Manchester’s K7 Media, the global media intelligence consultancy, has unveiled its new report on scripted television formats – Tracking the Scripted Giants: The Top 100 Travelling Formats.
The report incorporates data submitted directly by distributors from around the world, offering comprehensive and up-to-date information.
Designed to reveal the latest insights into this rapidly growing segment of the industry, the first new edition of the report since 2019’s main focus is on new adaptations which have launched over the three-year period from the start of 2020, to the end of 2022. It also includes a list of the Top 100 scripted formats of all time, illustrating which TV stories are most adaptable between cultures.
The most successful new scripted format featured is Your Honor from Yes Studios. The Israeli family crime thriller has seen a remarkable success, with seven new adaptations launched since 2020. This includes the US series starring Bryan Cranston, as well as versions in India, France, Russia, Germany, Italy and Turkey. Other top performing scripted formats with five or six new adaptations since 2020 include he said-she said thriller Liar, police comedy No Activity, parenting telenovela Dear Daddies & showbiz dramedy Call My Agent!
The top selling genres have been comedy, crime and thriller. Comedy formats have experienced rapid growth, accounting for 22 per cent of all new launches since 2020, while crime remains a strong genre, representing 15 per cent of all new adaptations. It’s also notable that many of the most adapted formats of late include strong family or relationship elements – showing the universality of the ties between humankind, says K7.
The scripted format market continues to thrive, demonstrating robust growth and remarkable success in recent years. According to the latest data, the number of new international scripted adaptations has surged by over 50 per cent in the past three years alone.
Unlike other sectors of TV production, the scripted format business has thrived during the global pandemic, benefiting from pre-existing successful titles that have provided broadcasters with high-quality scripts, eliminating the need for extensive development and planning processes.
When examining the origin of formats, the United Kingdom and Israel stand out as the primary contributors, together accounting for over one-third (35 per cent) of all new drama adaptations. South Korea is another creative powerhouse, rapidly climbing the ranks in the past decade and establishing itself as a prominent source of both drama and entertainment formats.
Discussing Tracking the Giants, K7 Media’s CEO & Founder, Keri Lewis Brown, said: “Formats for unscripted shows have been an important part of the global TV industry for over forty years. But with a growing demand for high quality drama series, more and more markets are adapting scripted dramas for local audiences with actors and scenarios that are familiar to local audiences. It’s a trend that will continue to develop.”
