Originally Posted by iaindb:
“And then if it snows neither channel is in a position to take advantage. Except In It To Win It is capable of getting 6 or 7m viewers when the competition's not up to much and it could pull Casualty along with it.
And maybe Splash will prove to be a breakout hit. Might just have enough novelty value to surprise.”
Oh it has novelty alright. But not enough to last 5/6 weeks.
Originally Posted by
F1Ken:
“As for Saturday nights I like the sound of Britain's Brightest and remember all it has got to do is to outperform the awful Magicians from last year. I think it will. For those of you crying about the loss of Total Wipeout. Give me a break.
The show became stale after the first episode because you had seen it and it's basically the same again and again. At least the prank show is a little bit different. If it can pull in 4m each week it's done it's job. Britain's Brightest should be in the 5m 20% audience zone. And that's all I think the BBC want.
Splash could be a disaster but I think it will be a hit. Still I think I am going to give Clare Balding a go on Saturday night! 
Some how I don't think that's going to work. 
Ken”
Originally Posted by C14E:
“I don't think it's much to do with complacency. The whole industry is desperate to find the next Got Talent or X Factor. I think it just shows how rare those big hits are. ITV have tried (as have the BBC) to find a new light ent hit for years. And it's not just in the UK - the same formats tend to be hits around the world. So if there was a big hit in Germany or wherever, ITV would be bringing it here as the BBC did with The Voice. Unfortunately the big entertainment hits in Germany are Wetten Das? (You Bet?), Das Supertalent (Got Talent) and I think their local Pop Idol and The Voice adaptations are near the top of the pile as well. ITV are adapting My Man Can, a hit German gameshow. But generally everyone is in the same boat as ITV when it comes to those massive entertainment formats.”
Before I make the point I am going to make, I should say that I watch a lot of international television, and watch the ratings' patterns in a few countries, ergo, I do have a strong understanding of the trends that shows set.
In terms of Splash!, diving shows do have a certain novelty. For the last few years, I have watched the original diving format (TV Total Turmspringen) from Germany. It started off very well, but over the last few years has dropped in ratings. The show lasts around 3 hours, but is shown as an event, one night a year. It's been going since 2004. This version is perfect, as they don't drag it out for weeks, and the novelty of the idea is kept without burning it out. This version (Turmspringen) has been picked up by Fox for the US market, whilst it has also been bought in China, Sweden, Norway and Canada. Sterren Springen (the Dutch version ITV has picked) has been bought in Australia, US, Britain and France.
Britain's Brightest is based on 'Der Klugste Deutsche' which has been shown on Das Erste in Germany since October 2011. The show has done very well in the ratings, and despite some saying it is a quiz show it isn't. It's a gameshow! There a number of rounds, featuring different tasks that the contestants have to work out (dance routines to name one example on the British version). The original looks very impressive, but I'm not sure about the Beeb's remake. It is a good show, and people should give it a go.
The International TV market has produced some great hits that simply haven't been given a chance or haven't been brought to the UK;
[LIST][*]Schlag den Raab (Germany) was brought to the UK by ITV (Beat the Star). Show was binned after just 2 seasons, but is one of the biggest entertainment shows in Germany. Picked up in at least 15 countries.
[*]El Hormiguero (Spain) is a humourous science-entertainment show, popular amongst young audiences. Started in 2006, and regularly attracts big name international stars (Charlize Theron, Tom Cruise, Hugh Jackman). Been picked up in 4 countries.
[*]Benidorm Bastards (Belgium) is a hidden camera show where old people (actors) play pranks on members of the public. Sold to at least 7 countries (known as Off Their Rockers in the US).[/LIST]
I think that there is a lot of formats abroad that could be brought over here, but their is definitely a shortfall of entertainment hits coming from the UK in recent years. I do think complacency is a big issue, as there are quite a lot of flawed formats (High Stakes, Born to Shine, Dales Great Getaway, Don't Scare the Hare) that have come out of the UK. No surprise we are being overtaken in the international market.
