LONDON SCREENINGS: a must-attend market
Real-Comedy: the funny side of reality - Food, food & food
LONDON SCREENINGS: a must-attend spring market
An insight into London Screenings (that took place from 26th February to 1st March) by creative media consultant David Ciaramella.
“A record number of buyers flocked to the London Screenings once again last week to bear witness to a raft of programming across all genres being served up at events hosted by around 30 distributors. But despite the event's exponential growth in recent years, it continues to provide ample opportunities for meaningful engagements between buyers and sellers.
Amidst the success, whispers have been circulating for years about a potential new destination for MIPTV, and London seems to be a contender. However, skepticism lingers about how such a move would work and how RX could monetise it effectively.
The prevailing commissioning environment has significantly influenced the emergence of novel formats, with distributors adapting to global challenges by emphasising the necessity of cost-effective content. Broadcasters are redirecting their attention towards a more focused approach, prioritising fewer but impactful and high-quality titles.
Away from the current wave of intellectual reality formats circling the market (a la The Traitors), attendees were treated to shouty propositions such as Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters (ITV Studios) - in which celebrities will face their fear of sharks head-on - and smaller factual formats like Born from the Same Stranger (WBTVD), which traces the relatives of people born from the same donor, who might have multiple siblings they never knew existed.
The week was also rife with commissioning news, such as Banijay’s announcement that The Summit has travelled to CBS, and rumours surrounding a multi-territory deal between the production giant and distributor Lineup Industries for Interview with History were realised too. Banijay has secured rights to produce this hybrid format for multiple territories including Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and the UK, with a separate agreement in place with Creative Ventures to introduce the format to the UAE.
So, while there weren’t quite as many new formats gracing the event, the London Screenings has solidified its status as a must-attend spring market.”
REAL-COMEDY: the funny side of reality
Presented at the last MipCom of Cannes (see FE 27th Oct), Josh Must Win (soon to E4 and to stream on Channel 4) is a reality co-produced by Primal Media (part of STV Studios) and GroupM Motion Entertainment, but with a really strong twist.
A group of strenuous participants believe they are competing in a popularity contest called “The Favourite”, hosted by the British presenter Nick Grimshaws and set in a unique environment. Among them there is Alan (Josh), who is deliberately set up as the antithesis of typical reality show contestants: shy and a bit clumsy.
What none of the contestants knows is that living next door is a group of 4 celebrities, masterminding their own game of strategy, and doing everything they can to ensure that Josh must win – without blowing their cover. They will act as ‘producers’ and will do everything they can to influence the game – by setting tasks, introducing jaw-dropping format twists, mastering the art of manipulation and using all they’ve learnt about reality shows and popularity to ensure Josh’s triumph.
But can Josh win without him or any of the players discovering the truth?
The twist is actually not so new: it’s the basis of the “classical” American fake-reality The Joe Schmo Show (2003, see FE 26th May), of which a 20th anniversary reboot was produced last year. However, we must say that there is a significant variation in this new version: the whole cast is unaware about what is going on. And in any case who cares: it’s funny!
FOOD, FOOD & FOOD
Food - in all its declinations - continues to be one of the protagonists of the unscripted contents all around the world. In the past few days a number of food formats and factuals have been announced almost simultaneously.
The most original one is 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, produced by Lando Entertainment, premiering on Food Network on April 14. The show, described as “a combination of a culinary marathon and a social experiment”, sees 24 chefs taking on 24 food challenges in 24 consecutive, non-stop hours. At the end of the day, the chef who cooked the best for the longest time and outlasted the competition will win US$50,000 and a trip.
Also Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain, produced by South Shore and Bone Soup for ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player, that will broadcast later in 2024, seems to be quite interesting. The Michelin-starred chef (pic) embarking on a road trip in a remodelled 1950’s food truck: from Cornish fisherman to Scottish fruit farmers, Tom calls in on producers to work alongside them and learn their secrets before cooking their dedicated teams a well-earned meal.
Another example of “trav-food” trend, i.e. formats/factuals combining travel show and food (see for example FE 19th Jan), is a program to be on air this fall, always on ITV, that does not yet have a title. The Take That star Gary Barlow (pic) will travel across South Africa visiting a number of vineyards to discover wines and local recipes.
And finally, FOX has renewed Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars, produced by Studio Ramsay Global, for a second season. In the new season, the star-chef Gordon Ramsay will recruit a new group of U.S. food and beverage industry professionals. They will be put through various challenges designed to showcase their skills as he searches for the next great culinary entrepreneur.
Different recipes for the same format ingredient: food.
NEWS IN A NUTSHELL
Talpa Studios’ The Quiz With Balls is making its way to Spain via Atresmedia on Antena 3. After the Netherlands and the USA, Spain will be the third market for the format.
The Song, a brand new musical game show is premiering on the French channel NRJ12 this spring. The host is the French musician Keen'V.
Prime Video has struck an exclusive second-window deal with FOX for the forthcoming U.S. version of the English game-show The 1% Club, which will see each episode of the show broadcast on the network after its streaming debut on the Amazon platform.
FOX has picked up The Real Full Monty, a two-hour special inspired by the 1997 film and based on the popular British unscripted format, in which celebrities strip to raise money for cancer charities.
Survivor returns this week on the Spanish Telecinco, produced for the first time by Cuarzo Producciones, part of Banijay Iberia, in collaboration with Mediaset España.
The Belgian hybrid format Interview with History, that combines documentary and drama featuring modern interviews with influential figures from history, has been picked up Banijay for multiple territories, including Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Portugal and the UK. Lineup Industries also signed a separate deal to bring the format to the United Arab Emirates.
