 Your once-a-month recap of trends in the factual and non-scripted formats sectors, with news digests, interviews, analysis & more. |
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Factual buyers and format commissioners are hunting for breakthrough ideas; true crime and megaformats are still hot; and everyone is trying to make sense of YouTube.
What’s Inside
Doc Buyers at MIA: The Funds Are Available, The Ideas Need Work
Debating the Big Ideas: Sara Ramsden Previews WCSFP 2026
25 Years of Reality TV Innovation: A Conversation with Arthur Smith
Format Production Innovation: Production Hubs & New Commissioning Models
Factual Shift: Insights from Leading Distributors
In the Format Zone: Unscripted Entertainment Trends
New Windows: YouTube Channels, Creator Partnerships & FAST
What’s Being Bought: Crime Scenes, Wild Runs & More
Formats with Traction: Rolling the Dice & Betting on the Familiar
People in the News: Talent Collaborations & Executive Shifts
Brands, Access & Quality: Cecilie Olsen Showcases ITV Studios’ Unscripted Strengths
Doc Buyers at MIA
Nevine Mabro, head of BBC’s Storyville strand; Mikael Österby, head of factual acquisition at SVT in Sweden; and Muhammad Refaat, film commissioner at Qatar-based Al Jazeera Documentary, took part in a session at MIA that focused less on constricted budgets and more on the quest for breakthrough ideas and evolving viewing habits.
“BBC is responding in that they’re beginning to try and find audiences in different places,” said Mabro, who joined the BBC at the start of this year from Channel 4. “Previously, with documentaries, you would make a film; then you would cut it down and put it out on social, hoping to bring that audience to linear TV or streaming platforms. That never really works because you wouldn’t get that audience coming to watch the film, but you would get an audience on YouTube or Instagram or TikTok or whatever to see a form of the film. Once people understood that, they’re now using social platforms to take PSB documentaries to that audience, and they might not watch an hour-and-a-half film; they might just watch 30 seconds or four minutes. But they’re still getting high-quality films, high-impact films, political films.”
Österby called SVT the “best public-service broadcaster in Europe” when it comes to digital reach, “but we’re failing big because the competition is so fierce. So what do we do then? We’ve changed the commissioning model. We work with needs, not with target groups. My work isn’t the same as it was five years ago. We tell stories differently. Public-service broadcasters tend to work towards how one wants to understand the world. It’s a need, but it’s the smallest need. The biggest one is that I just want to flee the world. I want escapism, and I want to be inspired.”
Refaat said that Al Jazeera Documentary has embraced YouTube distribution. “We have been putting all our films on YouTube for the past 20 years. We broadcast the film, and five minutes later we put it on YouTube. We thought that we were ahead. But we think this model is failing for us because now we are totally confused about what we should do with YouTube, what the strategy should be, and what kind of film we should select for YouTube. Before that, we just put everything because we considered it a library for films, a legacy for everything we produce. Now we put an amazing film, or what we thought was an amazing film, and it did nothing. It doesn’t reach people. So we have to select and think about how to make it differently to fit into YouTube, not just as another platform, but a completely different environment.”
Become a paid ScreenMDM Extra subscriber or a ScreenMDM Club member for more detailed insights on funding approaches, pitching requirements and the outlook for co-productions at these three outlets.
Debating the Big Ideas
The World Congress of Science & Factual Producers (WCSFP) is headed to Tallinn, Estonia, for its 2026 edition. Sara Ramsden, editorial director of the event, joined ScreenMDM Talks to discuss curating an agenda that tackles AI, YouTube, linear pubcaster commissions, and everything in between.
At the core of her thinking for this year’s agenda: “We’ve got to find ways of getting more young people there. We’ve got to find ways of reflecting the reality of just how much work is now taking place in alternative spaces—YouTube, podcasting—and that it’s no good having a policy of us and them. It’s not like, us old-timer broadcasters, what are we going to do about this onslaught that we’re losing? We’re all in this together, and we all care about trying to get as many people as possible to engage with knowledge and facts and rationality and narratives that tell stories about the world we live in. And whether you’re doing that on Nat Geo or on the BBC or Channel 4 or on your own little YouTube channel or your own enormously successful YouTube channel, we all have the same issues that we care about. A rivalry with the newcomers just doesn’t make sense anymore.”
25 Years of Reality TV Innovation
As Hell’s Kitchen marks its landmark 25th season on FOX, reality TV icon Arthur Smith, chairman and CEO of A. Smith & Co. Productions and chairman of Tinopolis Group U.S., joined ScreenMDM Talks to weigh in on building brands that last and spotting compelling ideas in the global market.
Smith founded A. Smith & Co. Productions more than 25 years ago and has since made over 200 series for 50-plus networks. His impressive stable includes the U.S. versions of Hell’s Kitchen, Ninja Warrior, and the upcoming Physical 100 for Netflix.
