The formats business in Asia is booming. Game shows are hot. So are dancing/singing shows. And comedy is fast becoming the new frontier for clever concepts that can travel.

China is busily commissioning local versions of Western productions. Of the emerging markets, Vietnam is devouring numerous formats, and Pakistan is becoming more receptive. And telenovela producers see great scope in adapting their shows for Asian markets with local partners.

Summing up the buoyant mood, Pierre Cheung, Senior Business Development Manager, Asia, BBC Worldwide, declares: "BBC Worldwide's formats business is going through a purple patch at the moment, with notable successes all round the world. Southeast Asia, where our television business has grown by 20% over the last year, is no exception."

In 2006, Just the Two of Us was the first BBC entertainment format to be produced in China, generating vast audiences for Hunan TV. In late August this year, Hunan TV launched a local version of Strictly Come Dancing, BBC Worldwide's biggest global format. Some 40 million viewers tuned in for the first week.

"While China is the key growth market for us, other territories in the region are performing too. For example, we have brought the Great Britons format to Astro in Malaysia. Great Britons continues to deliver for us – it's now been sold to 20 countries. And we have a 'long tail' too, bringing A Question of Sport, one of the BBC's most popular and long-running entertainment quiz shows, to VTV in Vietnam," says Linfield Ng, Senior Television Sales Manager, Asia, BBC Worldwide.

Idol continues as FremantleMedia's flagship in the region, with local versions airing, or about to launch, in Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Vietnam and Pakistan.

FME is now successfully mining comedy, having recently acquired Hole in the Wall (also known as Human Tetris), a Japanese concept from Fuji TV. The premise is simple: take two teams and make each member squeeze through rapidly diminishing holes in a wall; those who can't fit are tossed into a pool. Patrick Schult, Managing Director, FremantleMedia Asia Pte Ltd, is confident that format will roll out in the region this year and in 2008, and at presstime he was closing deals with Hong Kong and Indonesia.

In addition, FME has produced a pilot in Jakarta for Indonesia's

Trans TV of Thank God You're Here, an improvised comedy format from Australia, which was picked up in the US and in Europe. "We have no doubt a roll out in Asia will soon follow," says Schult. "And of course there is Got Talent, which has been wildly successful in both the US and Britain; this format is gaining increasing interest in the region."

Mary Chan, Executive Director, Asia Production at Sony Pictures Television International, says game shows continue to be the hot-ticket item. She finds the demand for reality formats is more selective. SPTI plans to ramp up its efforts in both genres. Chan also notes rising demand for original productions in China and for both scripted and non-scripted formats in Indonesia. For SPTI, Vietnam is a fertile market, with Pyramid, Wheel 2000 and That's My Stuff on air.

The studio recently announced plans to remake the Korean dramedy Hyena in Europe, and it intends to format The Game, a new Chinese drama series produced by Huaso, a joint venture between SPTI and Hua Long Film Digital Production Co. Ltd., of China Film Group (CFG).

Described as a story about selfreliance in adversity, The Game focuses on two friends and business colleagues who appear to be as close as brothers. However one is unaware that the other has been carefully planning the systematic demise of his friend, the friend's father and the company the two men built together. SPTI will start selling the format after production in China completed.

Granada International is shopping an array of drama, reality and qame show formats— and even interactive game shows for kids- to Asian broadcasters.

James Ross, Granada International Regional Director for Asia, says the proliferation of platforms including digital, IPTV and DTH in the region is heightening competition between broadcasters. And that will create opportunities for his company, and others, because broadcasters are more willing to buy in great program ideas.

Among other major producers/ distributors, Endemol's most successful formats in Asia are Deal or no Deal, which is on air in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Korea, and 1 vs 100, screening in the Philippines, Vietnam and Korea.

Endemol's latest game shows, Set for Life and Show Me the Money, will be launched in Vietnam shortly. "Vietnam is definitely a market where we have been very successful in licensing our hit formats recently," says Annelies Noest, Director of Sales, Endemol International. "Although Pakistan is not yet a big market for us, it is beginning to open up. Audiences are already familiar with our shows via the overspill of Indian channels into the territory, and this could very well lead to local productions in the future."

