TF1 is the leading private free TV network in France, targeting a broader young and family audience, and programming shinny floor entertainment shows such us Survivor (Banijay), The Mask Singer (FOX USA), Ninja Warriors (TBS Japan), among others, as well as factual entertainment titles.
Julie Degroote, EVP Head of Content development and international, TF1 is in charge of adapting international entertainment formats, as well as creating new one. On this conversation for MIPFormat, he underlined the main trends in the French market.
TMC is the first DTT channel in France: 25-49, urban is the most important target, offering to them docuseries, journalism, humor and comedy, as well as premium content. And TFX is for young adults with reality TV and factual entertainment as Supper Nany, Wife Swap and Cleaners (Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners, Channel 4 UK).
‘We tend to have 50% and 50% in terms of international formats vs. local developments. On the last three year, on the daily slots, almost 2/3 of the shows were paper formats (originals) created by our team or co-created with producers. On prime time, it is easier to adapt international format after a big success such us The Mask Singer’.
But TF1 also has space for creativity: ‘Last year we have on prime-time District Z, cocreated with Satisfaction and Sony, and it was a big success. And last month, we launchedMystery Duos, and The Secret Song, from Can’t Stop Media create for us and adapted then in Finland and Italy. Both, originals or paper formats, work very well on TF1’.
Evolution? ‘Last year we launched for TF1 and TFX’ daily slots factual entertainment shows such asFour in a Bed and Four Weddings, averaging 14% of audience share in the key demos. Then, we created a new genre, docu-soap. For TF1it was Large Families, showing families with a big number of kids (5-10). Season 4 is coming with 200 episodes produced, and the slots is reaching now almost 25% of share. For TFX we produced Moms & Famous, which is doing very well. We want to explore more in this field, developing new concepts and opened to analyze IPs for the slots’.
For TF1 prime time Degrooteis looking for ‘ambitious projects’ such asDistrict Z. And he remarked: ‘We are opened to these kinds of crazy IPs. Then we feel the trend of guessing games elements into a format, such us The Mask Singer, whose S3 will be produced on June. Last year, we launched Global Agency’sGood Singers and was a big success, or Fremantle’s Games of Talents to be aired by the end of this month on TF1’.
With the pandemic, people want to have easy-to-watch family show with good feelings and positive ways. ‘Joyful prime time content is what we are looking for. Contestants, celebrities, singing, playing that’s the formula’, concluded the executive, who also announced Talpa Media’ Marbel Mania, which did very well in The Netherlands.