“It’s more important than ever that there’s a freshness to any idea that you’re bringing to a network or platform,” Smith said. “Our genre relies on things that are different and fresh, and it’s gotten harder over the years. When we first started, there was no food competition show on network television. For Ninja, there was no obstacle-course show, or any show quite like it, anywhere on broadcast television. I’m always looking for fresh concepts, and that’s led us to look around the world, of course, because sometimes their POV is different. I’ve been in LA long enough, and I’m also old enough to remember the days when if it wasn’t made here, or created by Americans, it couldn’t possibly work. That’s been blown wide open.”
Format Production Innovation
BiggerStage has launched a new initiative to help format creators get pilots made, with the plan to produce up to six annually at its new Global Production Hub in Ireland. Part of its Format Factory initiative, Pilot Plus will give producers the chance to fund, shoot, test, and scale new formats, leveraging Ireland’s new unscripted tax credit. FOX Entertainment Global is looking to expand the global footprint of its Extracted format with a new production hub in Malaysia. The new hub is in Lake Kenyir, Malaysia, to enable a faster, more efficient, and cost-effective model for licensees. Season three of the U.S. edition has just wrapped production there. Malaysia provides tax incentives of up to 30% on qualifying production spend. At its MIPCOM press breakfast, ITV Studios revealed a new milestone for The Voice: reaching its 80th market. New funding models have aided that scale, including 1+1 partnering with Netflix to bring The Voice back to Ukraine after a three-year absence, while in Brazil, Disney+ and SBT aligned for a simultaneous broadcast. Eureka’s new prime-time game-show format Stacks of Cash, which Fremantle was highlighting at MIPCOM, notched up deals with CBS in the U.S. and Seven Network in Australia. Those versions, along with the original on Portuguese broadcaster TVI, use a production hub in Portugal.
Factual Shift
Factual may still be the most resilient genre when compared with what’s happening in the kids’ and scripted sectors, but it’s still facing its own significant phase of disruption. Digital-first shifts, AI, and conference turmoil, with the end of Realscreen Summit and Sunny Side of the Doc becoming a new market in Strasbourg, are causing some angst. “Transition” and “disruption” came up frequently in ScreenMDM’s survey of a diverse array of distribution execs, as did innovation, co-production, self-commissioning, and YouTube and AVOD monetization as IP owners look to build sustainable models. Featured in our MIPCOM edition, this trend report surveyed Mark Reynolds, global head of documentaries and factual at Fremantle; Germaine Deagan Sweet, head of content acquisitions and sales at PBS Distribution; Nikolas Hülbusch, Director Unscripted at ZDF Studios; NHK’s Yuko Fukuyama, senior producer of international co-productions, and Takeshi Shibasaki, head of global content development; Jon Loew, CEO of BIG Media; and Anke Stoll, SVP of acquisitions and co-productions at Keshet International.
In the Format Zone
A couple of themes kept coming up in the conversations we had for this survey of the non-scripted entertainment market: risk aversion, constricted budgets, and the challenges of making noise and breaking through. And yet, there is also genuine excitement about what social video and branded entertainment mean for new opportunities in the sector.
Whether you’re a consolidated major with a global footprint, a boutique indie, or somewhere in between, a disciplined approach, an understanding of where audiences are headed, and a commitment to innovation should stand you in good stead as you build a global brand. Audiences may still be flocking to tried-and-tested megabrands, but they’re also embracing new concepts born on social and shifting across platforms to engage with the brands they love.
To understand the dynamics reshaping the non-scripted entertainment sector, we surveyed four companies of different sizes to identify pain points, growth opportunities, and how to navigate commissioner hesitance when rolling the dice on something brand new. This survey includes insights from Banijay’s James Townley, Seven.One Studios International’s Tobias Schulze, Primitives’ Katie Pike, and Dori Media Group’s Nadav Palti.
New Windows
It was another busy month for intersections with the social video economy across both the factual and entertainment spheres. Lots of new YouTube channels revealed, including The Maths of Everything from Little Dot Studios and broadcaster and arithmetician Rachel Riley; Wildstar Films, a Fremantle company, joining forces with wildlife filmmaker, explorer and scientist Dan O’Neill for The World is Out There; Inside Taronga Zoo from Cineflix Rights and Australian producer McAvoy Media; and Tony Robinson Rewrites History, a venture between Radar Studios, WTFN’s newly unveiled venture combining its digital and distribution arms, and broadcaster Sir Tony Robinson. Elsewhere, Sony Pictures Television is working with Professor Brian Cox to develop a slate of premium digital-first science content.
Reflecting the evolution of the digital-first space, Fawkes Digital is relaunching as Studio Fawkes as it expands its lineup of branded, creator and broadcaster content and lands its first linear commission with a dating show at MTV in the U.K. Also on the entertainment side, Banijay Latin America’s Endemol Shine Brasil is working with Grupo Podpah, a leading creator-led platform in the region, around some of its biggest entertainment brands. Grupo Podpah started as a podcast brand and has evolved into a multiplatform offering with originals and digital channels like Podpah TV and Madhouse TV. The initiative kicks off with online content around Temptation Island. Spanish YouTuber Plex (Daniel Alonso Agúndez) is fronting a new reality competition series for Netflix, produced by Fremantle. Turning Red Media is working with Rusk Media on a matchmaking reality show on YouTube.
