{"id":6132,"date":"2018-03-19T10:03:49","date_gmt":"2018-03-19T14:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/tuned-to-travel\/"},"modified":"2018-03-20T11:33:20","modified_gmt":"2018-03-20T15:33:20","slug":"tuned-to-travel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/tuned-to-travel\/","title":{"rendered":"Tuned to Travel"},"content":{"rendered":"

A range of distributors weigh in on the current state of the format market and what genres are trending.<\/em><\/p>\n

While much of the buzz across the TV landscape as of late has been centered on scripted programming\u2014notably the dizzying number of dramas and when \u201cpeak TV\u201d may actually peak\u2014unscripted entertainment has been steadily gathering steam. Format producers and distributors have had to up their game in the face of all this high-quality scripted fare, tasked with bringing to the market concepts that are fresh enough to engage audiences yet have the reliability broadcasters are looking for. That\u2019s a tall order to fill, but it\u2019s one that is bringing about a wave of creativity that\u2019s invigorating the format business.<\/p>\n

\u201cScripted has been the dominant segment for the last three to five years, but even in the past 12 months, there has been an increase in people focusing again on formats,\u201d says Harry Gamsu, VP of non-scripted at Red Arrow Studios International. \u201cThe business is in a state of growth. We\u2019re seeing a real demand from a lot of buyers right now for fresh new ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lisa Perrin, the CEO of creative networks at Endemol Shine Group, agrees that while the drama bubble has yet to burst, \u201cthe format market is buoyant\u2014people want to buy!\u201d<\/p>\n

She says, \u201cIt\u2019s encouraging to see more entertainment and more entertainment formats coming into the market and succeeding. There is an appetite from broadcasters, not just in the linear space but in the SVOD space as well, to take risks. They are genuinely hunting for the next big hit, be it entertainment or factual.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, many of the stalwart entertainment shows, some of which originated more than a decade ago, are still working well. The Endemol Shine catalog is home to a number of megahit formats, the likes of MasterChef <\/em>and Big Brother<\/em>, which continue to be recommissioned and shore up new markets, in addition to spawning successful spin-offs. \u201cOur super brands are still immensely popular,\u201d says Perrin. \u201cForty series of MasterChef <\/em>aired last year in over 25 territories. MasterChef: The Professionals <\/em>was BBC Two\u2019s most popular program of 2017, beating drama and everything else. There is no doubt that people know what they like and they return to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As longstanding entertainment behemoths, as well as high-profile scripted series, continue to hold onto prime-time slots on many channels around the globe, formats that can be broadcast across the week during daytime and access prime time have seen an uptick in commissioning. \u201cDaily stripped shows are performing well,\u201d says Izzet Pinto, founder and CEO of Global Agency, pointing to genres such as cooking and style as being in demand. \u201cShopping Monsters <\/em>has been a big hit in many territories. Right now, our second style-based format, My Style Rocks<\/em>, is also getting a lot of attention and is performing very well. In Romania, more than 200 episodes have been on air. In Greece, close to 100 episodes have aired, and now they are going for a second season. It will be starting in Mexico soon. For us, daily shows have been selling best in the last few years.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor prime time, I always believe in talent shows,\u201d Pinto continues. \u201cBut for a long time now, people have been looking for a big prime-time show with a good twist.\u201d He believes The Remix<\/em>, a live music reality show that pairs up DJs and singers to remix songs, has the right ingredients to deliver.<\/p>\n

The format has been ordered by Amazon Prime Video as an original in India, where it is launching in March as a ten-episode show. \u201cIt has been the biggest production ever in India for a music talent show, not only quality-wise but also in terms of budget,\u201d Pinto explains. \u201cWith the Indian version, we will relaunch the format at MIPTV. I\u2019m optimistic that it will receive good interest because people have been looking for a new prime-time hit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jin Woo Hwang, the head of formats and global content development at CJ E&M, also reports that interest in studio-based entertainment remains high around the globe. He has noticed, though, some differentiating factors between what was hot ten or so years ago in this space and what\u2019s in demand today. The current trend is for shows that are \u201cfaster, lighter and easily recognizable,\u201d according to Hwang.<\/p>\n

