ABSTRACT
BeTipul was very successful in terms of its audience share and impact on the Israeli public sphere, but this fact doe not explain its global journey. Broadcast through a cable channel from 2005 to 2008, the series was highly praised by television critics for its innovative format, intelligent scripts, and brilliant performances by the leading actor in the role of the therapist. Whereas international television festivals and events are sites that contain a wealth of information and offer an overwhelmingly vast market for television formats, internalized cultural predispositions based on ethnic, cultural, and geopolitical proximity may illustrate the trajectory of business transactions in the industry of television formats. Both the Israeli creators and the American producers emphasized what in their views were the main reasons for the format’s appeal in the American television industry. Adaptations in Argentina and Brazil also emphasized the format’s quality features, particularly “social realism” of the series, and its elaborate script and relatively high production budget.
