TV Formats MIPTV 2019

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TVFORMATS

WWW.TVFORMATS.WS

APRIL 2019

MIPFORMATS & MIPTV EDITION

State of Formats / Dance Shows Craig Plestis / BBC Studios’ Sumi Connock

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12 TV FORMATS

CONTENTS

Long Live Entertainment

FEATURES 26 FIGHTING FOR FORMATS Distributors discuss the major issues at play in the format business today.

26

With the persistent talk about “peak TV” and the deluge of scripted series in the marketplace, entertainment shows have (rather unjustly) taken something of a backseat when it comes to industry buzz.

Ricardo Seguin Guise Publisher Anna Carugati Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani Editor Kristin Brzoznowski Executive Editor Chelsea Regan Alison Skilton Associate Editors Victor L. Cuevas Production & Design Director Phyllis Q. Busell Art Director Simon Weaver Online Director Dana Mattison Senior Sales & Marketing Manager Nathalia Lopez Sales & Marketing Coordinator Andrea Moreno Business Affairs Manager

Ricardo Seguin Guise President Anna Carugati Executive VP Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development TV Formats ©2019 WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, #1207 New York, NY 10010 Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.tvformats.ws

Accompanying all the chatter regarding the endless array of high-quality dramas hailing from around the world are moans about the lack of a full-scale global entertainment juggernaut to launch in recent years.

Don’t declare the quest for the Next Big Thing fruitless though. It seems there’s a nice wave of innovation hitting the entertainment sector. From singing competitions with celebrities in zany costumes to dance shows featuring athletics on par with a sporting event, entertainment is surely showing its might. TV Formats speaks with Craig Plestis, who is responsible for bringing the wacky costume-clad celeb singing show The Masked Singer to the U.S., and takes a deep dive into dance series.

Part of this innovation is, perhaps, being driven by the streamers, which are making some bold moves in the unscripted arena. The FAANGs have announced a number of recent reality-based originals to accompany their already quite hefty scripted slates. While some are being touted as global series, there are others that promise local treatments.

The question remains of how to deal with the “live” factor that is so intrinsic in many of the big competition shows that are popular today, but producers and distributors are already rising to the challenge to come up with ways to make unscripted entertainment a viable play for on-demand platforms.

As traditional channels strengthen their offerings in a bid to lure viewers to linear, they too are getting bolder in their choices. Yes, there are still many long-running format behemoths holding onto peak-time slots, but that doesn’t mean commissioning has come to a halt. In prime time, there are opportunities to use the big brands as leadins for new entertainment shows. There are still plenty of formats being stripped in daytime and access prime as well. Also, interest in scripted formats continues to rise.

Even markets like the U.S. have opened up to adapting scripts, and not just from the typical format-creation hubs either. BBC Studios’ Sumi Connock discusses the appetite for scripted formats in a Q&A in this issue.

You can read an in-depth review of what distributors have to say about the state of the format business in our special feature.

—Kristin Brzoznowski

34 DANCE FEVER A look at the latest innovations in dance formats.

34 INTERVIEWS

38

Craig Plestis

40 BBC Studios’ Sumi Connock

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Armoza Formats Muna / Red Lines / The Conflict Armoza Formats has a heavy focus on scripted this time around at MIPTV. Among its offerings are Muna, inspired by the true story of a successful and free-spirited Arab-Israeli photographer, and Red Lines, which takes viewers into the complex world of the district attorney’s office. “Muna and Red Lines are the perfect examples of universally relatable and engaging stories,” says Amos Neumann, COO of Armoza Formats. “With their unique takes and compelling plots, the series have been acclaimed by the Israeli press and viewers.” Meanwhile, the social experiment The Conflict gives individuals the chance to see their dispute from a new point of view, as actors bring to life arguments and those involved watch from the sidelines. The format is being licensed as 60-minute episodes.

The Conflict

“MIPTV continues to be an important market for us to maintain relationships with our clients as well as to stay on the ‘pulse’ of the industry.”

—Amos Neumann Shipwrecked

Banijay Rights Catch! / Shipwrecked / Temptation Island Four celebrity-led teams of top athletes and parkour pros vie for victory in “catch”-inspired games in the aptly titled Banijay Rights format Catch! “The games at the heart of Catch! are universally appealing and recognizable, and the show can be scaled up or down as required,” says Andrew Sime, VP of formats at Banijay Rights. Other format highlights the company is showcasing are the paradise-set Shipwrecked and Temptation Island reboots. While the former is a battle-of-the-islands popularity contest to win over new arrivals and become the biggest tribe, the latter puts couples’ commitment to the test by throwing them into the single life surrounded by available men and women. “The production values [for Temptation Island] are extraordinary, and it is one of the highest-rated programs in Belgium and the Netherlands,” says Sime.

“Rebooted for a new generation, while remaining true to the original format, Shipwrecked feels very current.”

—Andrew Sime The Split

BBC Studios One Hot Summer / The Split / My Big Day: Home or Away Originally airing on BBC Three in the U.K., One Hot Summer sees 13 young people from different backgrounds travel across a country for one month. “One Hot Summer isn’t a popularity contest,” explains Sumi Connock, creative director of formats for BBC Studios. “It is about real people meeting for the first time and different worldviews colliding in one extraordinary experience. Will they bond or break?” She calls it “a unique experiment that puts the ‘real’ back into reality TV.” BBC Studios recently picked up the scripted format rights for the BBC One legal drama The Split, about a family of female divorce lawyers, and the company is also offering the wedding format My Big Day: Home or Away, in which each episode features one couple who is not sure how they should celebrate their nuptials.

“With the growing trend for brilliantly scripted, powerful dramas and comedies, a key focus will be on scripted formats.”