CJ E&M has launched the music entertainment show Shadow Singer<\/em>, which gives undiscovered vocalists the chance to shine under the guise of a celebrity clone. The company has also seen interest in Youn\u2019s Kitchen<\/em>, a reality entertainment series that features celebrities traveling to tourist destinations to open a restaurant, and Love at First Song<\/em>, a hybrid music-dating show.<\/p>\n

While the concepts of the three titles differ, \u201cthese formats possess a common denominator: empathy,\u201d Hwang says. \u201cOur efforts to differentiate familiar ideas by injecting empathic emotions\u2014such as relaxation, enjoyment, good feelings and warmth\u2014are not only providing a new approach for Korean viewers but also for international viewers, like with our format Better Late Than Never<\/em> (Grandpas Over Flowers<\/em>) on NBC.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similarly, Endemol Shine\u2019s Perrin is seeing strong demand for shows that are more heartwarming in nature. \u201cThere\u2019s a real sense that people want to feel good when they watch television\u2014it\u2019s palpable. There\u2019s been a resurgence of feel-good TV, as people want to escape when they watch television nowadays.\u201d<\/p>\n

FEELING GOOD <\/strong>
\nThe company has seen a number of successful adaptations for the studio-based game show The Wall<\/em>, which has aired in both access prime and prime time, including in the U.S. \u201cProof and point, that\u2019s a feel-good entertainment show that does very well,\u201d Perrin says. \u201cThat, for us, is brilliant. It\u2019s played in different slots and is very adaptable. A lot of the formats that travel widely are the ones that have the ability to adapt and be scaled up or down in budget, as well as be played in different slots.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the Red Arrow catalog, Old People\u2019s Home for 4 Year Olds <\/em>is a feel-good format that has recently sold into a raft of territories, including France, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden and Australia. The social experiment attempts to improve the health and well-being of elderly people in retirement communities by bringing them together with a group of preschool children.<\/p>\n

On the back of the resounding worldwide success of its social-experiment format Married at First Sight<\/em>, the company last year brought to the market Buying Blind<\/em>. Like Married<\/em>, Buying Blind <\/em>watches as participants entrust a key life decision to experts\u2014this time, it\u2019s purchasing a home. \u201cIt\u2019s our most successful new format in terms of commissions,\u201d says Gamsu.<\/p>\n

He acknowledges that certain types of formats\u2014like dating, game shows and talent\u2014are perennially popular, \u201cbut what we\u2019re seeing now is an emergence of sub-genres, social experiments being one of those. There are themes like \u2018young and old\u2019 (Old People\u2019s Home for 4 Year Olds<\/em> is an example of that) or the use of technology in formats (our new show Code to Love<\/em> sees dating algorithms match people) or playing detective. You\u2019ve got the big, broad, evergreen genres that are still very popular, but now there are more niche, specialist sub-genres happening within those.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall, says Gamsu, \u201cbuyers want fresh ideas, but with a track record,\u201d which is why social experiments and other shows that turn the dial up a notch on tried-and-tested concepts are working well. \u201cAs the EPG is getting more crowded and viewers have so many different places to go for content, the titles that are louder, noisier, can keep the viewers engaged and create their own buzz to stand out are hugely successful,\u201d he adds. \u201cThe two camps are: the classic, old-school revival shows, which people love and feel warm toward because they know the brands, and the new, quirkier, \u2018Oh my god, did you see last night\u2019s episode?\u2019 type of formats.\u201d The latter is a bit harder to get buyers to take a chance on, though.<\/p>\n

SAFETY DANCE<\/strong>
\n\u201cCertain territories are always going to be more skeptical than others and will always want proof of concept before you take your format to them,\u201d says Endemol Shine\u2019s Perrin. The company recently launched the brand-new singing contest All Together Now <\/em>on BBC One, and its success has led to some key sales. \u201cIt\u2019s a big entertainment studio show, so God bless the BBC and God bless the U.K. for still taking a chance on paper formats for us to be able to launch shows there.\u201d<\/p>\n

