Format

There are formats that stand out more for their extra-television factors (i.e. creating or making something extraordinary happen in the real world, outside the confines of television) than for their 'intrinsic' value. Such is the case of a project recently announced by Banijay Asia, whose ultimate goal is to... send an Indian citizen into space.
Here is the production company's official presentation: “Banijay Asia has announced its collaboration with Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA) to produce an innovative format show that will showcase the nationwide hunt for one ordinary Indian citizen who will journey into space on a future Blue Origin New Shepard mission. […].
This announcement builds on SERA’s recent news announcing India as a partner nation for their human spaceflight program aimed at giving an opportunity to citizens from countries with few or no astronauts to travel into space. SERA’s mission is to democratize space travel by opening up opportunities for ordinary citizens to experience the wonders of space exploration.”
Other similar projects have been announced in the past, but to the best of my recollection none have ever come to be realised (if you can think of any, let me know!). In June last year, Stars on Mars was broadcast on Fox (see FE 21 April 2023), but in that case the base where the 'celebronauts' lived was on Earth, in Australia to be precise, and was only a simulation of what life on the red planet would be like.
This time - it seems - it's for real.
To read the other two articles about a ‘hybrid’ format (between linear and online) and a number of South African formats, go to https://cmmespresso.substack.com/p/formats-between-real-and-virtual

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