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What shows are networks looking for?

TV execs are on the hunt for drama, lifestyle, entertainment, comedy and children's genre.

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Recently a number of TV execs attending the Screen Forever conference were asked what kind of shows they were looking for.

Here were the answers…

ABC Comedy:

“I guess of the range of things that we’re looking for in Comedy… is trying to provide exciting content for as many different parts of the wide Australian audience as we can… I will just say that the thing that we are looking for, actively at the moment, is laugh out loud comedies. We probably are quite well served for the dramedy space for now. So come at us with proper, laugh out loud gagfests.

“We are also looking very much to the future into making ABC iview a destination streaming service, not a catch-up service. So we hope soon to be able to commission more that has that audience directly in mind. But at the moment, we’re obviously serving both the audience who watches content online and a traditional broadcast audience.”

ABC Drama:

“What’s really important is a diversity of programming on our slate. In the scripted space, we’ve got some really popular, broad returning series now. So we’re open to looking for limited series that have impact. Six to eight eps is kind of a sweet spot for us. I think when you’re pitching and thinking about ideas for us, it’s like, ‘Does it have longevity? Is it something that can go to three series? Is it limited? Will it have cut through if it is limited?'”

ABC Entertainment:

“We’re always after good, strong comedian-led programs that really resonate. You’ve got promotability if you’ve got a big name. We’re also genuinely interested in social experiment TV .. the ABC version of these types of things, which I think had to speak to our audience. An ABC version of constructed reality. Of course, we’re always after some some high volume efficient studio production that resonates with broad audiences. That’s always going to be a winner .. .Hard Quiz is a fantastic example of that.”

Seven Drama:

“Seven is very broad and, very importantly, Australian. For our dramas we look for 25 to 54 demographics, very much female-led 40+. If you look at our ratings and demos its very much female-led. So that for us really talks about resonating with that audience, emotionally. Something like RFDS is big, it’s broad, it showcases Australia beautifully. The stories really resonate and they are thought-provoking. The next series, I’m very happy to say, the dailies is my joy, watching them every day. I think I’ve cried about five times in the last two weeks. And I cannot wait for everyone to see it…True Crime always works for Seven, short run, probably six to eight hours. We’re probably not looking for anything longer than that. But really, anyone can come to us in any form, whether it’s scripts or pitch documents. The door is open.”

NITV:

“At NITV we’re currently looking for lifestyle programs, food & entertainment, travel shows. And we’re also looking for factual Children’s. High volume, low cost factual series.”

Foxtel Drama:

“We’re actually very flexible, we will do both returnables and limited series. The Twelve was a 10 parter, we’ll do 8, 6, features. It’s really about what is a great cut-through idea? We’re definitely highly-selective. It’s about quality not quantity for us, and understanding the richness of the acquired content coming through.

“Any kind of successful media business has returnable franchises that will deliver a consistent audience, but sometimes a limited series can really punch through …”

Foxtel Lifestyle / Entertainment:

“Premium lifestyle shows which must be absolutely best in class ….Secondly, big, noisy reality shows. To be frank, we’d like to drive new subscribers into Binge. Thirdly, general entertainment programs, which are co-viewing for families –Gogglebox is a great example, RocKwiz is another one. And then fourthly, …low cost ideas supported by brands, which are cost effective for us. They can play out in quite a few different sub genres of unscripted: travel, money cooking.”

Prime Video:

“It’s really important for our Australian regional programming to have reach, not just in Australia, but globally. I think when we’re looking at our local slate, we’re always really focused on the customer …we’re always looking at our slate holistically, trying to create something for everyone across unscripted, scripted and film…..We’ve got a very exciting slate for 2023 coming up. We’ve got nine Australian shows launching this year.”

17 Responses

  1. ABC/SBS provide a lot of decent entertainment to watch including docos, dramas, comedies and entertainment.
    There are no mentions of Nine and 10, but Nine relies on cheap reality programs and too much sport. Recently, 9 has signed deals with Rugby Union, NRL, Tennis, Olympics and Cricket. Having a lot of sport would mean more of Nine’s dominance in the ratings. 10 mostly offers reality programs. As well, they offer some variety of comedy entertainment like HYBPA, Cheap Seats, and TGYH (coming soon). I’d like to see 10 invest in more comedy entertainment programs rather than reality & sport

    1. You mean original like a mix of a specialist subjects and general knowledge as in Master Mind which I used to watch as kid. It’s all about Tom keeping the nerds firmly in the background. Interesting that the ABC can only come up with something else like Hard Quiz. Channel 7 stuff targeted at my sister. Channel 9 and 10 didn’t reply but Nine is interest only in MAFS, The Block and Sport.

      1. It’s not that they didn’t reply. Nine did not attend event (Stan did). 10 did attend but I don’t recall that specific question put to them in sessions I saw, or maybe I didn’t record properly.

    2. It reminds me a lot of the one on the ABC that Peter Berner used to host called The Einstein Factor, with15 questions asked to each contestant on their special subjects. It differs though when that got to round 2 with subject headings and the contestants chose which one, then there was a whole Brains Trust part. Used to love that show, along with the other one on the ABC that Paul McDermott hosted called Think Tank, so Hard Quiz falls into my like of that type of Quiz format (I liked the UK one Eggheads as well).

  4. ABC Comedy: I agree at the notion of laughing out loud, but that happens when an audience sees something about themselves in the satire. Fawlty Towers is a classic because it exposes human foibles that some would consider to be politically incorrect today, British humour was once full of this satire. ABC Drama: Is in my opinion punching above its weight with its limited run series, and it’s not pushing the diversity message as much as the BBC does, which is also a point in its favour. Drama screenplays only need to be entertaining with strong character development, to be successful, the viewer needs to be vicariously invested not distracted. Entertainment: This content is usually generic and cheap to make, you don’t need contractual comedian’s just less expensive personalities with charisma to host these shows. Reality TV provides most of the required commercial local content. Seven Drama: Should know feminist agendas can become just as sexually discriminating as masculine ones.

  6. Disappointed with ABC Comedy channel, there hasn’t been much comedy lately..I wouldn’t class George Clarke’s Amazing Places, Vera, Killing Eve, David Attenborough as comedy but I do understand what moving deckchairs about is, if you’re going call a channel comedy then why show drama and lifestyle. Foxtel to me are more quantity than quality with some of the rubbish they move around their channels they keep renaming. I rang for technical support and the person “helping” was plugging shows on Fox 8/Fox One, it makes me wonder about Foxtel too because they’ve never done that before. As for Rockwiz ..big letdown for me because there was very little rocking except from Jimmy Barnes/Fanny Lumsden the rest were all mostly ballads, if you’re going to call a show Rockwiz then you need it to rock at least. Seven have the occasional good Aussie drama but often double episodes. I think the time is coming where all tv will be streaming services and more convenient on the go for some people.

      2. ABC Plus, it’s a mixture of documentaries, repeats and some comedy like Ghosts. There are still late night comedies. The Messenger is a problem it’s based on a YA adult novel that’s on high school syllabuses but it features a gun so they’ve rated it M. But interns of the writing and characters it pretty much ABC3 stuff otherwise.

        1. I never stopped referring to it as ‘ABC 2’-not a fan of getting sucked into some marketing person’s latest brainwave-they also show movies as well.
          As far as what networks want, they want whatever people will watch in numbers that costs the least to make-bad news for period drama, folks!

  7. “In a rare programming move by ABC, new local drama The Messenger has been bumped to a later timeslot, in favour of UK drama Silent Witness.”
    No wonder commercial networks don’t want local content mandated – very expensive and risky if no one watches it.

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