Game & Entertainment Shows Trends

Dancing on Ice / Granada International

Who will be Lucky Today?

In the realm of non fiction programming, the significant fact is the increase in the number of game shows in prime time. What triggered the trend was the success last season in the USA in prime time on NBC and in the United Kingdom in daytime of the format "Deal or No Deal". Its career had already started in Europe and is currently spreading to new marke. This success has resulted in an increase in the volume of new game shows which hadn't been seen since the wave of quiz shows that followed the success of "Who wants to be a milionaire?"

This time, after "Deal or No Deal", they are no longer general knowledge quiz shows but game shows that future questions, sometimes trivia questions, but mostly simple questions or conflicting choices for the contestant: tragedy or comedy and shows that are immediately accessible to new contestants and TV viewers.

First, some extremely well-known classic game shows were revived, sharing with "Deal or no deal" the clearness of the concept and its easy access, game shows that are still currently aired in the USA.

"Wheel of Fortune" has been continuing since the spring of 2006 its beautiful career in Spain in daytime on Antena 3 and had a successful summer run in France on TF1. It will come back in January; "The Price is Right" was revived less successfully in Spain in daytime on Antena 3 and in the United Kingdom on ITV1, in day time as well; In October a brand new celebrity version of "Family Feud" ("All Star Family Fortunes") was launched in the United Kingdom on ITV1. The classic Australian game show "Temptation" ("Sale of the century") was launched in South Africa on M-Net in the fall. The contestant can either yield in to the temptation of leaving with a bunch of prizes bought with his first winnings or keep on playing to try and win more, risking to lose it all.

New game shows are anxious to add to the accessibility of the concept the elements of suspense of "Deal or no Deal": the contestant progresses blindly and wins in a game of bluff (a stroke of luck).

In the format "Take it or leave" it already aired in Italy ("Il Malloppo" on Rai Uno), in the Netherlands ("Kies de kluis" on Ned 1), launched in Greece on Alpha and in the United Kingdom on Challenge, the contestant has to know which answer to choose rather than to know the answers. 2 possible answers per question. The contestant either has to accept the one he is shown or prefer one he can't see. Then faced to safes holding different cash amounts, the playing couple has to pick two safes seeing only how much one of them is worth. They have to pick the cash amount they can see or the one they can't see. In the finale, they once again have to choose between keeping their answers or not, without knowing if they are right or wrong and pick one safe. At the risk of losing it all. In the game show "Clueless" aired in Poland on Polsat in daytime since 2005 and adapted this new TV season in Greece on Mega ("Blind Money"), the contestant plays blind game. He draws envelopes without knowing their cash value; he doesn't know how much he's winning; if his answers are correct. But he has to decide whether or not to keep his winnings or accept the «deals» from the host. Therefore he can leave the game opening a safe the value of which he doesn't know. In the game show "Fattore C" launched in Italy on Canale 5 in prime time access contestants once again have to count on luck to draw a good envelope. In the game show "1 Miljoen wat" aired since last summer in the Netherlands on Talpa, the finalists have to choose a screen out of 21 in the hope it offers €1 million instead of 1 million in worthless currency. And he has to choose either to accept or reject the offer from the bank, or to pick the screen without knowing its cash value. In the game show "Show me what you've got" ("Show me the money") that started in Italy on Rai Uno as "Tutto per tutto", then in the USA on ABC, choices have to be made based on arithmetic symbols. In the game show Set for Life, expected to launch this TV season in the USA on AB C, and sold to ITV1 in the United Kingdom contestants are clueless whether they have lost or won a fortune before they are finally reunited, at the end of the game, with their partner they had been isolated from. In the game show "The Rich List", aired on FOX (for only one episode!), and sold to ITV1 in the United Kingdom and to Seven in Australia, contestants must complete lists on a pop culture topic. They win if they can correctly predict how many correct answers they'll give, not if they're giving correct answers. They can lose it all in the finale on a single mistake. In the game show "Poker Face" aired last summer in the United Kingdom on ITV1 and likely to be adapted this season in Australia on Ten or in Germany on RTL, contestants don't have to get any of the questions right to win, they have to bluff about their ability to answer and guess when their opponents could be "poker facing" them. At the end of each round, contestants have to decide to reveal what they've won hoping they won't be behind the others or not reveal how much money they've won to bluff them on their score. It's worth noticing that the new game show "Formula segreta" aired in Italy on Canale 5, by no means a luck of stroke-style game show but centered on general knowledge questions giving access to a secret formula, failed to attract viewers early this new TV season. The quiz show "1 vs 100" already settled down in Europe (The Netherlands, Portugal, Norway. this season) and launched in the USA on NBC and in the United Kingdom on BBC One in 2006, requiring more knowledge than luck, has the marketing advantage of holding the simplicity of its concept in its title.

More Talents, More Judges!

In 2006, Talent contests were still topping the ratings charts. The winning formula worldwide has gradually become more precise: various talents, severe, fair and funny judges, TV viewers' votes. The talent show centers on the studio-based stage performance: this final test is the basis of genuine classic talent shows.

The successful shows so far this season work that way: the classic "Popstars" with its very successful return in Germany on Pro7, "The X Factor", back for a third season in the United Kingdom on ITV1, and in its first season in the Netherlands on RTL4 and of course, new seasons of "Idol" in Sweden, Australia... and soon to air in Germany, the USA...

