5.4 The role of format in shaping television content and production

TV formats are like recipes for successful shows. They provide a blueprint that can be adapted across different countries, reducing risk for broadcasters. This system has created a whole industry around buying and selling format rights.

Formats help standardize TV content globally while allowing for local customization. Shows like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire maintain core elements worldwide but adapt to suit regional tastes and cultural norms.

Television Formats: Definition and Significance

Format Fundamentals and Industry Impact

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• Television formats function as pre-packaged show concepts adaptable across markets or countries
  • Include elements like structure, rules, and visual design
  • Serve as blueprints for successful television programs
  • Allow replication while maintaining core appeal elements
• Formats reduce risk for broadcasters and production companies
  • Offer proven concepts with established track records
  • Enable efficient transfer of production knowledge and creative ideas
  • Facilitate successful formula replication across cultural and linguistic contexts
• Format industry emerged as a crucial television sector
  • Generates substantial revenue through licensing deals
  • Drives international adaptations of popular shows
  • Contributes to content standardization across global markets
  • Allows for local customization and cultural adaptation

Global Standardization and Localization

• Formats contribute to television content standardization globally
  • Create recognizable show structures across different countries (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire)
  • Establish consistent visual and production elements (The Voice's spinning chairs)
• Simultaneously allow for local customization
  • Adapt content to suit regional preferences and cultural norms
  • Modify elements like host personalities, contestant selection, and prize structures
• Balance universal appeal with cultural relevance
  • Maintain core format elements that drive global success
  • Incorporate local themes, humor, or references to resonate with specific audiences
• Examples of successful global formats with local adaptations
  • Got Talent franchise (America's Got Talent, Britain's Got Talent, etc.)
  • Big Brother adaptations in over 50 countries
  • MasterChef variations highlighting regional cuisines and cooking styles

Format Influence on Production

Creative Framework and Constraints

• Formats provide structured framework guiding creative development
  • Influence decisions on storytelling, pacing, and visual presentation
  • Shape production process including casting, set design, and episode structure
• Balance adherence to core format elements with innovation
  • Producers work within established parameters
  • Seek ways to differentiate their adaptation from other versions
• Formats both constrain and inspire creativity
  • Set boundaries for show structure and rules
  • Challenge producers to find unique approaches within format guidelines
• Examples of format-driven creative decisions
  • The Bachelor's rose ceremony as a dramatic climax
  • Survivor's tribal council as a storytelling device
  • Project Runway's timed challenges to create tension

Collaboration and Knowledge Transfer

• Format production often involves collaboration between original creators and local teams
  • Facilitates knowledge transfer on successful production techniques
  • Enables creative exchange of ideas for format enhancement
• Format bibles play crucial role in maintaining consistency
  • Contain detailed guidelines and best practices
  • Ensure core elements remain intact across different productions
• Examples of format collaboration and knowledge sharing
  • International producers visiting original Idol set to learn production techniques
  • Who Wants to Be a Millionaire bible detailing precise timing for dramatic pauses
  • The Amazing Race production teams sharing location scouting strategies

Format Licensing and Adaptation

Economic and Legal Considerations

• Format licensing involves sale of adaptation rights in specific territories
  • Includes access to production knowledge and support
  • Economic value determined by past performance and localization potential
• Legal protection for television formats complex
  • Ideas themselves cannot be copyrighted
  • Industry relies on trademark law and contractual agreements
• Licensing agreements cover various aspects
  • Specify terms for creative control
  • Outline revenue sharing arrangements
  • Define extent of permissible alterations to original concept
• Examples of format licensing deals
  • BBC's Strictly Come Dancing licensed as Dancing with the Stars in multiple countries
  • Endemol Shine's Deal or No Deal format adapted in over 80 territories
  • FremantleMedia's Got Talent franchise licensed globally

Industry Infrastructure and Disputes

• Format trade supported by specialized agencies and marketplaces
  • International television markets (MIPCOM, NATPE)
  • Format-specific events (Format Recognition and Protection Association conference)
• Disputes over format ownership and theft common
  • Lead to high-profile legal battles
  • Drive efforts to establish clearer international protection standards
• Examples of format disputes and resolutions
  • Celador's lawsuit against Disney/ABC over Who Wants to Be a Millionaire profits
  • Disputes between Endemol and Fox over similarities between Big Brother and The Glass House
  • Creation of FRAPA (Format Recognition and Protection Association) to address format protection issues

Global Circulation of Formats

International Format Flow and Adaptation

• Global format circulation accelerated with television industry internationalization
  • Led to emergence of "super formats" with worldwide popularity (Idol, Big Brother)
• Localization strategies adapt formats to suit regional contexts
  • Consider local cultural norms and preferences
  • Account for regulatory environments in different markets
  • Maintain core elements driving format success
• Format adaptation reveals cultural differences and similarities
  • Certain elements resonate differently across markets
  • Adaptations highlight unique cultural interpretations of universal themes
• Examples of successful format localizations
  • The Office adaptations in UK, US, and other countries reflecting local workplace cultures
  • Top Gear versions showcasing regional car cultures and driving habits
  • MasterChef adaptations featuring local ingredients and culinary traditions

Global-Local Dynamics and Industry Shifts

• Localized format success depends on balancing global and local elements
  • Incorporate familiar global format structures
  • Integrate culturally specific content appealing to local audiences
• Format circulation contributes to global television content homogenization
  • Creates recognizable show structures across countries
  • Establishes shared television experiences for global audiences
• Paradoxically allows for expression of local identities through adaptation
  • Showcases local talent and personalities
  • Highlights regional cultural practices and values
• Format flow challenges traditional industry power dynamics
  • Non-Western formats increasingly succeed in dominant television markets
  • Examples of reverse flow in format trade
    • South Korean music competition show I Can See Your Voice adapted in multiple Western countries
    • Israeli drama Hatufim adapted as Homeland in the US
    • Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty, la Fea adapted globally as Ugly Betty