"Reality and game shows are in demand. For dramas, it's very difficult to import non-Asian or non-Latino dramas and adapt them to the market. The buyers are just not really open to it," says Heather Stevenson, President, Zodiak Television World.

Zodiak's Stars on Stage was recently re-commissioned by Star's ANTV Indonesia after the first season regularly won its slot. The format sees celebrities pair up with wellknown recording artists to perform daring duets on live TV. Over the course of ten weeks, viewers and a panel of music industry experts vote to find the best star pairing. The show also involves a big charity pay out. Stars on Stage originally premiered on Sweden's TV4 on Fridays lasts spring in a primetime 8pm slot.

For 2waytraffic, the two biggest money-makers in the region are Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, and TXTX, a teen-angled game show in which speed of texting and pop culture knowledge is tested; the show has been on air in Vietnam and Indonesia.

"Game shows are proving to be the most in demand of the traditional formats as they tend be the easiest to translate to Asian tastes. However we have found that it is the interactive revenue generating formats that again have created most interest," says Julian Curtis, Senior Sales Manager for Asia.

2waytraffic is representing The Real Fame Game from Yomuiri TV, one of several formats it's working on with Japanese broadcasters. The Real Fame Game asks celebrities to send themselves up and throw

themselves at the mercy of the viewing public, who rate their fame. At the end, celebrities who have a negative score must pay the host out of their own pockets, while those with positive numbers win a cash prize.

"We have several formats in the pipeline including 50-50, which a spin off of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. We have several deals in the region and across Europe which will be announced shortly. Alongside this, just as in other countries around the world, our Call TV and interactive formats have seen very strong interest and we will shortly be announcing some deals in the region," Curtis adds.

Despite these successes, adapting a particular format for an Asian territory or territories can be a difficult exercise, taking into account factors like production budgets, local production expertise, local tastes and sensibilities and censorship.

"Budgets are smaller compared to many Western European markets and there are some cultural aspects to bear in mind," notes Noest. "Some reality and dating formats are not appropriate for religious regions for example, although it is often possible to adapt the format slightly to overcome such obstacles and make it work."

Says FME's Schult: "In Japan, it's difficult to sell formats, period. It has little to do with the budget but rather how the industry is structured. In China, patience is the key. We try to acquire or create formats that have a universal appeal which is acceptable to most cultures. For example, in the case of Idol, many kids around the world have dreams of becoming a star. It is the filming of this journey which requires being attuned to local tastes and sensibilities. Given we have produced a large show Like Idol across the region, it is a given that the right format will find the right budget."

Zodiak's Stevenson secured a commitment from a Vietnam broadcaster in January for the Shopaholics format, but production has been delayed while sponsorship is arranged with a major packaged goods company.

Still, the prospects for the format business have rarely been brighter. Pierre Cheung says BBC Worldwide is keen to explore opportunities in lots of territories in Southeast Asia where broadcasters have yet to grasp the benefits that buying a format such as Strictly Come Dancing can bring to their channel.

"We also are working with markets in Southeast Asia who are already off 'first base,' who now realize the importance of having a hit entertainment format in their primetime schedule. And it's with those markets that we are talking about the next Strictly Come Dancing or the next The Weakest Link," he says.

Pointing to properties such as The Office, for which BBC Worldwide created local versions in French Canada and France; Keeping up Appearances (South Africa) and Blackpool (CBS in the US, where it's known as Viva Laughlin!), Cheung says "there's no reason why we can't replicate these deals in SE Asia, broadening our offering and reputation in the process."

BBC Worldwide's Content & Production business, headed by Wayne Garvie, has a new format development team which is developing formats and managing the exchange of ideas within the global network of production companies that Content & Production is establishing.

Linfield Ng cites the recent sale of A Question of Sport to VTV in Vietnam, complementing BBC Worldwide's growing television sales business in that market, as illustrating how many markets are taking the format business seriously and knocking on BBC Worldwide's doors as a result.