—Sumi Connock 296 WORLD SCREEN 4/19

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300: War of United Voices

CJ ENM My Friend from Another Century / 300: War of United Voices / Somebody The reality format My Friend from Another Century takes a different approach to the universally relatable issue of the generation gap. “It’s not the subject of a social experiment or documentary, but material for lighthearted entertainment,” says Jihee Kim, CJ ENM’s head of global content development. In the format, a high-profile elder, such as a politician or actor, meets his match in a lovable and opinionated kid to carry out a to-do list of activities together. “It’s hilarious to see them argue, play, learn and develop a friendship unique from their peers,” she adds. The company is also presenting 300: War of United Voices, in which superfans perform together with a top musical artist, and Somebody, a hybrid dating-reality show in which dancers of various genres look for someone they can connect with.

DRG

“300: War of United Voices shines a spotlight on today’s fan culture.”

—Jihee Kim

The Brigade

The Brigade / Small Fortune / The Ultimate Spy The DRG format The Brigade combines elements of a competitive cooking show and a travelogue. “The Brigade is an authentic format about real chefs working as a team to improve their skills and knowledge, and therefore, differs from the many cookery shows that only feature celebrities and home cooks,” says Elin Thomas, DRG’s executive VP of sales.

“It also gives viewers unique insight into how restaurant kitchens around the world actually work.” Small Fortune is a new prime-time entertainment format, billed as “the world’s smallest physical game show.” In the series, teams of friends and family members compete in tiny games, set in miniaturized worlds, to win big money. The Ultimate Spy is a competition-driven reality format that goes inside the world of espionage to see who has what it takes to become a spy.

“We have a track record for finding the right format for broadcasters and producers and then working closely with them on the ground to make sure the very best localized versions get made.”

—Elin Thomas

Global Agency Upgrade The reality game show Upgrade watches as a film crew drops into viewers’ homes and offers them the chance to upgrade their old household items by answering trivia questions. The out-of-studio game show is filmed in the players’ own houses, where they are asked a series of quiz questions. If they answer the majority of them correctly, they can win a variety of electronic appliances or furniture on the spot. If they lose, their household items are going to be locked away for 30 days. “Upgrade is the ultimate reality game show,” says Izzet Pinto, Global Agency’s founder and CEO. “It’s simple, fun, suspenseful and, most importantly, everyone wants to play because everyone has something in their home that they want to upgrade.”

Upgrade

“We just started to represent the rights for Upgrade to make the show a bigger international hit.”

—Izzet Pinto

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Hunan TV Super-Vocal / Do-Re-Mi: I Love My City / The Rocking Bridge The singing competition Super-Vocal, on offer from Hunan TV, sees pop music blended with opera. “It focuses on 36 of the most talented yet often overlooked classical singers, offering them a well-deserved opportunity to shine and win a place in the nation’s first-ever ‘popera’ vocal group,” explains Lester Hu, head of formats and international business at Hunan TV. “This recently launched prime-time format has already made a splash in China.” Further highlights include Do-Re-Mi: I Love My City, which follows the current user-generated content trend to discover the hidden gems of a city through social media, and The Rocking Bridge, a fast-paced, comedic game show that requires teams of seven participants to remain standing on a swinging bridge for 60 seconds in order to win.

“Proven successful by the largest audience in the world, these are the must-see original formats from China, proudly brought to you by Hunan TV.”

—Lester Hu

Inter Medya

Exathlon

Exathlon / The Perfect Couple / The Box Challenge Inter Medya is bringing to the market the sports-reality format Exathlon, in which two teams of physically fit contestants compete at specially built challenge locations.

They all want the same thing: to be the champion. The company is also presenting to MIPTV buyers The Perfect Couple, a dating-reality show that Inter Medya developed in partnership with DMT Producciones. The format sees men and women competing to win keys to rooms inside the only house on an island, but the twist is that there is not enough space for everyone. “This fast and exciting format will attract the crowd,” says Can Okan, founder and CEO of Inter Medya. He adds that The Box Challenge, developed by the company’s in-house creative team, “is definitely a crowd favorite.”

“Exathlon contestants, who are chosen after certain sports and conditioning tests, compete in highly challenging parkours to perform at their highest level.”

—Can Okan

Nippon TV Beat the Rooms In the game show Beat the Rooms, the contestants are challenged not to do something. They must beat the games in many rooms, all while facing conditions such as “do not breathe,” “do not slip,” “do not fly off” and more. Red Arrow Studios International and Nippon TV partnered on the show.

Beat the Rooms has been commissioned straight-to-series for Nippon TV’s main channel in Japan. “Beat the Rooms is a creation of East meets West,” says Tom Miyauchi, who oversees format sales and international business development at Nippon TV. It features hallmarks from “crazy Japanese game shows” along with the “well-structured mechanics of Western game shows,” he explains. “It is a fast-paced game show, which can be easily re-created as a short-form online series on various platforms.”

“We are confident that this is the game show that everyone was waiting for.”

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—Tom Miyauchi

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The Sex Clinic

Passion Distribution Paradise Hotel / Mums Make Porn / The Sex Clinic Sexy singles pair up and compete for a life-changing cash prize at a tropical resort in Paradise Hotel. In each episode, the singles vote off one of their fellow residents to make room for a new guest. “Having first aired on FOX in 2003, Paradise Hotel has become an international hit, produced around the world in more than 12 countries and has never been off the air in Sweden, Denmark and Norway,” says Agnes Mbye, senior sales manager for formats at Passion Distribution. The company is also showcasing Mums Make Porn, about a group of charismatic mothers with teenage children who are given the tools to create their very own porn film to showcase their version of happy, healthy sex.

The Sex Clinic provides an unfiltered view of young people’s sex lives and sexual health problems.

“The Sex Clinic is a funny, mischievous and educational series revealing some of the more outrageous aspects of young people’s sexual health and sex lives.”

—Agnes Mbye Street Stars

The Story Lab No Sleep No Fomo / Street Stars / Kick the Habit The Story Lab is bringing to MIPTV No Sleep No Fomo, which drops two celebrities into a city with a time limit of just 60 hours to complete the ultimate bucket list. Fotini Paraskakis, the company’s executive VP for entertainment, calls it a “high-adrenaline travel format, which can be formatted using global talent to attract the younger demographic. It is scalable and flexible as a format and can play out across an array of platforms.” The Story Lab is also introducing Street Stars, which gives buskers and grassroots talent the opportunity to perform for the public and online communities, and Kick the Habit, which challenges well-known celebrities to quit smoking for good. “Kick the Habit takes a regular health-awareness show and turns it on its head,” says Paraskakis.

