Globally, the current autumn TV season is still dominated by The Masked Singer. It is the most watched format on important markets - in the USA, Germany or the Netherlands. What are the other foreign broadcasters’ hits in reality and entertainment? Here is an overview of the key formats in the reality & entertainment (R&E) segment for September and October 2021.
Model Railway Fan Competition
After the wave of singing competition series, talent competitions focusing on narrower, specific skills are successful abroad. The Dutch public TV NPO1 relies on The Great Model Railway Challenge in the autumn, in which model railway enthusiasts show their skills, competing against one another. Individual thematic episodes examine their manual skills and creativity. The final models are assessed by judges.
The Great Model Railway Challenge is not supported by any big distributor such as Fremantle or Banijay. It is distributed by Knickerbockerglory from London whose marketing investments and visibility in TV trade fairs is lower. The model railway format is broadcast on Channel 5 in the UK.
The Dutch public broadcaster has adapted the format and launched it on the main channel NPO1 in prime time this autumn. The local version called “De Grote Kleine Treinencompetitie” (for full episodes click here) occupies a Wednesday slot from 8.30 to 9.30 pm in which it is the most watched show. In the first three weeks, its average rating was 7.4 and its market share amounted to 23.4% in the 6+ group according to SKO data, thus exceeding the current seasonal station benchmark by two points. It only did not reach it in the fourth week when it had a strong competitor - the Borussia Dortmund vs. Ajax Amsterdam football match on RTL7.
Local celebrities entertain Germany
Power Couple is a format that sells well globally but has yet to be tested in Czechia and Slovakia. It is distributed by Dori Media. It was adapted in 14 countries, last time in Italy. It is a competitive reality show featuring couples in love. The power of their relationship is tested in a villa where they compete with other couples for several weeks, betting on their love and fighting for a financial prize.
The German commercial number one RTL has aired a local celebrity version “Das Sommerhaus der Stars – Kampf der Promipaare” since 2016. It was on once a week for a long time; recently, RTL has changed its strategy, offering the show three times a week at 8.15 pm. It did not repeat the previous years’ performance, however, by increasing the number of days when it is aired, Power Couple significantly helped the station stabilise its key slots in October. According to AGF/GfK’s data, the sixth season achieved an average market share of 13.9% in the 14-49 group while RTL’s October performance was 9.6%. In the 15-59 group, which the station primarily targets, the show achieved an above-average level of 10.5%. RTL is also satisfied with its digital reach, stating that the show reached 21 million Germans across all channels, which is more than a quarter of the total population. The show will continue in 2022 as RTL announced.
Power Couple is also successful in Hungary where RTL Klub currently broadcasts the fifth season every weekday from 9 pm to 10.45 pm. The local version featuring celebrities “Nyerő Páros – Mit bír el a szerelem?” achieved an average rating of 8.0 for the first two weeks and a share of 22.8% among people between 18 and 49 years, according to Nielsen’s data. The shares of RTL Klub have been one-digit all day for a long time while in prime time they range between 11 and 15%.
Popular spin-offs
Another trend includes spin-offs of established formats. Multiple spin-offs were made for The Voice, which was aired in the Czech market as well. In Russia, The Voice ranks among the most watched entertainment formats. Channel One broadcast The Voice Senior (ITV Studios) in the autumn with singing talents aged 60+. Also Finland has recently ordered the senior spin-off. Apart from the standard format, the broadcaster Nelonen has experience with the kids’ version The Voice Kids and with The Voice All Stars, giving a chance to competitors from previous series. The most recent spin-off is The Voice Generations with participants across various generations. The distributor announced the first adaptations in Australia and Lithuania.
Hungarian TV2 reports higher than average results with the show Your Face Sounds Familiar (Banijay Rights), known as Tvoje tvář má známý hlas in the Czech Republic. It added several spin-offs; the current one, aired locally under the title “Sztarban sztar leszek!”, moved to the level of a talent show. Instead of celebrities, it hosts common people as contestants and includes casting episodes. In Sunday prime time, its average share was 25.1% in the group aged 18-59 in September and October, according to Nielsen’s data. The show highly exceeds TV2’s regular performance, which is 10.3% all day and 13.5% in prime time.
In the US, the spin-off The Bachelor is popular with viewers. Its version The Bachelorette, where a single woman is looking for a bridegroom, has been running since 2003. The dating reality show by Warner Bros. has several other spin-offs.
Simple shows with stars
Broadcasters also like reusing time-tested brands. In the UK, such a brand is Blankety Blank – a simple comedy game show featuring celebrities who are given fill-in-the-blank phrases and their task is to provide an amusing answer. In the UK, it has been running since late 1970s albeit with several gaps. Last Christmas, BBC One got back to the show after a long break. The holiday special was popular with viewers and the station subsequently ordered the entire series for this autumn. The show has been the most watched programme on BBC with a maximum of nearly 5.9 million viewers (live+7, source: BARB).
The show is produced based on the American game show Match Game by Fremantle.
Streaming hit
In the VOD segment, investments in the R&E content have been growing. Amazon Prime Video has been successfully recycling its comedy format LOL: Last One Laughing in its markets. Within the group, the originally Japanese idea was adapted in several countries. For example, it was the first local production of Amazon in Australia.
In Germany, the second season was broadcast with excellent results. Although feature films have the highest number of views on streaming platforms according to the measurement by Goldmedia VoD-Ratings, LOL: Last One Laughing is an exception. In September and October, it was the only entertainment format in the top 10 most streamed shows in Germany - together with the series such as Money Heist and The Walking Dead.
The principle of LOL: Last One Laughing is simple – professional comedians try to make their competitors laugh. The one who keeps a poker face the longest is the winner.
Source: mediaguru.cz
