The Format Age

Few trends have had as much impact on television as formats have in recent years. Long confined to the fringes of the TV industry, they have risen to prominence since the late 1990s. Today, they are a global business with hundreds of programmes adapted across the world at any one time, from mundane game shows to blockbuster talent competitions, from factual entertainment to high-end drama. Based on exclusive industry access, this book provides an in-depth analysis of the complex world of the TV format from its origins to the present day. Chalaby delivers a comprehensive account of the TV format trading system and conceptualizes the global value chain that underpins it, unpicking the corporate strategies and power relations within. Using interviews with format creators, he uncovers the secrets behind the world’s most travelled formats, exploring their narrative structure and cultural meanings.

Contents Acknowledgements Tables and Figures Introduction Part One: Birth of a New Trade Chapter 1 TV Formats as an Anglo-American Invention Chapter 2 The Making of an Entertainment Revolution Chapter 3 The Advent of The Super-Formats Part Two: Production and Globalization Chapter 4 The Formation of the Global Format Trading System Chapter 5 Nations and Competition: Upgrading Strategies in the TV Format Commodity Chain Chapter 6 A Globalized Intellectual Property Market: The International Production Model Part Three: TV Formats: Structuring Narratives Chapter 7 Journeys and Transformations: Unscripted Formats in the 21st Century Chapter 8 Talent Competitions: Myths and Heroes for the Modern Age Chapter 9 Drama without Drama: The Late Rise of Scripted Formats Conclusion: Trade, Culture and Television Notes Personal Communications and Interviews by the Author References