TV FORMATS FESTIVAL

Running from May 28 to May 30, the TV Formats Festival is a new virtual summit featuring keynotes and panels with leading executives and creatives discussing all the major trends impacting the formats business across non-scripted and scripted. It will be streamed live and available on-demand on TVFormatsFestival.com.

Need to convert the times below for where you are? Click on the times above the name of each session to make sure you don’t miss a thing!

Wednesday, May 28

• 9 a.m. EDT
  BBC Studios’ Matt Forde
  Newly promoted to president of global production at BBC Studios, Matt Forde will open the TV Formats Festival with a keynote conversation on scaling the group’s ambitions across new and returning IP.
• 10 a.m. EDT
  ITV Studios’ Mike Beale & Lisa Perrin
  Taking a deep dive into ITV Studios’ format business, we’ll hear from Mike Beale, managing director of the global creative network, and Lisa Perrin, managing director of international production, on group-wide collaboration, sharing expertise and looking out for the next big thing.
• 11 a.m. EDT
  Warner Bros. International Television Production’s André Renaud
  As group VP for format and finished sales at Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP), André Renaud is amplifying the division’s presence worldwide across scripted formats and entertainment properties.
• 12 p.m. EDT
  ZDF Studios’ Ralf Rückauer
  Ralf Rückauer, VP Unscripted at ZDF Studios, will share with festival delegates how the factual, scripted and kids’ powerhouse is approaching the factual-entertainment and quiz-show landscapes.

Thursday, May 29

• 9 a.m. EDT
  Format Trends with The WIT
  Tapping into a well of intelligence on trends worldwide, Caroline Servy, managing director of The WIT, will present new data on what’s hot in formats today.
• 10 a.m. EDT
  All3Media International’s Sabrina Duguet
  From building a thriving scripted formats business to rolling out buzzy concepts like The Traitors, Sabrina Duguet, executive VP for the Asia Pacific at All3Media International, will weigh in on what’s driving the format acquisition business in the region.
• 11 a.m. EDT
  Asian Innovation: Riding the K-Content Wave
  Jin Woo Hwang, president and founder of Something Special, joins the TV Formats Festival as we explore how Korean content firms are tapping into the booming interest in content from the country.
• 12 p.m. EDT
  Asian Innovation: The View from Japan
  Ryuji Komiya will share how Japanese broadcaster Fuji Television Network is scaling its opportunities with format buyers worldwide.

Friday, May 30: Screenings Day

• Fuji Television Network’s Run for Money
  Players must evade professional hunters and complete missions within a set area to win prize money by surviving until the end.
• Fuji Television Network’s Iron Chef
  Chefs compete against Iron Chefs in a high-energy culinary challenge, creating innovative dishes with a themed ingredient in just one hour.
• BBC Studios’ The Honesty Box
  The most honest dating show ever, and Channel 4’s biggest-ever launch on streaming for a brand-new E4 original commission.
• BBC Studios’ The 1% Club
  The game show where an 8-year-old has as much chance of winning as an 80-year-old. It’s not about what you know, but how your brain works.
• Fremantle’s Swiped: The School That Banned Smartphones
  No screens. No social media. No safety net. Can a school survive 21 days without smartphones? A groundbreaking experiment exploring the true impact of smartphones on young minds.
• Fremantle’s Scrabble
  The world’s favorite word game super-charged for the screen. This format is a game show based on the classic board game Scrabble.
• Something Special’s Unforgettable Duet
  A heartfelt series about the power of music, family and memories.
• Inter Medya’s Crossover
  Contestants showcase their abilities within their chosen music style and then AI steps in, assigning them a brand-new genre to master for their second performance. In “Crossover Week,” contestants are challenged to merge the two genres they performed in the previous weeks.
• Inter Medya’s The Box Challenge
  Thirty randomly allocated boxes and three teams of two contestants. What’s inside the boxes? Is it a question or a game? Is it played alone or with another contestant? Or can you just win by being lucky? Luck and a pinch of tactics could make you win thousands of dollars. Each team begins the show with $400 in their pocket and they choose the amount they wish to allocate to the boxes. Inside each box is a surprise. Once the last box is opened, the total amount they have won until that time will be looked at. The contestant with the most money will have the chance to play at the finale.