On the FAST end, meanwhile, Samsung TV Plus EMEA expanded its channel lineup via a slate of new services from ITV Studios’ Zoo 55, including The Voice Global and VICE; and Radial Entertainment launched the new FAST channel Paranormal Chronicles.
What’s Being Bought
No other factual genre is more flooded than true crime. Almost all non-scripted distributors have a segment of their catalogs devoted to this genre that never seems to lose favor with audiences. And that comes with its own challenges: making an impact in a crowded space, appealing to armchair detectives and casual lean-back viewers, and delivering stories that speak to local and global audiences. As lucrative as chronicling lawbreakers is, cutting through the clutter requires insider access, revelations, and new takes on a well-worn genre, as we heard in our conversations with several distributors for our MIPCOM true-crime trend report, including ITV Studios’ Harry Arkwright and Woodcut Media’s Koulla Anastasi. We covered deal news on many true-crime series in the last month, including BIG Media’s Hashtag Homicide being renewed at Radial Entertainment, which is also resurrecting the classic Forensic Files brand with new episodes. Sam Barcroft’s Creatorville, which became part of independent press agency SWNS Media Group in 2025, and John Farrar’s Homecoming Studios joined forces for two true-crime docs. Fremantle reached deals with REELZ in the U.S. and Sky in the U.K. for its law enforcement series Police 24/7. Meanwhile, producers from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, and the U.S. have joined the Association of True Crime Producers (ATCP), marking the first time the group has expanded beyond U.K. outfits since its 2023 founding.
Wildlife, while much harder to fund, also remains a staple. Wild Battlegrounds, from WildBear Entertainment for RTL in Germany, landed international deals for Off the Fence. Documentary+ is bringing its audiences a collection of wildlife and conservation films from the REEL WILD New York Film Festival through a partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). True crime, history-mystery, and lifestyle titles have fared well for Cineflix Rights, while BossaNova found traction with The Land That Made Us and Ruins: Rise and Fall, as well as other projects from its Development Day initiative.
Formats with Traction
With all the talk about risk-aversion, the biggest names in the format business remain extremely popular, and several made headlines over the last month. Banijay Rights and TBS expanded their Ninja Warrior alliance beyond the format-licensing deal announced last October, with the distribution powerhouse now taking on finished-program sales for the sports entertainment franchise. Shine Iberia is making a second season of MasterChef Junior Spain, developed specifically for Disney+ in the territory. Hollywood Squares expanded its footprint into Mexico and the U.S. Hispanic market via a deal between Paramount Global Content Distribution and TelevisaUnivision. Passion Distribution’s Paradise Hotel continues to see traction, with a 14th season ordered at TVN in Poland, while Videoland in the Netherlands is on board for a third season.
Newer formats also found new opportunities in the last month. BBC Studios’ fast-growing Nation’s Dumbest brand scored a second season renewal at FOX. The buzzy French format Werewolves has reached its fourth market, with Mastiff Norway producing a local version for TV 2. Created by Voltage TV and distributed by Cineflix Rights, Tempting Fortune is being adapted by Mediaset Spain. Seoul-based content IP agency Just iPicked landed a U.S. option on the comedy format Battle in the Box with Jenny Daly’s Studio82. Talpa Studios’ music game show The Winner Takes It All is being remade in Spain for RTVE, marking its third market. The month also saw a smattering of new brands. Launched at MIPCOM, Global Agency’s The Greatest Duo, a new prime-time singing relationship competition, landed a deal in Italy. Lineup Industries secured a Dutch commission for its topical news quiz format In Other News, Today. The Belgian political format First Choice, represented by Primitives, has scored its first remake, with STVR Slovakia on board for a local version.
People in the News
ITV Studios launched a new development label with Patrick Carr and Bob Fletcher, and inked a first-look pact with Afro-Mic Productions, as it scales up its unscripted development pipeline. With the All3Media integration complete, Banijay announced a wealth of executive appointments, including Ben Samek as CEO of Banijay America and Laurens Drillich as CEO of Banijay Latin America. Expanding its LatAm presence, Banijay also scored a strategic pact between Endemol Shine Brasil and Globo to co-create formats for the global market. Channel 4 has a new unscripted head in Alisa Pomeroy. Claire Goodlass, an EP at Minnow Films, is joining Sky as commissioning editor for documentaries at the end of this year. CANAL+ Group widened the remit for Nathalie Folloroux, enlisting her to run all unscripted content in France in addition to her role at CANAL+ Channels Africa.
Brands, Access & Quality
Cecilie Olsen, SVP for global content, non-scripted, at ITV Studios, joined ScreenMDM Talks to discuss how the company has curated a lineup built around brands, access and premium quality.
“A lot of audiences now, their attention span might not be quite what it used to be, when maybe they were lulled into something for a bit longer,” Olsen said. “Now, it needs to be something that grabs them straight away, even when they’re scrolling through to find a program.”
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Our factual and formats coverage from MIPCOM.
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