All it takes is one country to successfully test a concept for others to quickly follow suit, triggering a domino effect. But how can producers and distributors get formats over that initial hurdle with risk-averse broadcasters?<\/p>\n

\u201cNowadays, the parties that are the first on board will usually ask for IP share,\u201d which would bring them a share in the profits as long as the format sells worldwide, says Global Agency\u2019s Pinto. \u201cMany companies are accepting it, even though for Global Agency it\u2019s not our preferred way to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Red Arrow, meanwhile, brings together the best ideas from its group of companies and third parties each year to identify the two or three early-stage concepts that it believes have the strongest potential for getting commissioned and picked up to series. \u201cIt is difficult trying to define that,\u201d admits Gamsu. \u201cWe work very closely with production companies and channels in key launch markets; you have to look at where formats get launched and where people are willing to take a risk. It\u2019s still Benelux, Scandinavia, Australia and the U.K.\u2014this is where we focus most of our energy on bringing fresh, new ideas. We have ten U.S. companies also constantly pitching and getting commissions as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buyers playing it safe or requiring a track record presents a challenge, but so does simply getting noticed nowadays, says Gamsu. With so many ideas and established brands out there that broadcasters know can pull in an audience, it\u2019s increasingly difficult to break through.<\/p>\n

Endemol Shine\u2019s Perrin has noticed that in the current marketplace, formats are also traveling at a slower rate. In the early days of MasterChef<\/em>, a show that reached 50-plus territories was considered a big success, \u201cnow it\u2019s more like 10 or 15 markets and that\u2019s a hit,\u201d she says. \u201cYou don\u2019t get a reach like you used to that quickly anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

SHAKE IT UP<\/strong>
\n\u201cMore formats are entering the market, but from the sheer amount of choice, many are failing to gain the international traction they did before,\u201d Perrin continues. \u201cBuyers are playing it slightly safe, revisiting old titles that they know. And also, with the SVODs coming into the market, everybody\u2019s waiting to see how it\u2019s going to work, what they\u2019re going to go for and if it\u2019s going to disrupt the format market like it did the drama market.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, the entrance of digital players to the format fray is certain to shake things up as they dip their toes further into this space. \u201cIt\u2019s a different model; instead of it being a slow global rollout, over multiple territories, you sell to a platform that will dispense your global hit potentially in one fell swoop, and people would be able to binge on it,\u201d says Perrin. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to be suitable for all types of formats, but it is for some.\u201d<\/p>\n

With global launches becoming more of a reality thanks to streaming platforms, CJ E&M\u2019s Hwang is excited by the prospects of what he calls a \u201cpan-worldwide format\u201d\u2014a single show done in multiple languages and aired around the world. He also sees opportunities on the horizon for more co-productions and co-developments to take place and for brand-led formats.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are looking for franchise brands,\u201d notes Global Agency\u2019s Pinto. \u201cFor that reason, I am optimistic about our format The Legend<\/em>,\u201d a singing talent show that lets the contestants decide their destinies.<\/p>\n

Pinto is also optimistic about the outlook for the format business as a whole. \u201cIn major territories, there hasn\u2019t been a drop in ad sales for TV, and now digital platforms are getting so big\u2014when you add these two together, overall it makes the entertainment business stronger. That is one of the biggest advantages that the industry has right now.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Distributors weigh in on the current state of the format market and what genres are trending.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":350,"featured_media":6133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-features","category-top-stories","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\nTuned to Travel - 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\/tuned-to-travel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tuned to Travel - TVFORMATS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Distributors weigh in on the current state of the format market and what genres are trending.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/tuned-to-travel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"TVFORMATS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-03-19T14:03:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-03-20T15:33:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/07\/2018-03-19-Shadow-Singer.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"330\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kristin Brzoznowski\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kristin Brzoznowski\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/tuned-to-travel\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/worldscreen.com\/tvformats\/tuned-to-travel\/\",\"name\":\"Tuned to Travel - 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