“The Story Lab is committed to supporting innovative content ideas and great talent.”

—Fotini Paraskakis Sweet Kiss Bitter Kiss

TV Asahi Sweet Kiss Bitter Kiss / Girls Running Up Hill The idea behind TV Asahi’s romantic reality format Sweet Kiss Bitter Kiss is that of on-screen couples hitting it off in real life. “We noticed it is familiar news around the world to hear of an actor and actress falling in love for real after starring as a couple in love in a film or a TV drama,” explains Mayumi Nakamura, the company’s head of format development and sales. “Sweet Kiss Bitter Kiss is a format that tests this common outcome in a realityshow setting, where four pairs of promising young actors and actresses play the same romantic scene.” There’s also the short-form Girls Running Up Hill, in which a girl runs up a hill and cameras follow her until she finishes at the top. “We define it as the ‘shortest human documentary,’” says Nakamura.

“There are so many dating shows in the market, but Sweet Kiss Bitter Kiss is innovative in bringing romantic-drama acting into the reality-show setting.”

—Mayumi Nakamura 302 WORLD SCREEN 4/19

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26 TV FORMATS

Distributors discuss the biggest issues at play in the format business today.

By Joanna Stephens

Global Agency’s Auction Queens.

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T

here’s a reason why FOX’s The Masked Singer is currently the most talked-about format on the planet. And it has nothing to do with its surreal conceit, bonkers costumes or the fact that it comes from South Korea, arguably the hottest TV territory du jour.

According to Rob Clark, Fremantle’s director of global entertainment, it’s because it’s utterly, ludicrously frivolous. “I’ve got a theory,” he says. “In times of uncertainty, people don’t want serious. So in 2019, we’ve got Trump and Brexit and a downturn in China and revolution in Venezuela and Germany heading into economic headwinds and, lo and behold, what are people watching? Masked celebrities dressed as llamas.”

Clark is, in fact, making a serious point about the key issues impacting the global formats industry as we head into MIPTV, notably the legacy broadcasters’ relationship with risk, the industry’s current conviction that the Next Big Thing will emerge from a non-traditional format territory—probably South Korea—and, indeed, whether the Next Big Thing is even still a thing in today’s fractured, fragmented marketplace.

The success of The Masked Singer, which started life as King of Mask Singer on Korean channel MBC in 2015, nods to all these trends. The U.S. iteration rolled out in January on FOX and was watched by more than 9 million mesmerized Americans, making it the highest-rated unscripted debut on any U.S. network in seven years.

“Hats off to FOX for The Masked Singer—which is in itself a sign the linear broadcasters realize they need to innovate and take more risks to compete with the SVODs,” says Clark, observing that, even a couple of years ago, such a left-field format would never have been ordered. “But I’m a bit exasperated with everybody hailing Korea as the new land of milk and honey. Korea’s certainly a very creative place, but the fact remains that, while hit formats can

come from anywhere, the likelihood is that they’ll come from where they usually come from.”

This chimes with Harry Gamsu, VP of non-scripted at Red Arrow Studios International, who says that, in terms of volume, “the usual suspects”—the U.S., the U.K., the Netherlands and the Nordic territories—continue to top the list of the company’s new format launches. But he adds that the success of The Masked Singer should serve as a warning to all distributors “not to ignore the emerging players.” He adds, “The formats game is now a mature business and those countries that used to focus on importing IP are now well-versed in the practice of creating original content.”

Of note, Red Arrow is working with leading Japanese media group Nippon TV on the brand-new game show Beat the Rooms.

CREATIVE POWERHOUSES This uptick in local format generation has also resulted in a boom in the number of format prospectors mining the world for inspiration. One effect of this, says Lisa Perrin, the CEO of creative networks at Endemol Shine Group, is that news of a format with potential star power travels far, fast. “Good ideas are the worst-kept secrets,” she adds.

While Perrin agrees with Fremantle’s Clark that discoveries like The Masked Singer are rare, she says that Endemol Shine’s global network of 120 operating companies is constantly trawling for fresh ideas. “I think we’ll see a lot more formats from Asia because this region is not only incredibly innovative but the audience there also consumes a lot of television,” she predicts. “And Latin America is also a very exciting place to be at the moment.”

Global Agency’s founder and CEO, Izzet Pinto, has also found Latin America to be a rich source of new ideas.

Israel, India and, more recently, France, are also proving to be creative hotspots for the Turkish distributor, which is rolling out Upgrade from Israel and Auction Queens from 4/19 WORLD SCREEN 309

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Red Arrow Studios International and Nippon TV are working together on the game-show format Beat the Rooms.

France at MIPTV. “Actually, the most surprising place I’ve found a format is in myself,” Pinto adds, describing how a music video inspired him to devise Keep Your Light Shining in 2015. Local versions of the singing-talent format have now been made in Turkey, Germany, Ukraine, China, Thailand, Brazil, Angola and Mozambique.

Rabbit Films is looking to position Finland as a key hub of innovative ideas, arriving at MIPTV with a slate that includes Couples’ Party, which Jonathan Tuovinen, COO and head of international, describes as a “saucy studio show.”

He notes, “Strengthening existing partnerships and creating new ones in Europe and the U.S. are always part of our mission.

But we’ll also be making our way towards Asia and Australia with our catalog as we’re operating with a global mindset.”

HOT TICKETS

that “big, successful formats enable channels to launch and build innovative new programming around them,” to quote Red Arrow’s Gamsu. Those who don’t say that the mega-formats’ stranglehold on prime time makes it harder to cut through with new ideas—particularly in a linear broadcast market that remains risk-reticent, if not downright risk-averse.

Fremantle’s Clark is in the former camp, dismissing the argument as “nonsense put about by producers who don’t have a mega-format.”

