for a show to have a title and clear messaging that\u2019s going to grab a viewer\u2019s attention straightaway. \u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s great about both Married at First Sight <\/em>and Kiss Bang Love<\/em>,\u201d says Gamsu. \u201cYou might hear about it and go, What is this? It sounds crazy! Then when you watch it, you get invested in the characters and story lines and realize that yes, it has a very noisy title and premise as a topline, but once you delve in you realize that there\u2019s much more there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Electus International is home to the salaciously named Dating Naked <\/em>format, which delivers exactly what its title promises: singletons meeting for the first time in the buff. The format has been optioned in several markets. \u201cWe haven\u2019t yet gotten it over the line to an original series, but I think that should change pretty soon,\u201d says John Pollak, the president of global distribution and Electus Studios at Electus International. \u201cBroadcasters are looking for loud, noisy and different types of programming in the dating space. With a show like Dating Naked<\/em>, we have that and it has grabbed people\u2019s attention. It\u2019s going into its third season on VH1 in the U.S. and is now a proven success.\u201d<\/p>\n

GETTING EXPERIMENTAL<\/strong>
\nAnother title sure to make some noise\u2014and raise some eyebrows\u2014is Zodiak Rights\u2019s social-experiment format Undressed<\/em>. Inspired by a series of scientific tests, including one that measures whether you can make someone become intimately close to you or perhaps fall in love with you in less than one hour, the series was produced by Magnolia in Italy for NOVE. The network has the show scheduled in a later slot, just after 11 p.m., and runs two episodes back-to-back five days a week.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re pitching it as a stripped, high-volume show that people can watch day after day,\u201d says Andrew Sime, the VP of formats at Zodiak Rights, a Banijay Group company. \u201cWe\u2019re in discussions with major broadcasters in key territories around the world. They\u2019ve got their eye on the fact that this is proven in Italy and if they can get it right in their countries, then for a relatively affordable budget they can make lots of episodes and take over a piece of the schedule for weeks on end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Global Agency has also been successful in selling relationship- and wedding-themed formats as daily strips. Among its hits positioned for daily access prime time are Perfect Bride<\/em>, a long-running format that continues to secure new options; Love Is Calling<\/em>, which has been broadcast in Turkey for ten years, with close to 3,000 episodes aired; and I Wanna Marry You<\/em>, which has been tripling its time slot\u2019s average audience share on Kanal D.<\/p>\n

STRIP TEASE<\/strong>
\nIzzet Pinto, the company\u2019s founder and CEO, believes these types of series are perfect to fill weekday schedules. \u201cBroadcasters are always eager to find a successful daily show, then they don\u2019t need to try to find different programs to fill their slots,\u201d he says. \u201cOnce it\u2019s successful, they have a show that can run five days a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perfect Bride<\/em> and I Wanna Marry You<\/em> also have special elimination-night episodes, which air in prime time.<\/p>\n

Avi Armoza, the founder and CEO of Armoza Formats, says that he most commonly gets requests for \u201cbig, glossy, prime-time shows\u201d in the dating space. He adds that these types of buzz-generating series are well suited to be the leading show in a channel\u2019s summer or spring schedule.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea is for viewers to watch these shows in prime time as appointment TV and talk about them the next day,\u201d says Ellen Lovejoy, the VP of international content sales at A+E Networks, which has in its catalogue such marriage-based formats as Arranged <\/em>and Seven Year Switch<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to get people to have appointment television nowadays. These shows are also pulling in a younger demographic, because a lot of people in that age group are in an early relationship or are looking to be in a relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ability to lure in that often-elusive younger audience is also cited by Carolyn Gilbey, a production consul\u00adtant at all3media international, as one of the key selling points for dating formats. \u201cShows like Young, Free & Single: Live<\/em> prove that it is possible to get a good audience in this age range by engaging the viewer and enabling them to become part of the dating process,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The way this show, and many others in the dating\/marriage space, accomplishes that is by tapping into new technologies. \u201cDigital add-ons have definitely become more important for this genre,\u201d says Gilbey. \u201cThe technical wizardry used in Young, Free & Single: Live<\/em> is what allowed our audience to have an immediate connection with our cast. As the dates were being broadcast, the viewers were able to vote on whether singletons should \u2018ditch\u2019 or \u2018date\u2019 their partner again, the votes were instantaneously analyzed and appeared on the screen as a graphic. Meanwhile, using iPads, the cast could monitor, while they were on air, what people were saying about them on social media.\u201d<\/p>\n

