If broadcasters are looking for a way to ensure audiences stick around, adding mega-formats to their schedules is a safe bet. All3Media International has been continually refreshing its popular formats, helping to ensure that these titles can become long-running successes for broadcasters in any market.<\/p>\n
In order for a format to find success, it \u201chas to be strong, innovative and original to start off with, while also being adaptable to tweaks to keep up with the times and to keep it fresh,\u201d says Nick Smith, executive VP of formats at All3Media International. It is vital to refresh them over time, even if subtly, as \u201ceven the strongest formats will grow stale if they don\u2019t keep pace\u201d with trends.<\/p>\n
All3Media International is well-versed in the arena of mega-formats, as it has a slew of long-running titles that have been broadcast around the world, including The company has kept Gogglebox<\/em>\u2014which sees ordinary people share their opinions on TV shows and films while watching them\u2014fresh by adapting it to the current times. In the earlier seasons of the show, which first aired in 2013, programs from SVOD platforms were not featured. Since then, streaming platforms have grown in popularity and created their own high-quality programming, and \u201cit is important to reflect how viewing experiences have changed,\u201d Smith says. As such, the producers added SVOD series and films to the show\u2019s lineup to much success.<\/p>\n Although the format changed in this small way, sticking to Gogglebox<\/em>\u2019s original remit\u2014centering on \u201cregular\u201d people\u2014has also been imperative to maintain the format\u2019s success. Controversially, several stars of Gogglebox<\/em>were dropped from the cast after they became too well-known and started making appearances on reality shows. \u201cThis seems counterintuitive, but Gogglebox<\/em> is all about having a cast of ordinary people that are just like the viewers,\u201d Smith says. \u201cThis proved to be the right decision, and viewers have quickly found new favorites.\u201d<\/p>\n This fine line between making changes and sticking to the original features of the format is important to keep its success going, and All3Media International helps find the sweet spot.<\/p>\n Providing a route of contact between local adaptations also ensures long-running success. According to Smith, All3Media International takes the time to \u201cdetail the adaptations that are made to a format, so that broadcasters are aware of what has worked and what hasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n For example, the U.S. and Australian adaptations of The Cube <\/em>allowed The Cube to speak and have a personality. Since audiences in those localities enjoyed this feature, All3Media International took note and passed the information along so other broadcasters could refresh their versions if they saw fit. The U.K.\u2019s Gogglebox<\/em>, which was the original and first aired in 2009, then added this feature.<\/p>\n Sometimes, with a refresh or period of rest, long-running formats can find their way to a revived version on a new broadcast home. In Norway, for example, Gogglebox<\/em> premiered on NRK but recently returned to the country with a celebrity version on TV2. \u201cIt was always a ratings success on the public service broadcaster, so it made sense for it to have been commissioned by a commercial broadcaster,\u201d Smith says.<\/p>\n Studio Lambert\u2019s Undercover Boss<\/em>, originally launched in 2008 after the global recession, hadn\u2019t been on air in the U.K. for over seven years. However, following the impacts of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, it was able to return successfully, with a brand-new prime-time version on ITV. This is a testament that once you have an established mega-format in the catalog, there are long legs to be found globally for years to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The executive VP of formats on about how the company refreshes its popular formats, helping to ensure that these titles can become long-running successes for broadcasters in any market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1412,"featured_media":8593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-profiles","category-top-stories","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nUndercover Boss<\/em>, Kitchen Nightmares<\/em> and Gogglebox<\/em>, to name a few.<\/p>\n