“Risk-aversion” may have been the dominant theme in the entertainment formats business over the last few years, but the message from Michael Thorn, the president of FOX Television Network, at Realscreen Summit/NATPE Global last week was clear: Be bold, and “don’t censor yourself.”
With a stable that includes The Masked Singer, The 1% Club, The Floor, and 99 to Beat on the imported side and homegrown IP like Extracted and Next Level Chef, FOX has a heritage of being a risk-taker when it comes to new concepts, a position Thorn is relishing since adding non-scripted to his remit after taking on full oversight for the broadcast network.
Sweaty Palms, Big Bets & Piercing Culture: FOX’s Noisy Approach: “I know sometimes there’s this pressure to chase what’s successful, but we all know that doesn’t work,” Thorn said. “What we want is reinvention. We want to feel nervous when we hear the pitch and be like, are we going to buy this? Those are the kinds of conversations we want, where we look at each other and say, ‘I think we should take this risk.’ We want that shared goal of our hands feeling a little sweaty. Don’t censor yourself.”
Anaïs Baker, head of international formats at Amazon MGM Studios, has a very different geographic and business model remit—sourcing internal developments and third-party properties for international markets within the Prime Video SVOD footprint. Speaking in Miami last week, she said she’s on the hunt for breakthrough concepts in areas like comedy and competitions. Games and quizzes are lower on Baker’s wish list than Thorn’s, proving to be somewhat of a challenge in the SVOD streaming space, she told Realscreen Summit delegates.
Laughter, Heels & Traitors: Prime Video’s Format Beats: “I don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves too much, especially when you look at it from a global view; different territories have different needs,” Baker said. “We’re streamers, so closed-ended is really tricky for us. We want people to watch through, so having that season narrative arc is key. and trying to avoid the tournament style. What is the overrunning story? Quiz and game is always tricky. I would love to see a streamer crack it so that it opens up more genres. More formats doing well or succeeding anywhere is beneficial to us all in the industry.”
For insights on hits like LOL, The Floor, Extracted, Fear Factor, and The Traitors, breaking through in a fragmented market, and pursuing new funding models, sign up to ScreenMDM Extra, or become a member of the ScreenMDM Club.
Find us on Substack here.
Find out more about our exclusive members’ club here.
