NEW WAYS FOR FORMATS
You Tube, Gaming, Tik Tok, Instagram & more
TV + GAMING + YOU TUBE
In the new television system, the relentless search for new content and strategies to capture younger audiences will be driven by hybridism. We have analysed the trend of using YouTube as a 'reservoir/incubator' for new content for traditional networks and other SVoD platforms several times already. In India, Banijay Asia has taken this a step further by adding gaming to the mix, announcing a strategic partnership with India-headquartered Nodwin Gaming.
The partnership will see the companies collaborate to create new scripted and unscripted programming in the region, co-developing new IPs across gaming, esports and youth culture. As part of the agreement, Banijay Asia will take over production duties on Nodwin’s gaming competition series Playground, available on the show’s YouTube channel (which has almost 2,5 mio of subscribers), with the aim of scaling the IP for the international market.
Playground features four teams of esports players competing in both casual and pro-level games, with each squad led by a prominent name in India’s YouTube and gaming community. Each episode sees a group of contestants competing in various gaming challenges across a diverse selection of video games, ranging from classic retro games to modern multiplayer faves.
To be honest, the format itself does not seem very interesting (similar formats have been made before without much success on TV). However, the overall operation does.
MONEY (& PLATFORMS) FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
However, the new television system does not have any set formulas, and alliances and cross-platform operations change over time. Channel 4, for example, has partnered with the global data and technology company Experian for its new format Credit 101, produced by Goat Films and now available on Channel 4's YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Credit 101 is a short-form series that provides social natives with handy, bite-sized financial guidance to empower them to manage their money and make credit knowledge more accessible to a younger audience. Comedian Mike Wozniak (pictured) has challenged himself to present facts and tips about money in a fun and ambitious way. In this 'Beginner's Guide to...', he talks you through each area, covering everything from credit to loans and mortgages.
Credit 101 coincides with research that suggested 73% of people in the UK fall below the financial literacy levels in 2023. Also, 39% of households were in ‘serious financial difficulties’ or ‘struggling’ financially according to a study from Abrdn Financial Fairness Tracker, ONS in May 2024. This suggests an increase of 11% since April 2020. Making the launch of Credit 101 more timely as it will equip people with the knowledge, they need to help them take control of their money.
As in the previous case, it is not the content itself that is interesting — ultimately, it is nothing more than a financial tutorial — but rather the operation itself, and the search for new synergies and alliances in order to stand out in an increasingly complex and interconnected media landscape.
DOG’S TRAITORS
Let's go back to traditional formats. As we all know, one of the biggest breakout hits in recent years is undoubtedly The Traitors, which has been adapted in 30 countries worldwide and won countless awards in under five years. Created by All3Media's IDTV and sold by All3Media International, the series first aired on the Dutch commercial channel RTL 4 in 2021 under the original title De Verraders. Its blend of psychological gameplay, physical challenges and themes of treachery and the breakdown of trust has led to adaptations across the globe.
This format has also created a real trend that we could call 'traitor style' or 'psycho format'. The examples are countless: The Inheritance (FE - 11 February), Cutthroat Kitchen (FE - 18 April), Knives Out (FE - 25 April), Got to Get Out (FE - 2 May), Les Loups-Garous/Werewolves (FE 1st Nov 2024 – 2 May), and many more. The latest addition to the list is The Detective Club, produced by Banijay France's B. Prod, which will be broadcast on French channels W9 and M6+ next month.
The concept is a simple variation on the usual and well-established theme: 18 celebrities are invited by a mysterious host. When the host’s beloved dog, Kiki, goes missing, the guests embark on a thrilling investigation to find the two culprits hidden among them. Throughout the game, the celebrities must collect clues and withstand interrogation in order to solve the mystery. At the end of each episode, the contestants must name their prime suspect. However, the dog nappers have the power to eliminate a fellow player each round, and there is €20,000 at stake.
The most interesting aspect appears to be the tone of the format, which is fun and light-hearted, in contrasts with the original's mysterious and somewhat gloomy tone.
NEWS IN A NUTSHELL
Chilean broadcaster Canal 13 has signed veteran Argentine producer Marcos Gorbán for its new reality show Mundos opuestos, ¿de qué lado estás? (Opposite worlds, which side are you on?).
Netflix is preparing to release Jugando con Fuego: Spain (Playing with fire: Spain) the first Spanish edition of its original reality show, Too Hot to Handle. Produced by Fremantle Spain, the show will be released worldwide on 13 June.
BBC One has commissioned The Marvelous Miniatures Workshop, which is being produced by MGM Alternative UK. In the series, professional model makers will bring important places, moments and memories from people’s pasts back to life using intricately detailed miniature models.
Channel 4 has ordered the new docuseries, Secrets of Supercruisers (w/t), that will chronicle the voyages of two luxury cruise vessels. Produced by Crackit TV, the series will go below decks with the Holland America Line’s MS Rotterdam and MS Nieuw Statendam (each of which can comfortably accommodate nearly 2,700 guests) across three cruises, taking in the sights around the Caribbean, South America, North Africa and the Canary Islands.
Another casting tour for Love Island USA has begun, with a pop-up villa where fans can record a casting tape to be considered for an upcoming season of the hit show appearing across the U.S.
Polish channel TTV, owned by Warner Bros Discovery and broadcaster TVN, is rebooting US gameshow Let’s Make a Deal. Locally titled Idź na całość! (Go For It), the format first aired in Poland from 1997 to 2001 and will return this fall.
And finally Germany’s Sat.1 has commissioned the new reality competition format Villa of Temptations, produced by Banijay Productions Germany. But we will discuss the latter in more detail in the next issue…
Another brilliant newsletter, Axel - thank you. So much news and information packed in there - I don't know how you do it !