1. THE KOREAN EXCEPTION
In the general stagnation of unscripted (and of creativity in general), Korea is a positive exception. New formats continue to be launched - and to be sold around the world. All this thanks to a mix of a carefully planned strategy and openness to novelty.
Firstly, KOCCA, The Korean Creative Content Agency, established in 2009, is a powerful government agency and coordinates and promotes the Korean content industry. Secondly, according to Jin Woo Hwang, co-founder/executive producer/president of Something Special “Korean viewers are possibly the most dynamic audience in the world, [and] change their viewing habits so often that even new hit shows find difficulty in surviving more than three seasons”.
Two recent examples: the physical game show You Picked the Wrong, from Something Special, was the winner of the 2022 BCWW (Broadcast WorldWide convention, Asia’s largest broadcasting content market) International Format Pitch Competition and it has been confirmed for production this year.
The rules are quite simple. Before each of the 5 rounds, some keywords are revealed to the main contestant; the keywords contain clues about the game she or he will play. Then the contestant must choose who they’re going to face off against among the 10 mystery players on the basis of a few clues (age, profession…). The point is that it is better not to judge a book by its cover…
The second one is The Wedding War, that the prodco CJ ENM is launching on July 2 on tvN, its own channel in the region (so, a kind of private platform where they test their contents).
The format, from co-creators Kang Sook-kyung (Physical: 100, Netflix) and Lee Won-woong (Steel Troops, Channel A), takes engaged couples from various backgrounds on a journey to prove their trust and love, with the ultimate goal of marriage. In a country where marriage rates have fallen sharply, which couple will tie the knot and win KRW290m (US$225,000)?
Maybe the rest of the world should limit their ultra-conservative strategy a bit and invest more in original contents instead of umpteen reboots…
2. RENOVATION HULU
Hulu, the streaming service majority-owned by Disney with Comcast, is going to add a number of brand-new unscripted series to its slate. The most interesting ones are two “renovation factuals”, which are always one of the most beloved sub-genre in the factual landscape.
Big RV Remix, the first one, scheduled to premiere on July 21, is about “car renovation” and takes its title from the America rapper Big Boi (Antwan André Patton) who, together with his business partner Janice Faison, hosts a kind of spin-off of the ultra-classic MTV’s Pimp My Ride.
Big Boi and Janice (pic) own Celebrity Trailers, a company that specializes in extravagant and luxurious do-overs for large vehicles, and in the upcoming series we’ll follow the pair as they help their clients reimagine their transport devices, with surprising results.
The series is produced by Six West Media group and Milojo Productions.
The second one, Rachael Ray’s Rebuild, is a classic “home renovation”, but with an emotional twist. The tv personality Rachael Ray (pic) teams up with contractor Anthony Carrino (Kitchen Cousins) to help families whose homes have been destroyed by weather events, fires, or other disasters, recover from the tragedies. They will not only be renovating and remodeling but will also help them move forward as they rebuild their lives and create the forever home of their dreams.
The format has an autobiographical slant, since Rachael’s life changed forever when her home and all her belongings were burned to the ground in a fire, inspiring her to rebuild her dream home and realize how important home is to her.
The series is produced by Six West Media group in association with Intentional Content and Watch Entertainment and will stream later this year.
3. THE BUDAPEST DERBY
NATPE Budapest ended yesterday. Less than a week later, Tuesday 27th June, in the same city, Content Budapest will start. The veteran Tibor Forizs, Content Professional in CEE, wrote for Friday’s Espresso this enlightening article about it.
“UNITED WE FALL, DIVIDED WE STAND?
Less than a year ago we stumbled upon the very alarming news that NATPE Budapest might not happen again. The international content market group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in US due to the financial impact of pandemic-era event cancellations.
Dazed and confused, myself and other CEE veterans in the business were eagerly guessing what comes next. Will there be another NATPE or any kind of other content market designed specifically for the region? Will Budapest keep its crown or maybe Warsaw or Prague will prevail as the next hot destination? Earlier this year two big announcements hit the press one after another. Brunico acquired the assets of NATPE and confirmed that the Budapest event will run as nothing have happened from June 26-28 at the Intercontinental Hotel.
Then, C21 came with the idea of a new content conference and market, called Content Budapest with the aim to replicate the success of its yearly London based showcase in the Kempinski Hotel and literally set the same date for its first edition (June 27-29).
I was among the first executives who happily shared both news on my LinkedIn profile truly believing that these two events of great calibre will unite forces to create the best new entry of a reinvigorated market and conference in Budapest.
Instead everyone potentially interested found out quickly that there will be two rival events one week after another in the beautiful city separated by the Danube river, and an amazing bid to attract key delegates started.
This soon started to become a strange fight between a traditional trade market (NATPE) and another one which describes itself as a must attend innovative event (Content Budapest) that considers bringing a fresh perspective to the Central & Eastern European market.
Being a resident of Budapest for almost 35 years, this agile attitude of the two parties to introduce not one but two key events to my beloved city was flattering at the beginning. I was sure that the two organizers will shortly get to a healthy agreement to bring their assets under one roof. Instead, the more conservative one decided to move its date earlier with one week (June 19-22), while the other proudly announced it will not give up the space claiming a progressive and fresh attitude.
It must be made clear what hangs in the balance: these two events can and should co-exist in the future in the same slot (or even under one roof) exactly because of their different approach. NATPE is a more conservative strategist that believes in a traditional buy and sell marketplace. On the other hand, C21 wishes to reform this attitude by introducing a strong conference agenda with a clear focus on coproduction business across CEE.
Who will win (if anyone), it’s not clear at the moment, however everybody must understand the fact that content distributors and buyers in the region still want to do business the old way, and they are not moved by any reforms, while a conference with exciting and innovative themes, panels and presentations will capture the mind of producers, commisioners and developing executives whose agenda is completely different.
United we stand, divided we fall”.