Entertainment formats were able to remain on the air thanks to the creativity of producers and programmers. These have been months of “making the most out of everything”, in the words of Sergio Nakasone, Director of Entertainment Content Development at WarnerMedia LatAm.
They resorted to the combination of reruns and new seasons, the reedition of old seasons, obtaining new products, producing with virtual or carton audiences, with participants encapsulated in plastic bubbles or in video calls, with judges participating as holograms.
The pandemic also repowered the return to classic formats. “The trend of returning formats preceded COVID-19. Classic shows like Deal or No Deal or Money Drop have their place once again. With less money in the market, producers appeal to these shows that they already know how to make and are tested formats for advertisers´ peace of mind,” said Michelle Wasserman, Senior VP Format Licenses and Content Development at Endemol Shine International.
Coty Cagliolo, General Director of Fremantle Mexico and Head of Production at Fremantle LatAm, added that this shift to classic formats is also related to reliving how we felt a few years ago and with the need to feel good. “It is a trend and we don´t know where it is going,” she clarified.
At the same time, this feel-good need will drive new content. “We are living a moment of oppression, I think it will be followed by a moment of content explosion, of new things for open TV, OTTs and digital things,” explained Nakasone.
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