This «talent» trend has gained in strength in the summer 2006. In the USA, AB C unsuccessfully tried "Master of champions", a competition featuring useless talents and achievements. Then NBC successfully aired "America's got talent". A second season has already been commissioned, a local adaptation has successfully begun in France on M6 and local adaptations are to be launched in the United Kingdom, in Australia or Germany: singing, original dancing, magic, cabaret. It's no longer just about singing but it concerns any talent, unlimited, out of any school or professional plan. The «talent» is taken in its raw form, shown as it is, make or break style, with the sole purpose of entertaining. The idea is not to find a «new star» but to have fun with the judges watching someone's moments in the TV spotlight. In the United Kingdom, in August BBC Two launched "Let me entertain you": the showcased «talents» have 3 minutes to impress the audience.

In the United Kingdom on Five in "The All- Star talent show" launched in September, participants are celebrities but the style has not changed: original, zany, wacky talents in a kitsch music hall setting.

The «talent show» trend has brought two types of changes in the leading genre of contests: The «variety» and «music hall» tones have been reinforced. The new talent show "How do you solve a problem like Maria?" aired in the fall on BBC One, to be locally adapted in the USA on NBC around the musical "Grease", focuses on the search for a singer in a musical, and also lays the emphasis on the retro «music hall» world. The emphasis on original talent, off the beaten track. In the USA, last season, ABC aired "The American Inventor", an inventors' talent show (weird if possible). The entrepreneurial talent show "Dragon's den" is continuing a beautiful career on BBC Two and premiered in 2006 in New-Zealand and in Canada. In the United Kingdom Sky One launched "The Big idea", a call for budding entrepreneurs to pitch their inventions. In the Netherlands, Veronica is airing a third season of the invention contest "Het beste idee van Nederland". And the inventors contest aired in Norway on TV2 last season "Skaperen" ("What's the big idea") could possibly be adapted abroad.

Reality TV

In 2006, reality TV seems to prefer gladiators' fights to circus games. The style of reality TV is refining itself and focusing on its essence: group psychological games involving ordinary people.

In some markets, TV viewers seem to be turning away from the most «baroque» reality TV game shows that distort reality: professional celebrities without their moment of truth, complicated, unjustified, insane situations...

In the United Kingdom ("Cirque de celebrite", on Sky One), in Italy ("Reality Circus", on Canale 5), in Denmark ("Cirkus, Cirkus" on TV2) the new season launching of reality TV immerging celebrities in a circus may have overloaded reality TV with masks and sequins. In Spain on the same channel, Telecinco, the celebrity ice skating contest "Dancing on Ice" was less successful than a simple eighth season of "Big Brother" with non-celeb participants. In Spain on TVE1, the local adaptation of the format "Top of the Class" in which celebrities go back to school with children failed to draw viewers' attention. In Italy on the same channel, Rai Due, the game show "Wild West" where Italians play cowboys and cowgirls in Arizona was less successful than a simple fourth celebrity version of "Survivor". Straight, simple and clear reality TV is not as outmoded as it seems. But in this relic of reality TV, unlike "Big Brother", the winner is not the most attractive and popular contestant, but the one who stays the longest: the gladiator who wins the arm wrestling match. After the US version of "Unan1mous" aired last season on FOX the concept was adapted in 2006 in Italy on Canale 5, in Norway on TV3 and in the United Kingdom on Channel 4: locked up in a bunker, ordinary people have to unanimously decide on a winner before they can leave. In the Netherlands, John de Mol's channel Talpa is back to square one with "De gouden kooi" ("The golden cage") which used to be the working title for "Big Brother" before it was invented: contestants leave the outside world, their family and they live under the same roof in a luxury mansion to be won by the last one standing, i.e. the one who will be the last one to feel like leaving it. In the USA, last summer Fox Reality aired the game show "Solitary": in order to win, contestants have to withstand isolation and bad treatment for the longest time. In Ireland TV3 launched "The Box" which could appear at first sight like a caricature of reality TV: contestants answer quiz questions while being locked in a glass cube in full view of the public. In Sweden on TV4 the reality soap "Tralen", is based on tested and easy to understand reality TV mechanics (class struggle) and location (an island). On the contrary, the format "The Millionaires", a "reversed" reality soap launched in 2006 in Sweden on Kanal 5 in which in order to win contestants have to be eliminated the fastest may have been too twisted a concept to draw viewers, designed for reality TV experts.

Celebrities on Stage : Dancing, Ice Skating, Singing and Comedy

The star entertainment shows revolve around dancing, ice skating, singing and comedy. But most of all they revolve around celebrities doing their show. To some degree, ousted from reality TV, celebrities are now center stage in the studio.

Ballroom dancing competitions for celebrities are still leading the ratings with formats "Strictly come dancing"/"Dancing with the stars" (USA, United Kingdom, Italy...) or "Strictly dancing" (Australia, Spain, Portugal ) which are continuing their beautiful career. The «ice skating» variant in these exhibitions of celebrities is the season's novelty in several markets. Rival formats, "Dancing on Ice", "Skating with celebrities", "Stars dance on ice" have competed in several markets: successfully in the Netherlands (SBS6 and RTL4), less successfully in Germany (RTL and Pro7). "Dancing on Ice" was a disappointment in Spain. There are also celebrity singing duet competitions. "Celebrity Duets" was aired as early as the end of the summer in the USA on FOX. Adaptations of last season's formats have begun an international career: after Sweden "Stars on stage" is being aired in Portugal on TVI ("Canta por mim"). After the United Kingdom and Australia the format "Just the two of us" launched in Belgium on VTM. Also worth noticing is the rating success in Belgium of the singing contest for celebrities "Steracteur sterartiest", adapted from the British format "Soapstar superstar".

Source: The WIT / Extra Cool Report