FORMATS THAT PUSH YOUR LIMITS!

One brand new competition show and two localisations

One of the main trends for 2025, which is set to continue into 2026 and is described in our report (available free of charge to Friday’s Espresso subscribers), is called PUSH YOUR LIMITS! These are formats designed to ‘push participants beyond their limits’ in many different ways, some of which are really ‘creative’. Below are two examples of this type, one brand new and the other a new localisation of a key feature of this trend.

PLAYING FOOTBALL AND SURVIVING ON THE ISLAND

On 29 March, Videoland, the Dutch OTT online service provider owned by RTL Nederland, will premiere Football Island, with the first two episodes being released on launch day. The format was announced at the last MipCom and will be officially presented at the upcoming London TV Screenings. It is created and produced by Banijay Entertainment’s SimpelZodiak in partnership with Southfields, who bring their expertise in sports production to the project.

The concept is simple: eleven former Dutch footballers (among them Frank de Boer and Wesley Sneijder) sign up for a tropical adventure and are dropped into a remote tropical location in the Dominican Republic. There, they exchange their luxurious lives for a back-to-basics existence.

In football-inspired matches, the men – some of whom were once fierce rivals – must form alliances, battle the elements and prove who still has the determination to win, facing off in challenges that often push them far beyond their comfort zones. Relegation and promotion duels follow one another in rapid succession. Those who lose see their adventure come to an end, returning home without a contract.

It remains to be seen whether football forms part of the format’s core mechanics, as it appears to, and so it’s a real and interesting twist, or if it is merely a superficial addition to give identity to a well-worn theme, such as survival on a desert island.

BELGIAN BOXES

One of the most interesting formats from last year, which was also one of the most successful and award-winning, is the Norwegian Boksen (The Box), created and distributed by Seefood TV, and broadcast on TV2 in January, hosted by the famous actor Mads Hansen (also a former footballer ;).

The format is an excellent example of how to push participants to their limits. Twelve celebrities are placed in separate boxes, unaware of their location or what to expect. When the door opens, they find themselves in the middle of a challenge. They must work out what the task is and how to complete it without receiving any prior information.

At the end of each episode, two contestants face each other in a duel where only one of them will remain in the game. The last person standing will be the winner of ‘The Box’. Throughout the series, as well as facing the challenges themselves, they will confront one of mankind’s most fundamental emotions: the fear of the unknown.

The Box had several localisations and options in 2025 (Denmark, Finland, the UK and Spain, among others). The news is that Belgian commercial broadcaster VTM will now be adapting it, featuring ‘civilians’ (an unfortunate term for non-celebrities). A ‘civilian’ version for Sweden’s TV4 was announced last year, but VTM’s adaptation will air first later this year. If these two versions are also successful, The Box will ‘officially’ become one of the most important formats of this period.

The exclusive report 10+1 GLOBAL FORMAT TRENDS, is available FREE of charge to all Friday’s Espresso subscribers.

Request your copy by writing in the comments or sending an email to axel@formatespresso.com

99 TO ESTONIA

As shown in the report, the trend of ‘Massive Games’, i.e. spectacular games with 100 or more competitors, was also one of the most important trends last year.

Generally, games of this type are quizzes or require logical thinking (see, for example, The Floor or The 1% Club). However, one of the first — and personally one of my favourites — consists of physical challenges. It’s 99 to Beat. Created by Belgian broadcaster VRT in collaboration with production company De Chinezen, and distributed by Primitives, this format is currently in its seventh production season on VRT in Belgium, where it launched in 2019. It has also spawned local versions in 12 other territories, including Germany (Sat.1), the USA (FOX), Italy (RAI), France (M6), the UK (ITV1), and the Netherlands (Talpa Network/SBS6).

And now, Primitives has licensed a first season of 99 to Beat for TV3 Estonia. Locally titled Parem kui 99, with the premiere set for Sunday, 1 March 2026.

99 to Beat is a game show with a simple, straightforward concept that explains its international success. One hundred contestants compete in a series of challenges, with only one rule: don’t come last. After each challenge, the loser must leave, with the competition counting down from 100 to just one. The last person standing will take home the grand prize.

Of course, the challenges themselves are one of the programme’s strengths, as they are always varied and entertaining, with some being more ‘epic’ and full of suspense, while others are more ‘minimalist’, but always exciting. For example, there’s a giant volleyball match, a balloon-knocking challenge with rubber bands, a search for the T-shirt with your name on it, a mission to peel a potato to the longest possible peel, a race to knock down an inflatable skittle with a wheelie bin, and a roll-a-can challenge using a ball in a pouch.... In short, 99 fun challenges to enjoy with.

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NEWS IN A NUTSHELL

• Primitives, the Belgium-headquartered specialist formats distributor, has closed a brand-new European deal for the quiz format The Smartest Person in the World. Poland’s public broadcaster TVP has commissioned a first season of the format which will air locally under the title Omnibus. The Polish adaptation is set to launch on March 3rd 2026 on TVP1 and is being produced by Rochstar.

• Polish public broadcaster TVP has closed a deal to adapt quizshow format The Smartest Person in the World. Rochstar is producing TVP’s version of the quiz, titled Omnibus, which will launch on March 3 on TVP1. Belgium-headquartered specialist formats distributor Primitives shops the show internationally.

• RTL Croatia is set to adapt two unscripted formats from ITV Studios, Love Island and Game of Chefs. Love Island, originally produced by ITV-owned Lifted Entertainment and WPP Media-owned Motion Entertainment, follows a group of singles as they couple up, recouple and face eliminations in villa. Meanwhile, Game of Chefs pits three elite chefs against one another as they each build a team of amateur cooks through blind-tasting auditions conducted via a conveyor belt. The series was first produced by Endemol Israel.

• The Hispanic network Telemundo acquired the rights to adapt the Spanish format Operación Triunfo, with plans to launch a local version later this year.First broadcast in 2001 on RTVE, Operación Triunfo is one of the most successful Spanish formats of all time. In addition to its 13 seasons in Spain (where it was also broadcast by Telecinco and is currently available on Prime Video), the format has had multiple international adaptations. This will be the first time it has been adapted for Hispanic America.

• Spanish public broadcaster RTVE has unveiled Sukha, a new live magazine programme for La 2’s afternoon schedule starting in February. Key elements of the new programme will include the use of multiple screens, live connections, round tables and debates on current affairs, contributions from experts, new formats, live culture and art, and interaction with the audience.

The exclusive report 10+1 GLOBAL FORMAT TRENDS, is available FREE of charge to all Friday’s Espresso subscribers.

Request your copy by writing in the comments or sending an email to axel@formatespresso.com