ABSTRACT
At MIPTV, 2004 was noted as a benchmark year for formats because of the growing interest in this production technology for program development and trade. That year alone, the global format business was worth $3.5 billion, an increase of 33% over a two-year period. Between 2002 and 2004, $9.1 billion was spent on format production alone. During the same time span, the number of reality TV hours rose by 22%, making this category one of the fastest growing genres for format franchising after game shows (Schmitt, Bisson & Fey, 2005).