Like Gamsu, he believes that, far from stifling innovation, tentpole franchises attract huge audiences to networks, fertilizing the ground for “new green shoots” of creativity. “In any industry, success breeds success,” he adds. With a mega-brand portfolio that includes Idol, The X Factor and Got Talent, not to mention format pioneers Family Feud and The Price Is Right, it’s hard to disagree.

Over at Endemol Shine—itself no slouch on the mega-format front, with Big Brother, MasterChef, Deal or No Deal and The Wall in its vault—Perrin makes the point that, as long as there are eager audiences for the big old brands, broadcasters will keep serving them up.

Perrin has spotted signs that the linear broadcasters are becoming “braver and more innovative” as they engage in a battle for eyeballs with the SVODs. But Sarah Tong, director of sales at Hat Trick International, says risk-aversion is still alive and well. “Something that’s a bit different is a tough sell when competing against mega-brand formats such as The X Factor and MasterChef, which continue to be remade worldwide year after year.”

Another sign of risk-aversion, Tong adds, is that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to persuade buyers to take a punt on a format that hasn’t rated in another territory.

“Often a broadcaster will say they love a show, but if it

Pinto likens the chances of finding yourself in possession of a hit format to winning the lottery. Interestingly, he claims that drama—Global Agency’s other major content pillar—is a much easier sell. “One in four of our dramas goes on to do well for us, which is a 25-percent hit rate. But with formats, it’s a lot tougher. Every year, we get pitched about 250 formats, but only about ten of those will be strong enough to add to our catalog. Out of those ten, perhaps two will go on to sell, which means you’ve got a 1-percent shot at success.

But even though the chances are low, if one of those two formats hits the jackpot, it’s a game-changer and will deliver revenue for years.”

There’s been much talk about the continued domination of the mega-format franchises, and the lack of new ideas strong enough to challenge their iron grip on global schedules. Where you stand on the question of mega-brands crowding out innovation appears to be linked to whether you are fortunate enough to own one. Those who do claim Banijay Rights’ Temptation Island has returned in a number of markets, including the U.S. 310 WORLD SCREEN 4/19

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The Story Lab is showcasing the celebrity travel adventure series No Sleep No Fomo.

doesn’t fit exactly into the slot criteria they’re looking for, then they’re not going to take a risk on it,” she says. Broadcasters will also wait to see how a format has performed in another market before deciding whether to commit. Tong references Rich House Poor House, which didn’t take off as a format until it had proved itself to be a ratings winner on both Channel 5 in the U.K. and SBS6 in the Netherlands. The show, in which families from opposite ends of the wealth spectrum trade places, has now been licensed in Belgium, Germany and Poland.

RISKY BUSINESS But Andrew Sime, the VP of formats at Banijay Rights, thinks a bit of risk-aversion is not a bad thing for the formats industry, since it serves to reinforce the value of their product. “We can help to reduce the risk by offering broadcasters a catalog of proven hits and the production expertise to execute them successfully and on budget,” he points out.

If the legacy broadcasters remain cautious, however, the SVOD platforms are far more willing to take risks, facilitated by deep pockets, an insatiable appetite for content and, significantly, freedom from scheduling and timeslot constraints. Sime notes that, while it’s still early days in terms of global SVOD commissions, demand is growing for formats across the major platforms as they seek to replicate their successes in scripted. Banijay Group–owned Bunim/Murray signed a multi-territory deal with Facebook Watch for its classic format The Real World.

“We shouldn’t be referring to [the streamers] like they are all the same,” adds Michael Iskas, president of The Story Lab Global, a division of Dentsu Aegis Network. “Different digital platforms are looking for different things—different formats, different lengths, different genres. We have started building relationships and have developed some ideas with the social platforms.”

Of note, The Story Lab UK and youngest Media collaborated on Date or Dump for the social network UNILAD. No Sleep No Fomo, meanwhile, was adapted for Asian OTT platform Viu.

“We are building relationships on the back of the needs that the streamers have in terms of their audiences,” Iskas notes.

Hat Trick’s Tong and Red Arrow’s Gamsu both cite the impact of the streamers on the traditional licensing models.

Gamsu says more value is being placed on rights and exclusivity as the market becomes ever more crowded and competitive, while Tong observes that the emergence of the VOD platforms has resulted in linear channels becoming less keen to share or window rights, on the understandable grounds that they don’t want to share their audiences.

STREAM ON But Gamsu reflects the general view when he says that the SVOD giants’ move into unscripted ultimately means more format buyers. Fremantle’s Clark calls it “nothing but good news—it’s a major market for us, and a market that didn’t exist five years ago.” Endemol Shine’s Perrin is also upbeat: “I think the SVODs riding into town and getting into unscripted and local-language content is super exciting. Yes, it’s challenging, because we have to engage with them in a different way, but we shouldn’t be frightened. For all of us in scripted and non-scripted, it’s a massive opportunity.”

Meanwhile, opinion is divided on the value of production hubs, which reached their zenith in the heyday of Wipeout and Fort Boyard. Clark says he’s never been a fan, other than for big, physical formats that require minimal emotional investment from the studio audience. “If the audience doesn’t understand the language, know the host and celebrities, or appreciate the eccentricities of the local contestants, it kills the show,” he adds.

But Red Arrow’s Gamsu says that the hub approach is being revisited as broadcasters look for smarter ways to stage the big visual productions that are back in fashion.

“We’re seeing more ideas where a hub model could be the solution to bring grander, more expensive shows to broadcasters of all sizes,” he adds. This resonates with Banijay’s Sime, who says hubs can reduce costs and simplify the production process for big-ticket formats with expensive sets,

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such as Survivor and Fort Boyard. “But for mid-range titles, a hub can be a false economy,” he cautions. “For all our productions, we work closely with the original producers and the new licensees to ensure we find the best solution.”

All, however, agree that partnerships are the bedrock of the formats industry, pivotal to creating shows that deliver both creatively and commercially. “Everybody needs to have genuine creative buy-in and be prepared to share the risk of a project,” says Red Arrow’s Gamsu of the symbiotic relationship between broadcasters, producers and distributors. “This also means that each partner, importantly, is able to enjoy the commercial upside.”

