Mipcom 2013: searching for the next format hit

Through these days of Mipcom, Prensario has interviewed more than 100 buyers worldwide. Most of them, have agreed: ‘We are looking for the next big entertainment format… and it is difficult because there are no many fresh ideas’.

The current big hit worldwide is undoubtedly Dutch Talpa’s The Voice, beyond the usual hits of FremantleMedia, Endemol, ITV and other format titans. From every three buyers consulted, one stresses its recent huge success. What’s next?

Maarten Meijs, head of Talpa Distribution: ‘Our latest format hit in Holland is Buddy for hire, based on the movie Untouchable friends, where a lazy young boy learns life sense helping a handicap man. It is a social-factual show… to look for great movie plots at real life situations, is a good option nowadays’.

Ute Biernat, CEO at UFA Show & Factual (Germany): ‘We are looking for a new level of scripted realities, old staff is declining at daytime and broadcasters are looking for new things. Game shows have again a chance… I think on new formulas of ordinary people playing their own lifes’.

Sean Cohan, international head at A+E Networks: ‘In my opinion one of our most innovative TV series is Duck Dinasty, as it is a "real-life sitcom", real people on their real lives, but providing a full sitcom in fact, with very classic comedy elements. Today, strong characters are on top’.

Paulina Jalaff, head of acquisitions Mega Chile: ‘From the offering I’ve tested at Mipcom, I’ve liked myself Reflex from All3Media (UK): it is new level of game show where the games last few seconds, proving physical and mental reflexes. The reps are shown in slow motion’.

Azteca (Mexico) and producer 7 y Acción (Spain) agreed to adapt El hormiguero in Canal 7 Mexico. Rodrigo Fernandez, programming director of the channel: ‘It is a late night show never seen… irreverent, very agile, with a group of hosts, with two puppets. It is a very good way to refresh our program schedule’.

At the same time, Televisa (Mexico) and producer La Competencia (Spain) has formed a joint venture where the latter creates entertainment formats for the former, which sells them worldwide. FremantleMedia USA, UK, Germany, Endemol France, are the first buyers. Javier Pérez de Silva, CEO La competencia: ‘One of our most fresh formats is Los Gonzalez, where entertainment meets sitcom. A ‘modern family’ makes real hidden camera to earn money’.

Kevin Balhetchet, CEO Hub Media, Singapore: ‘The next 3-5 years will be great in Asia, with important emerging markets as Indochina. Banijay formats are very fresh, and I am looking for own Asian formats. Different and local creators are a good business twist’.

Disney Media Distribution and Turner Latin America have announced yesterday a co-production: America’s Funniest Home Videos, with 52 episodes for Latin America (shot in Cinemat Venezuela) and 52 for Brazil, to be emitted at TBS veryfunny. Fernando Barbosa, Disney: ‘We have new things here: it is the first time a home video franchise is produced for TV, and this genre is locally produced in Latin America, both with prime time quality production’.

Fiction and canned programming segments evolve, too. Many European broadcasters checked by Prensario are complementing U.S. Hollywood TV series with more European TV series, especially from Germany and UK. Both Valerie Lardinois, head of acquisitions at RTBF Belgium, and Petra Bohuslavova, acquisitions executive at TV Nova Czech Republic, have agreed on these.

CME’s Nova has now 5 free TV in its country: Nova (19 years old) Nova Cinema (6 years) Fanda (male oriented) Smichov (comedy) and Telka (retro) the last three launched recently. Also, it manages two payTV channels and one SVOD service, Voyo. Bohuslavova: ‘I am buying more fiction than in the past, but mainly because we have more channels. You have to buy thinking of each channel and about the group at the same time’.

Both in formats, canned, entertainment and fiction, the market evolves fast but the basics are always there.

Nicolás Smirnoff and Fabricio Ferrara

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