APP-ILY EVER AFTER<\/strong>
\nTelevisa Internacional is also embracing the opportunities digital extensions bring to the dating space with its format Date My Avatar<\/em>. \u201cFrom its conception, we thought that it was important [for the format] to reach a second screen and to have an app associated with it,\u201d explains Ricardo Ehrsam, the company\u2019s general director of entertainment formats. \u201cWe are creating our own digital dating platform, which is completely different from what we have seen until now. The aim of the platform is not only to date but also to have fun with dating. For the first time, we can behave like a Cyrano de Bergerac who mediates between two [potential] lovers. You can choose to be a candidate or an avatar, you can customize your avatar, you can design a communicative strategy to find or help others find love. Digitalization opens up infinite possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

ITV Studios\u2019s Love Island<\/em> also has a \u201cdigital backbone,\u201d which drives the content as well as the conversation about the show off-air. Beale cites the gossip-inducing, watercooler effect of these dating-centric formats as one of the key reasons for their popularity with broadcasters. Another is that they\u2019re generally quite cost-effective or are at least scalable.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are able to easily control the budget and still come away with very strong storytelling,\u201d agrees Armoza. He highlights Marry Me Now <\/em>as a show that\u2019s very cost-effective to produce. \u201cWithin the structure of the format, everything needs to happen in three days. Whatever you get in three days is what you have. You don\u2019t need to add more shooting and you are not making a commitment for three months of production. It\u2019s controllable.\u201d<\/p>\n

A+E\u2019s Lovejoy echoes the sentiment that dating formats are \u201cincredibly cost-effective productions, given the watercooler potential that they have.\u201d She notes that the company shares a wealth of know-how with producers that can help to save time and money as well.<\/p>\n

SHARING THE LOVE<\/strong>
\n\u201cWe have useful production intel about what kind of couples [to choose], what characteristics they should have, what\u2019s the balance of the issues that the couples are facing, what are their friends and families like, what type of psychologist [to bring in], what works and what doesn\u2019t work,\u201d says Lovejoy. \u201cWe have great consultancy and are always working to refine these shows so that they come back for second seasons. A lot of that comes from gaining experience in the casting process. That is information that we work very closely with our international partners to provide to them so that they can save time and money in preproduction.\u201d<\/p>\n

A great deal of effort goes into the casting when it comes to dating and marriage shows, in order to find compelling stories and characters that viewers will want to invest in. Red Arrow\u2019s Gamsu says that the process becomes much easier after the initial season has aired and viewers see how scenarios played out for others. \u201cWhen you put the casting call out for the second season you get so many more people vying [to be on the show] because they really bought into the idea and there\u2019s a lot of people looking for a real connection,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

For Zodiak Rights, the lessons learned about casting from the original Italian version of Undressed <\/em>are proving valuable for international producers. \u201cThere have been 80 different couples in the first season in Italy, so the Italian producers got a lot of experience very quickly about who\u2019s right, what works, what doesn\u2019t work, and we are looking to share that experience,\u201d Sime says. \u201cIf the conversation or relationship heads off into an unexpected direction during an episode, since the Italian producers have that experience and know where to go with it, they\u2019re sharing tips and tricks that can help to bring the best out of everyone involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN<\/strong>
\nIn terms of sales targets, Sime says that a dating show like Undressed<\/em> is suitable for all types of broadcasters. \u201cWhat\u2019s great about this format is that it is affordable, so you can dial the budget up or down as much as you\u2019d like and it makes a lot of noise,\u201d he adds. \u201cIt\u2019s the kind of property that if a broadcaster gets their hands on this, it will do their marketing for them. It will be a sign that they can hold up and say, look at us! That puts us in a strong position of being able to talk to any broadcaster about this, from big networks to cable channels to some of the smaller broadcasters.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ability for dating and marriage formats to make a lot of noise for a network at a relatively affordable cost is certainly a benefit for broadcasters. Add to that their ability to attract a young audience and it\u2019s easy to see why the genre is back in vogue in a big way.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s true that every year one genre picks up, and in the last six months, it has definitely been dating and marriage,\u201d says Global Agency\u2019s Pinto. \u201cIt\u2019s a very important genre for us because Global Agency was founded with only a single format: Perfect Bride<\/em>. One single wedding format has really helped us grow as a company and gain a lot of attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen an explosion of interest in dating shows,\u201d says Electus\u2019s Pollak. \u201cEvery time we ask [a buyer] what they\u2019re looking for, they\u2019re looking for a prime-time dating show. They want their next The Bachelor<\/em>. It\u2019s very hard to crack that formula, at least on the prime-time level. Authenticity is really what matters most right now and you can dress it up however you want. At the end of the day, these shows are about people looking for love. It\u2019s really hard to replicate that and do it differently so that it\u2019s its own show and could become a major hit in the U.S. I know that everyone is trying and it is bound to happen sooner or later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pictured: Red Arrow International\u2019s <\/em>Kiss Bang Love.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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