It’s time to catch up on the most anticipated global formats at The Wit’s Fresh TV sessions, which are always packed to the hilt and bound to make you laugh—or worry about the future of humanity—at least once.
This afternoon, CEO Virginia Mouseler of The WIT showed us which formats would be making the biggest splash on the global market. Major themes include talent shows, survival, sentiment, immortality, whimsy, being an animal and virtual (reality … and relationships). The overarching trend, though, is the importance of virality.
Mouseler kicked off with a feel-good episode of Carpool Karaoke—in which a host drives around singing pop songs with stars—featuring Elton John. This was to illustrate the underlying force behind this afternoon’s formats: “Being viral this year is vital,” she said.
Formats and a super-cursory descriptions appear below, with distributors in brackets following the titles.
The Stream (Nordic World)
Three record labels sign a deal with nine artists, who’ll perform a new single on the live show. Those most listened-to on Spotify will qualify for the next round, through to the finale.
Stupid Man, Smart Phone (BBC WW)
A city-dwelling commedian tries surviving the world’s toughest outdoor adventures… with nothing but his smartphone.
Wimps in the Wilderness (Zodiak Rights)
Eight men embark on a wilderness journey with help from a life coach. Will they rediscover their inner primitive selves? Will they build lots of manly, assertive new skills (as well as rain-resistant huts)? Will they find that most precious of wilderness gifts… self esteem?
SOS – Survival of the Sexes (Talpa Global)
Two teams, one of women and one of men, battle for survival. Which sex will survive better? A survival expert is also available on call, but that will cost them dearly out of their advanced jackpot of €100,000.
Mygrations (Fox Int. Channels)
A herd of humans, 20 men and women—including survivalists, hunters and scientists—undergoes the yearly Wildebeest migration to the Mara River, which takes about six weeks.
Strong (SPTI)
10 elite male trainers are paired with 10 female trainees for a transformative journey to reach their full potential, buttressed by physical challenges.
Dogs Might Fly (Sky Vision)
12 rescue dogs are hand-picked and taught empathy, memory, reasoning and problem-solving by a team of experts and scientists … to see which of them can learn how to fly a plane. Spoiler alert:
Spoiler: a dog does indeed learn to fly. #miptv #freshtv pic.twitter.com/TcRjg96Kh2
— MIP Markets (@mip) April 4, 2016
The Secret Life of the Zoo (Sky Vision)
What happens at the zoo when we aren’t watching? Cameras are hidden in places the public never sees … to answer just that question.
Mascot Mania (Zodiak Rights)
In “the wackiest and fluffiest championship ever,” eight professional mascots face off to prove their dominance. Who will be crowned the country’s best mascot?
Answer Like an Animal (Fuji Creative Corp)
In which contestants “embrace the spirit of wild animals” by solving challenges as the animal they’re dressed as.
The Running Show (Armoza Formats)
A host interviews celebs while running the field with funny and challenging pit stops.
Date My Avatar (La Competencia/Televisa)
In this show, a girl dates an avatar of a guy—essentially another guy, who’s standing in—and must decide which to love without ever having engaged with or seen the actual person physically.
Hear Me, Love Me, See Me (FremantleMedia Formats)
A girl is exposed to the lifestyles, homes, hangouts, families and friends of three suitors and must choose one, again without ever having seen him.
Married by Mom and Dad (Discovery Program Sales)
Four men and women, who are unlucky in love, ask their parents to choose the right partner. When their parents make the right match, they get married … and we get to find out whether they lived happily ever after.
A Shot at Love (FremantleMedia Intl)
Unconventional (or just hopeless) yet endearing lonely hearts—such as really old virgins, out-of-place belly dancers and the like—look for a partner on TV. We follow their weird but heart-rending journeys.
60 Days In (A+E Networks)
Seven innocent people are implanted in a correctional institute to learn what really happens behind bars over a course of 60 days, surrounded by 500 prisoners. Nobody, including officers, inmates or staff, knows they’re just doing this for TV.
The Innocence Project (Talpa Global)
A lawyer takes cases of people who were jailed for murders they didn’t commit. He tries to make things right by looking at new evidence, hearing witnesses and leading forensic investigations. Think of it as the popular podcast Serial … with hope for closure.
With Love From Above (Tuvalu Media)
This show gives the dying a chance to give messages—and sometimes even gifts—on to loved ones once they’ve passed away.
Resurrection Makeover (Fuji Creative Corp)
In this slightly more visceral version of the show above, people reunite with dead loved ones … who are essentially just other people who’ve been professionally made up to resemble the deceased.
Guess My Age (Vivendi Entertainment)
For a pot of 100,000€, contestants must guess the age of people they’ve never seen before. Every year’s difference between their guess and the real age will cost money. (Because when you play this game with friends and strangers, it’s already so much fun!)
Bang on the Money (FremantleMedia Formats)
Try to win money in this “weekend party where everyone is invited”. Two teams of friends are put in front of a big studio audience and, egged on by two super-fun hosts, engage in fun games.
It Takes Two (Talpa Global)
This celebrity singing competition features celebrities famous for lots of things—just not singing.