Sime reports that Banijay partnered with Korea’s SBS to create and develop the interactive music format Fan Wars.

He believes the marriage of SBS’s local cultural knowledge and creativity and Banijay’s international development expertise has been a significant factor in the show’s success. Now, Banijay’s global production and distribution network is being leveraged to roll the format out.

So where next for the formats industry? Live events? Realtime interactivity? A step-changing, earth-shaking Next Big Thing—or lots of next little things, to cater to the varied tastes of lots of little audiences? Endemol Shine’s Perrin thinks all bets are off. “The Next Big Thing could be a Marie Kondo-type show on Netflix or something classic like The Voice that catches fire Couples’ Party hails from Rabbit Films in Finland.

and blazes its way around the world. I’ll be very happy if the Next Big Thing looks like All Together Now, which was our fastest-traveling format of 2018.” From Endemol Shine-owned Remarkable Television in the U.K., the singing-talent format launched on BBC One last year and, at the last count, had sold into 12 territories, including Brazil and Australia.

NOW WHAT? “Daring creative ideas,” is the mantra at The Story Lab, Iskas says. “Strong creative ideas that bring something new to the audiences, to the broadcasters, the streamers and the market.

We always try to find simple and single-minded creative ideas that deliver pure entertainment but also have a visual DNA that sets them apart from the competition. Game of Clones, for example, has such a strong visual DNA. It’s been selling across the world.”

In today’s disrupted world, where the old-school entertainment brands are competing against any number of distractions, the Next Big Format feels increasingly like yesterday’s fantasy. “There’s such a variety of linear and digital platforms looking for such a diverse range of programming that I can’t see there being a future for one Next Big Thing,” says Hat Trick’s Tong. “What works for digital may not for linear and vice versa, plus there are so many niche channels.”

Red Arrow’s Gamsu takes a similar view. “The days of a new format traveling to 20-plus countries within a year of launch are long gone. The formats business has matured and it’s a slower build these days. The turnover of new formats is higher than ever, so getting broadcasters to stick with and grow a new show can be a challenge.”

For Red Arrow, the way forward is a mix of innovation and evolution, Gamsu adds. “We are always looking at how we can take a successful genre and move it forward with a different take or twist.”

Banijay’s Sime believes that, when it comes to live or topical entertainment, nothing beats the power and punch of television. “Big formats like Survivor can still bring countries to a standstill,” he says. While Sime concedes that smash hits are rarer these days, the demand for “great new formats” remains as strong as ever.

One contender from the Banijay stable is Brainpool’s Catch!, a sports event format—inspired by the classic children’s game—that is launching at MIPTV. “The games at the heart of Catch! are universally appealing and recognizable, and the show can be scaled up or down as required,” Sime says.

Scalability is also on Rob Clark’s mind, as he muses on the definition of the Next Big Thing, “When we talk about the Next Big Thing, I assume we mean a successful show that travels to a number of territories? My trouble with that is that the impetus behind a new format should never be world domination. It should be about making the right show for your audience. Then, if your audience likes it and you’ve followed certain rules—scalability, returnability, universality and content that’s transferable and promotable— you may have a successful format on your hands. So I don’t encourage people to think in terms of the Next Big Thing. We just concentrate on making the best shows we can.”

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all3media international’s Flirty Dancing.

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Kristin Brzoznowski checks in on the latest innovations in dance formats.

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rtistry and athleticism are on full display, creating moments that are both visually arresting and filled with emotion—these are qualities that a good dance show can deliver. With this come the benefits of reaching mass audiences, making noise in a schedule and creating a long-running franchise that can sit as a staple in a broadcaster’s grid for years to come. It’s no wonder, then, that producers and distributors have been looking to the dance floor to inspire the next big entertainment hit.

The resounding success of Dancing with the Stars in the global market is proof that dance-themed formats can translate into big business. The celebrity-filled ballroom spectacle has been going strong for well over a decade, and the show continues to anchor prime time on many channels around the world. And there’s a new crop of dance series ready to sashay their way into the hearts of viewers and up the ante on what audiences have come to expect.

“The thing with dance is, whether you’re a dancer or not, you can still relate to it; that’s why it’s such a great topic for an entertainment show,” says Amelia Brown, managing director of Fremantle’s Thames. “Even if you have two left feet, you can still appreciate someone who is a beautiful dancer and, most importantly, feel moved by it. That’s why dance has always been in favor.”

Thames teamed up with Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment on the buzzy dance talent show The Greatest Dancer. The format, which Fremantle hopes will follow in the footsteps of its other Syco co-produced megahits Got Talent and The X Factor, features dancers from all disciplines and shifts the focus to the human stories of those taking part. “It’s not just about the dance, it’s about the person and their experience

and having everyone be part of that experience,” says Brown, who serves as an executive producer on the BBC One series, which has been ordered for a second season.

“Throughout the show, it’s about what dance means to that person,” she adds. “It’s not necessarily about, is this the best dance routine you’ve ever seen; it’s about what makes the greatest dancer, and that could be a number of things. It could be how they tell their story, how they interpret the music or how they make the audience feel. All those elements help make The Greatest Dancer stand out.”

START A REVOLUTION

The stand-out element in Armoza Formats’ Dance Revolution is best described as “the revolution moment,” when stateof-the-art technology captures a 360-degree snapshot of each dancer’s most spectacular moves. The freeze-frame is used to showcase the dancer’s precise movements and form and reveals intricacies that empower the judges to make their decisions about the contestant’s fate in the competition.

“The key element here is that it was not created just to add to the production value; it’s an integral part of the storytelling of the format,” says Avi Armoza, CEO of Armoza Formats. “It’s a key tool for the judges to evaluate the dancer, and it’s a key moment from the point of view of the dancer to prove their capability and improve their dance from one stage to another.

The success of the format is its ability to integrate the technology and visual elements into the storytelling.”

