How to Stay Ahead in Unscripted: BBC, ITV Studios, Banijay, Fremantle Execs Give Some Answers

variety.com:

Steve Clarke As commissioning budgets continue to tighten, and with content powerhouses feeling the economic squeeze, there is renewed pressure to think laterally in the international formats business. “Producers are struggling to survive.

People need to up their game and think outside the box in terms of their business models and how shows are made,” says Jan Salling, co-chairman of the Format Recognition and Protection Assn. (FRAPA) an organization that seeks to protect the rights of format creators and head of BBC Studios Nordic, international production and formats. “The old distribution model is broken.” He adds: “The days when streamers invested to establish their brand without thinking about a return are over.

Everyone is looking for a return on their investment and slimming down to accommodate the new situation in the market.” Nevertheless, for those attending Mipcom hoping to find a format capable of delivering audiences and advertisers at scale, there will be no shortage of content in the unscripted space be it reality, game or dating shows. “I’m excited about this year’s market,” the BBC’s director of unscripted, Kate Phillips, says. “With a combination of new formats breaking through and [the recently settled] writers’ strike there is a renewed interest in unscripted formats. “Broadcasters are willing to take more risks and back new, original ideas, which is what we got into the business for in the first place.” It was Phillips who commissioned Dutch format “The Traitors,” a breakout hit, and a critically acclaimed show for the U.K.

pubcaster. When it bowed last December, “The Traitors” was the BBC’s biggest new entertainment launch for two years. Buoyed by social media, the show scored spectacularly with.