Futur et Médias Podcast: What’s up in the International TV Format Market?
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It’s a multi-billion-dollar market with the business model of everyone’s dreams. The television format is the sine qua non for generating cash over the long term in any production company catalogue. In 2017, eight of the top 10 TV formats worldwide were over ten years old. In many cases, one hit show is enough to keep the cash flowing for years on a product that was already in high demand even before COVID-19 sent media consumption through the roof.
Leading TV format expert Arabelle Pouliot Di-Crescenzo talks about what works and what doesn’t. Her efforts on ‘Un gars, une fille’ (‘Love Bugs’ in English) helped make the Quebec production the best-selling TV format in television history. In this episode of Futur et médias, Di-Crescenzo talks with Catherine Mathys about what goes into a good TV format, how the market is evolving, and where the opportunities are.
> Download a translated transcript of this episode
In this episode, you’ll learn about:
- The key elements for making a TV format an export success (3:00)
- The impact of digital platforms on the global format distribution sector (10:15)
- The biggest obstacles to selling a TV format on the international market (15:25)
- How the television format industry is adapting to the COVID-19 crisis (22:38)
Go deeper
- Read TV Formats: Riskier Productions That Present Higher Rewards;
- For more information on the best-selling formats in 2017 that Catherine Mathys mentioned in the introduction, check out the Tracking the Giants: The Top 100 Travelling Formats report from K7 Media;
- For more about internationally successful Canadian formats, have a look at Tips From Canadian TV and Digital Producers;
- Read What’s behind the ratings slumps for remotely-shot shows?
Credits
- (04:55) Un gars, une fille S01E01, courtesy of the AVANTi Groupe
About Futur et médias
Futur et médias podcasts feature meetings with leading industry players to discuss major changes and emerging trends in the media and entertainment sector. The Futur et médias podcast series is presented by the Canada Media Fund and hosted by CMF director of industry and market trends Catherine Mathys. Season 2 of the series is produced in collaboration with Transistor Média.