The show was produced by Quebecor Content and Fair-Play for TVA in Canada, where it garnered around a 35-percent market share.

Meanwhile, the combination of dancing and dating drives the USP of all3media international’s Flirty Dancing format. “The contributors have a very different motivation from those taking part in other dance shows,” says 4/19 WORLD SCREEN 317

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Armoza Formats’ Dance Revolution uses state-of-the-art technology to capture a 360-degree snapshot of dancers in action.

Nick Smith, the company’s executive VP of formats. “They are not trying to win money or forge a career in dance; they are looking for love. There is much more on the line for them. They will generally not be as experienced dancers as you’ll see on other dance formats, but their nerves from performing publicly coupled with the tension from dancing with someone they have never met before, let alone danced with, brings another dimension to the format.”

DANCE TO ROMANCE

The dances in Flirty Dancing all take place in striking locations, “which gives a cinematic feeling to the show,” says Smith. “No matter how much money you spend on creating a beautiful set, it will always be an artificial environment. Being set in the real world adds to Flirty Dancing’s authenticity.”

The dancers in Keshet International’s Masters of Dance, meanwhile, are at the top of their game, delivering high-energy, physically-demanding performances in each show. “The athleticism is something that has really spoken to a lot of viewers,” says Kelly Wright, the company’s senior VP of distribution and new business. “Normally, when you say dance show, broadcasters think it’s a little bit niche, a little bit soft, a little bit too female-skewing. If you look at the demographics in Israel [on Keshet 12]—and to be fair, it is a female-skewing channel—we had 42 percent male viewers on a dance competition across 20 episodes. In Germany [where it aired on ProSieben], more men were watching the show than women. It’s opened up this incredible art to the masses. The fact that we’re able to reach a really strong male audience and attract them away from sports or other programming that airs at the exact same time as our primetime competition is unprecedented in the genre.”

Sports terminology is even part of the description of the format’s core components. “We have teams and coaches; it’s tournament-style, with battles and duels,” explains Wright. “It’s a language and format that speak to a wide audience. It’s not esoteric. It’s not artsy-fartsy. It’s really strong and impressive. The themes of the battles as

well bring out so much dynamic creativity on behalf of both the dancers and the dance masters that you watch it with your jaw on the floor.”

THE PERFECT PANEL The “dance masters” that she is referring to are also integral to the format. These professionals—established dancers or choreographers whose talent and expertise have earned international acclaim—are as involved and fiercely competitive as the dancers themselves. “It’s not a panel like you would see on other more generic talent shows, where the judges have zero skin in the game and are just sitting back saying ‘Oh nice, cool,’ ” says Wright.

“Here, it’s a dog-eat-dog competition between people who are extremely proud. They are perfectionists; they have super-specific aesthetic values that they want to see enacted perfectly on stage. They become so intensely involved in the competition. It’s not even necessarily about beating the other masters; it’s about bringing out the very best performance that they can onto the stage.”

Thames’s Brown shares a similar sentiment about what the panelists in a dance competition should bring to the table. “Credibility is number one,” she says, adding that it’s important to ensure that a range of dance styles are covered by those credible captains. Brown then lists passion and camaraderie as the next most essential qualities, trailed by the relationships and dynamics between them. “That’s touch and go because you never really know you’ve got that chemistry until you’re filming halfway through day one,” she says.

“When you get the mix right and the chemistry is right, that’s worth its weight in gold.”

Brown adds that it’s equally important for the hosts on a show like The Greatest Dancer to have credibility. Pepper in some charisma and it’s a winning combination. The caliber of those credible hosts, judges and mentors can also make “a massive difference in who wants to audition and the general vibe of the entire show,” she notes.

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A series the scale of The Greatest Dancer is positioned for prime time, though Brown adds that it could even play on the earlier side of the peak slots.

Armoza asserts that a show like Dance Revolution is a peaktime play, as it delivers family entertainment. “In terms of the budget and the ability of the broadcaster to recoup their investment, it’s most suitable for prime time,” he says.

BRAND PLANS Armoza, working with Omnicom Media Group-owned Highway Entertainment and Canadian broadcaster TVA, has come up with an innovative funding model for Dance Revolution to help with the costs. “The current reality of the TV market, and especially the commercial TV market, calls for a new model of investment and participation,” says Armoza. “Omnicom is able to provide any potential broadcaster with additional funding based on cooperation for unsold media. This gives broadcasters the added value of additional funding into the production of the show.”

Keshet International’s Wright echoes the idea that what works best for dance formats today are large-scale shows that do require substantial investment. “To replicate the show that we did in Israel, it’s a massive studio, two stages, there are CGI graphics, in-studio voting, a voting bar and everything,” she says. “That’s really the only way to showcase the scale of the dances as well.

They are all themed, so they use props and different costumes in every single dance in every battle. You need that kind of space to showcase a dance troupe. There’s no way of getting around that. But, the auditions are much more intimate. They’re hosted in a smaller space.”

Even though Flirty Dancing is relatively new to the marketplace, having launched on Channel 4 in the U.K. in January, there’s already talk about how the format can be built out, according to all3media international’s Smith. “We have clients excited about what they can do with the format, including incorporating the odd celebrity in their adaptations and special themed editions set around national holidays.”

The feel-good appeal of Flirty Dancing should pique broadcasters’ interest. “Much like a rom-com, audiences are left with a beam on their face (having potentially shed a few tears along the way),” he adds.

The show also rated strongly, particularly with the much-coveted younger demo, he says.

DRAWN TO THE DANCE FLOOR

Keshet International’s Masters of Dance is also a draw with younger viewers. On ProSieben, the series’ average share in the 14-to-29 segment was double that of the adult audience 30 to 49, Wright explains. With a VOD program running alongside the show, and video clips of performances that go viral, the format is able to reach these young audiences in a variety of ways.

“Technology, audience engagement, all those elements enable you to build a new language of communication with the viewers and engage them wherever they are,” adds Armoza.

