Format

In the general stagnation of unscripted (and of creativity in general), Korea is a positive exception. New formats continue to be launched - and to be sold around the world. All this thanks to a mix of a carefully planned strategy and openness to novelty.
Firstly, KOCCA, The Korean Creative Content Agency, established in 2009, is a powerful government agency and coordinates and promotes the Korean content industry. Secondly, according to Jin Woo Hwang, co-founder/executive producer/president of Something Special “Korean viewers are possibly the most dynamic audience in the world, [and] change their viewing habits so often that even new hit shows find difficulty in surviving more than three seasons”.
Two recent examples: the physical game show You Picked the Wrong, from Something Special, was the winner of the 2022 BCWW (Broadcast WorldWide convention, Asia’s largest broadcasting content market) International Format Pitch Competition and it has been confirmed for production this year.
The rules are quite simple. Before each of the 5 rounds, some keywords are revealed to the main contestant; the keywords contain clues about the game she or he will play. Then the contestant must choose who they’re going to face off against among the 10 mystery players on the basis of a few clues (age, profession…). The point is that it is better not to judge a book by its cover…
The second one is The Wedding War, that the prodco CJ ENM is launching on July 2 on tvN, its own channel in the region (so a kind of private platform where they test their contents).
The format, from co-creators Kang Sook-kyung (Physical: 100, Netflix) and Lee Won-woong (Steel Troops, Channel A), takes engaged couples from various backgrounds on a journey to prove their trust and love, with the ultimate goal of marriage. In a country where marriage rates have fallen sharply, which couple will tie the knot and win KRW290m (US$225,000)?
Maybe the rest of the world should limit their ultra-conservative strategy a bit and invest more in original contents instead of umpteen reboots…
To read the other 2 articles about “renovation factuals” soon on air on Hulu and an enlightening analysis written by the veteran Tibor Forizs, Content Professional in CEE, about the “Budapest derby” (NATPE Budapest vs Content Budapest) go to https://cmmespresso.substack.com/p/fridays-espresso-23rd-june?sd=pf
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