ABSTRACT
In comparison to co-productions, which are regulated by offi cial treaties and policies, fi lm and television formats fall outside government regulation. This is largely due to the fact that they are commercially driven and do not receive government subsidies. However, many offi cial debates about new media developments are linked to formats because of their focus on interactive television services, branded entertainment and content regulations. As discussed in Chapter 3, formats of the reality TV genres were the fi rst to incorporate interactive elements in the late 1990s and, consequently, set the precedent for the development of new media ecologies and business partnerships across ‘non-traditional’ lines to include broadcasters, digital content developers and telecommunications service providers. Furthermore, format franchising is synonymous with product placements and therefore provides a business model for branded entertainment in markets around the world. And third, formats successfully circumvent content rules through contracting local production companies for program adaptations. This ‘loop-hole’ in content regulations is problematic, especially since reality TV formats increasingly marginalize more expensive genres like television drama. Since formats exemplify new business models for television production-including audience participation in content development-it is surprising that this important global production technology remains under the radar of cultural agents and policy analysts.