The viral sharing of the “revolution moments” from Dance Revolution has also driven interest in the show, he says. “You can go on Instagram or Facebook and see stunning visual moments that connect with people. This is something that you want to watch again and again. It helps to strengthen the whole brand when you interact with it across all platforms.”

Syco Entertainment and Thames teamed up for BBC One’s The Greatest Dancer, which Fremantle is selling globally.

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TV FORMATS: I understand you discovered the show while out to dinner?

PLESTIS: I was at dinner with my wife and daughter. We went out to have Thai food. I still think to this day that if we had decided to have Indian or Mexican or Italian, there would be no Masked Singer right now! So we’re at a restaurant and my back is to the TV. My daughter said, Dad, look at this, there is the craziest thing on. I turned around and all the diners in this small restaurant were watching the TV screen. I saw a kangaroo in black pleather singing a pop song. At that moment I said, Oh my gosh, I love this! It was bizarre. It was flypaper. It was in a foreign language and you didn’t know what was going on, and it was still working. I found out that it was a hit format in Korea, it was a hit show in Thailand. And no one had the [U.S.] rights. It was so bizarre and so strange, I think people looked at it and said, That’s a crazy show, no one is going to buy that here. I got the rights fairly quickly, with the help of Steve Wohl at Paradigm. I called Rob Wade [president of alternative entertainment and specials] at FOX on a Friday night and said, I need to come in Monday. I was so passionate about it. I worked the whole weekend. I was pulling things off YouTube. I cut a reel. I pitched it and he loved it. FOX was the right home at the right time for this brand. Also, Rob Wade did Dancing with the Stars. Who thought ballroom dancing would work in the States?

That was a gamble that paid off.

TV FORMATS: Did you have to make adjustments to the format to make it more suitable for an American audience?

PLESTIS: We did. The Korean format has a smaller burst of people and one winner. And they carry over a King of Mask Singer every few episodes. I liked the idea of

By Mansha Daswani

D

escribed by fans and detractors alike as “bonkers,” “bizarre” and “wacky,” FOX’s The Masked Singer is arguably the buzziest new entry in the reality entertainment space in years. Although it’s not really new, having been driving conversation and ratings in Korea for years as King of Mask Singer, while a recent Thai adaptation scored an International Emmy nomination. Originated by MBC in Korea, the show was brought to America by Craig Plestis, whose production company, Smart Dog Media, is housed at Endemol Shine North America. The veteran producer—who helped launch America’s Got Talent, The Biggest Loser and Deal or No Deal, among other reality hits, when he ran alternative programming at NBC—shares with TV Formats his journey with The Masked Singer. Plestis also weighs in on how social media helped turn the quirky Asian format into one of FOX’s top-rated shows this season, with a second season already in the works.

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following a character, not eliminating one so quickly as the Korean format does. The outfits, first of all, are really expensive. I don’t want to spend a lot of money on an outfit and then it’s done! Also, I like the idea of figuring out who it is. There’s a scientist who did a video about why The Masked Singer works. It’s all about the idea of figuring out the mystery and uncovering that mystery and then seeing the results. Weeks go by and you get that pent-up energy—I need to figure it out! When the singer is revealed, it releases a huge amount of endorphins and you get a thrill that you were right in your calculations. This show follows that simple dynamic. And there’s the spectacle.

TV FORMATS: How did you go about finding your masked singers?

PLESTIS: It’s not as easy as you would think! The first season for formats is always difficult. And you have to wear a 100-pound outfit, a mask, and no one is going to

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know who you are! What worked in our favor is we cut a really good sizzle using the formats around the world. The people who said yes got it. They understood the idea of the mystery. They all had a reason to do it. They wanted to sing out of their genre or prove they could actually sing. And of course, it helps if you can say, look at the track record; it’s a huge hit in Korea, it’s a huge hit in Thailand. These celebrities are savvy. They took a look at the data in the same way the network did and said, OK, I’ll take a gamble as well. Our panel and hosts also took a chance on a fresh format.

TV FORMATS: How do you maintain the secrecy on set?

PLESTIS: We have a really big legal team! The NDAs are crazy. There’s a huge security task force. We have a small group of producers and a handful [of executives] at the network who know. We kept the circle of knowledge small. And when the unmasking happens, we ask the limited number of people in the audience to keep it quiet.

TV FORMATS: Do you think that the audience grew from week to week because new viewers were discovering the show on Twitter?

PLESTIS: This is a unique phenomenon that will change the course of what we do with TV shows and formats for a long time. It’s a new way to engage the viewer.

Even just a year ago it was easy to be passive and sit there and watch a performance and say if it’s good or bad. It’s not like that anymore. What we’ve done with the guessing game of who is under the mask has opened up a whole dialogue and engagement level,

online as well as on the couch. Families are watching and having debates at home. You have to do that for viewers, especially on a broadcast level. How do you get them to engage? Luckily, we figured it out.

TV FORMATS: What are the major lessons from season one that you will bring to season two?

PLESTIS: We’re going to have a brand-new set of characters. You’ll see even more bizarre outfits. And even more bizarre choreography and performances. And we’ll be keeping that guessing game alive in season two. Do we give as many clues out as we did in season one? We don’t want to make it so difficult that no one guesses it. If you watch a clue package hard enough, you can figure it out. If you want to be an armchair detective, I want to give you all the tools to figure out who is underneath the mask. And we’ll keep it fun.

We live in such a divisive world right now. With everything going on in the news, it’s nice to take an hour out of your life to sit with your family and watch a show together, have fun, yell at the TV screen. This is the one show everyone can watch together.

TV FORMATS: Are you looking for other undiscovered gems on the international market?

PLESTIS: There are a lot of good formats and a lot of bad formats. Sometimes it’s not always 100 percent. You look for the magic ingredient that no one has done before or has been reinvented in a fresh way. I have a few already that I’m working on from Asia.

