Paramount Global alum Katie Pike joined Primitives earlier this year as director of sales and acquisitions, tasked with building upon the impressive track record of the Belgian indie’s curated slate, which includes the fast-growing 99 to Beat and the buzzy adventure reality competition Terrain: Battle of the Flags.
What’s your assessment of the health of the overall non-scripted entertainment sector right now?
I’m optimistic. There’s certainly more scrutiny around budgets and risk, but the appetite for non-scripted entertainment remains strong. What has changed is the level of proof required. Buyers want a clear proposition, a strong repeatable engine, international potential, and, increasingly, a genuine reason for audiences to care.
We’re seeing that with 99 to Beat, now in its seventh season in Belgium, which has traveled to 15 territories and is returning to FOX in the U.S. for a second season. It’s a great example of how a simple idea can build real international momentum.
At the same time, we’re increasingly drawn to formats with a strong human element. Audiences have access to more spectacular entertainment than ever, so the formats that stay with you are often the ones where you care about the people.
What types of formats are you seeing particular traction on?
There’s definitely an appetite for competition and entertainment formats that are easy to understand and efficient to produce, but I don’t think it’s about one particular genre. We’re looking for big ideas with a manageable production proposition.
That’s something we see in Terrain: Battle of the Flags, which we’re bringing to MIPCOM. It combines gaming DNA, creator culture and real-world adventure, with two teams competing in the Scottish Highlands to capture each other’s flags. The game itself drives the story, while the format has the potential to work across linear, streaming and digital.
Then you have something completely different, like Mission Accomplished, which is studio-based, comedy-driven, and built around challenges, pranks, and a panel dynamic. For us, that range is important. We’re looking for formats that feel distinctive rather than simply following a market trend.
What role do you see for branded entertainment in formats?
It can be a valuable additional layer, but the entertainment has to come first. The strongest opportunities are formats with a world, community or set of behaviors where a brand can participate naturally without compromising the editorial proposition.
Terrain, for example, has gaming, technology, creator culture and a highly visual physical world, which creates natural commercial possibilities. But the format has to work first and foremost as entertainment.
How are you approaching the need for formats that work across on-demand and linear?
We look for formats with one strong central engine but multiple ways into the content. Linear still needs a clear proposition, while streaming and digital can reward deeper engagement, creator participation and additional content.
Terrain is a good example, with its German launch spanning streaming, YouTube, linear, and additional reaction and companion content living alongside on socials and YouTube. The opportunity is to build a format with enough DNA to live naturally across different environments, rather than simply creating a digital version of a television show.
How risk-averse are commissioners today?
There’s definitely more caution, but I don’t think commissioners have stopped taking risks. They’re looking for better evidence that the risk is worth taking. Whether that’s proven production, strong talent, international success, or a genuinely fresh concept.
For us, the human element is increasingly important here, too. The Last Laugh, for example, is driven by the relationships within the format. Presenting human stories and connection is the forefront of this show and in a world of endless choice, giving audiences a reason to emotionally invest can be just as important as the entertainment itself.
How are you looking to build out your IPs?
For us, franchise potential starts with the strength of the format. We’re not interested in adding extensions simply because “franchise” is the word of the moment. The format needs enough creative DNA to evolve while remaining true to its core.
The Mole is a great example. Its central engine (a group working together while one person secretly works against them) gives producers enormous freedom to reinvent the show for different audiences and generations, while keeping that fundamental question intact: “Who is The Mole?”
99 to Beat demonstrates another side of the equation. Its simplicity is precisely what makes it so adaptable internationally. It doesn’t need to become more complicated to become a franchise; it just needs to remain fresh and relevant.
Alongside those established IPs, we’re bringing Terrain: Battle of the Flags, Mission Accomplished, and The Last Laugh to MIPCOM. We’re looking at each not simply as a single series, but for the longer-term creative and international opportunity.
Ultimately, the sweet spot for us is a format that feels new enough to excite a buyer, simple enough to travel, efficient enough to produce, and human enough that audiences genuinely care.
