Game On! International game show formats offer broadcasters another Cancon option

More and more broadcasters are turning to pre-existing television show formats (think Canadian Idol) to fill their programming schedules, and the trend seems to be on the rise. Why not? International formats are often fun, innovative, and almost a sure bet to draw viewers. "Broadcasters want shows that resonate with audiences and attract them in droves," said Lisa Clarkson, the CBC's senior director of business, rights and content management, English television, to kick off the Creating the Next Hit Format panel session on the final day of last week's Banff World Television Festival. "One way to do this is by using popular formats from other countries." The CBC is no stranger to format television. It's popular business pitch session series, Dragon's Den, originated in Japan and has also been produced in the UK, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Israel. And its Sound of Music talent competition program How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, which premiered last night, is based on the UK series of the same name. The list goes on, and includes Canada's other broadcasters - Global Television's Project Runway Canada and CTV's Idol are just two more format shows. The Banff panel predicted the climate is right for the use of foreign formats, particularly game shows, to increase. "The game show is back because of the economic climate," said Justin Sroggie, series producer, TV format devisor and author. "If viewers' lives are troubling they want more fantasy, they don't want shows about fixing up their house. It's about escapism." Game shows are one of the easiest, if not the easiest, formats to replicate in other countries. For instance, Deal or No Deal was produced in 40 territories before being licensed in the US. One of the reasons the show has been so widely popular is the format owner allows each territory some creative freedom when producing their own version. But that wasn't always the case. "We resisted changes to Deal or No Deal at first, then decided to give all the territories the freedom to add local tastes," said Dick de Rijk, creative commercial director at Dick de Rijk Productions. "We realized the format is not about corporate identity or the set. It's about the format....If someone comes to us to licence the Wheel of Fortune format and they want the wheel to be square, we'll make a square wheel."Mining other countries for the new hit format showWith game show popularity increasing, broadcasters are turning to other countries for new formats to replicate, and producers are envisioning developing that next hit series. The Banff panel was preceded by a seven-minute reel of new game show formats being developed around the world. They included: the UK series Relentless, where the contestant has to answer a series of questions over the course of two days, which can be asked anywhere at anytime, like over the loudspeaker in a subway station; and the Japanese show Silent Library, where a group of friends pull pranks on each other to try to elicit a loud response in an actual library. Both shows represent a significant departure from traditional question-and-answer formats. "The shows today are much more interesting than having a host stand behind a podium," said Paul Gilbert senior VP of international formats at CBS Paramount. Indeed, the panel agreed that the new mantra for game shows is ‘Take a risk. Have fun. Get lucky.' They also agreed that simplicity works best. "You have to be able to explain the show to an 85-year-old lady in 15 minutes," said de Rijk. "Very expensive watches tend to be very simple," added Sroggie. "They pretty much only tell time, but you know there's a lot of complex mechanisms at work underneath." But, he continued, developing the proper host-contestant-game formula is key. "The balance is creating a controlled environment by putting the contestants in charge of the game. Contestants used to be cannon fodder; they were used so the show could exist. Now they are the stars." The implication for Canada is foreign formats provide broadcasters an opportunity to air a show that has proven itself with audiences in other markets, but when versioned as Canadian counts towards their content requirements. On the other end, hitting on the right format, especially with a game show, could allow producers to sell their format worldwide, and for many years. The gold standard for this is Wheel of Fortune, which has been produced in more than 30 countries for decades and still continues to be purchased as a format.

Game On! International game show formats offer broadcasters another Cancon option

Broadcast | June 16, 2008

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