FME's Schult says Vietnam is an exciting market for Fremantle, noting, "Together with production consultation we have licensed eight formats

Into Vietnam, most of them game shows, with the exception of Vietnam Idol. With a sizeable population and rapid economic growth, Vietnam is an increasingly important market for Fremantle. Pakistan is promising. Geo TV has licensed Price Is Right and Pakistan Idol,

which is launching later this year.

SPTI's format roster includes:

- Karaoke Showdown, a musical variety show which has been picked up by Vietnam's VTV3 and Indonesia's Trans TV. Four celebrities are divided into two teams who compete to guess the title of a song sung by a 'perfectly ordinary person'.

- Russian Roulette, which sold to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Indonesia. It's a high-tension quiz show where a wrong answer could mean you leave the show not by walking away but by falling through a hole in the floor –literally.

- Blackjack Bowling (aka Lucky Star) has been acquired in Taiwan and Singapore. More than 532 episodes have been produced and another 100 eps have been ordered. Described as the only show of its kind that combines two of the world's favorite pastimes, blackjack and bowling, it consistently rates as the No. 1 game show among all cable channels in Taiwan.

- The Gong Show in Indonesia ranked among the top 10 shows airing regularly on TransTV last year and its ratings grew 66% in the first four months of its run.

SPTI is confident its new primetime game show Power of 10, a hit on CBS in the US, hosted by Drew Carey, will be popular in Asia, subject to finding local hosts who are as entertaining and likable as Carey.

Granada is talking up with broadcasters in China, India and Korea the prospects of local versions of its hit format Dancing On Ice. "I'm very optimistic about our formats in China," says Ross. "The Chinese are getting used to the concept of licensing and paying for ideas. And they know that international formats can attract international advertising revenues."

Among the new formats Granada is pitching at MIPCOM are the UK concepts Baby Ballroom (kids dancing) and Born Winners. He says there's interest in Asia for Nanny 911, which was a hit in the US for Fox; cooking formats Come Dine With Me (five people take turns to host dinner parties in consecutive nights, then vote for the best); and Soapstars Superchef. He's also pushing UK interactive game shows for kids, Jungle Run and Scary Sleepover.

Asia is a priority for Argentinabased Telefe International. "We are in discussions with several production companies and broadcasters in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam to adapt our proven

fiction formats for their market," says Gonzalo Cilley, Head of Formats and International Production.

Telefe's telenovela Wild Angel screened in several Asian countries in 2000-2001, and was subsequently adapted in India by Star TV. Among its hot properties are Montecristo, which sold to more than 45 countries and has been adapted in five markets including Russia and Mexico; new versions are being developed in Italy, Spain and Turkey.

Another Telefe title, Brothers and Detectives (focusing on a young cop who becomes the guardian of a child prodigy, whose unusual intelligence helps clear unsolved cases), has been acquired by more than 20 countries, and been re-versioned in Spain (Telecinco), Italy (FOX), Chile (Chilevisión) and Russia (RWS).

"The trend all across Asia is that local dramas are the most

successful programs. The audiences want to see their own actors speaking their language and seeing their country as location," says Cilley. "But good scripts, the essence of any drama, are really hard to write. That is why broadcasters and production companies are now looking into the opportunity of using the scripts of a drama that has proven successful in several other territories to adapt and use to produce one of their local dramas. You have more chance of success using the scripts of a drama that has proven successful in several other countries, than to write an original story from scratch."

For the past two years, Israelbased Armoza Formats has had great success across Europe, licensing formats such as The Package, The Bubble and Overdraft Family. "Our next goal is the North American and Asian market," says founder Avi Armoza.

While he hasn't bought any Asian concepts, he says: "The beauty of the formats business is that a successful idea can come from any country, and we are constantly looking for new formats for distribution."

Armoza's latest invention is studio-based, relatively low-cost reality show Revenge of the Geeks, which seeks to find the next child genius in a particular country. "The growing trend of shows puts the children in the middle, and this show selects the minds of the future," says Armoza.

Armoza is proof that you don't have to be based in one of the big markets to carve out a business in the highly competitive formats sector. "Our company specializes in distributing formats that are originating in small territories like Israel. These formats are very original and creative but still cost-effective and can be produced in any country, (even) with budget limitations," he says.

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