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he format business at BBC Studios has long been defined by big, prime-time, family-friendly entertainment brands like Dancing with the Stars and The Great Bake Off, not to mention game-show staples such as The Weakest Link. In the last year, however, the company’s trade in scripted formats has been booming, with adaptations of hit dramas like Life on Mars, Doctor Foster and Mistresses, and continued interest in The Office. As creative director for formats at BBC Studios, Sumi Connock is working across a range of genres, aligning with sister production houses and independents to feed the needs of broadcasters and platforms worldwide. She tells TV Formats about new trends in the market and her approach to rebooting classic brands.

By Mansha Daswani

TV FORMATS: It’s been a year since the BBC Studios and BBC Worldwide merger. What have been some of the significant benefits for your format business?

CONNOCK: We work much more closely with all our global production offices. It’s about having a real creative network and creative hub, particularly in the territories that are originating and developing for themselves, so the U.S., the U.K. and Australia. Working closely together has been great. We have new genre managing directors, with Suzy Lamb coming into entertainment and Hannah Wyatt coming into factual entertainment. It’s been great to have big new creative minds coming into Studios.

And we’ve had new indie partners, like Expectation Entertainment, Peter Fincham’s company with Tim Hincks. They have some brilliant new things going on.

TV FORMATS: What trends in the market are you meeting with your new format slate?

CONNOCK: We’re seeing a big rise in factual entertainment with a purpose. We have Our Dementia Choir, which is all about using musical therapy to improve the lives of people who have dementia. One of our big titles for MIPTV is Life After Prison (working title). It follows a group of exconvicts as they leave prison during their first year on the outside. [In the U.K.] of every 100 people released from prison, 50 percent of them will be back inside prison within 12 months. Flicker Productions in the U.K. has done this brave look at ex-convicts [for Channel 4]. It’s really emotional, human stories. There is a lot of self-shot footage. It’s a fascinating insight. We have three new factualentertainment formats we’ll be talking about at MIPTV. Dating and relationships is a theme that is always in demand. What are the new ways of looking at it? We’ve

acquired Dating Detectives, which is a Zig Zag format, a pilot for CJ ENM in Korea. What is the twist on dating?

We get real-life detectives and use their skills to look at potential partners—hidden-camera filming, cutting-edge forensics, interrogations, psychological profiling. It’s pretty intense! Again on the relationship side, we have Couples on the Couch, which is a BBC Studios production for BBC Three, so slightly younger-skewing. It’s real-life couples bringing their sexual and emotional issues into a specially created clinic where they can have some therapy. We’ll also have footage of them in the car journey on the way to their first appointment.

They’ll also meet other couples in the waiting room of the clinic. After their first session, they’ll be sent away with their “homework.” They will do some personal video diaries at home. They’ll come back in and each see the therapist individually. Then they have a third visit to talk about the impact of the therapy and the next steps.

In the Instagram world, everybody thinks everyone else has perfect lives and perfect sex lives and their bodies are amazing. That is putting a lot of pressure on young people. [The format features] refreshing, open and honest discussions about their sex lives and their relationships and what they want from each other.

In the daily strippable space, we have a BBC series for BBC One called Home Is Where the Art Is. It’s an accessible way to do art. Each episode follows one couple looking to get a piece of art for their home. They have a budget they want to spend. We have three prospective artists from the local area who come and visit the house.

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BBC Studios has stepped up its trade in scripted formats, among them Doctor Foster.

to make their piece of art, one of them gets it bought. It’s a lovely, warm, creative show, bringing some infotainment into the home.

There’s been quite a big rise in physical game shows. With those game shows, it’s about how you keep the audience engaged. We’ve got two or three in development. It’s something I’m seeing quite a lot of from all of our creatives when they come and talk about their slates.

TV FORMATS: You’ve had a lot of scripted formats activity lately. What’s driving that side of your business?

CONNOCK: In terms of scripted, we are going from strength to strength. We had a huge rise in our scripted formats, particularly in Asia. We are the number one non-Asian distributor of scripted formats in Asia. Life on Mars is huge for us. We did it in Korea. It was on a pay-TV channel and was number one in its time slot across the country. It’s a brilliant adaptation. We’re doing Life on Mars in China. We did the first adaptation of Doctor Foster in France for TF1. It peaked at 6.1 million viewers, won its time slot; it was 84 percent up on the competition and number one for adults 18 to 34.

They are a slightly slower burn in terms of speed of travel. Our biggest scripted formats are Life on Mars, Luther, Doctor Foster, The Office and Criminal Justice.

Big characters are working. Dr. Gemma Foster, David Brent, Gene Hunt, John Luther. Same with Thirteen and Ivy Moxam. That’s one that we will see beginning to travel more.

TV FORMATS: How are you dusting off classic brands in the BBC library to introduce them to a new generation of viewers?

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CONNOCK: There are two different ways that can happen.

Suzy Lamb has a real track record of doing heritage reboots. She was previously at Thames, where she did The Price Is Right and All Star Family Fortunes. Originally when she was at the BBC she worked on a lot of heritage titles. We brought back The Weakest Link for a Christmas special in the U.K.—that performed really well. So sometimes it’s because someone in the U.K. wants to bring a show back out. Elsewhere we work with our creative networks team. We say, What is the demand out there at the moment? We know game shows are in demand. We know there have been lots of reboots. So we will re-look at the materials and we’ll start talking to the international production territories. Can we take one of these tentpole titles and put it back into the market? We’ll think about what we could do, how it could be refreshed. Weakest Link came back in France. At Showcase we announced that RTL 4 in the Netherlands is bringing Weakest Link back. Cyprus did 360 episodes. They brought it back with a slightly more comedic host, so it didn’t go down the stern, dismissive route. It was more sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek, a bit more playful. That has done brilliantly well in Cyprus and it’s coming back in other territories as well.

TV FORMATS: What excites you most about what’s happening in the entertainment format space today?

CONNOCK: I like that some broadcasters are taking risks.

It’s not our format, but I really like The Masked Singer.

It’s just completely bonkers but warm and playful. It has a panel, but it’s not three judges in chairs! It’s a playalong game. What’s exciting about that show is that broadcasters are willing to take risks. Similarly with physical game shows. The universal themes of dating, food and relationships are still there, but it’s always interesting to see what that little twist is.

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