New Patterns in Global Television Formats

Book excerpt: The past twenty years have seen major changes in the ways that television formats and programming are developed and replicated internationally for different markets--with locally focused repackagings of hit reality shows leading the way. But in a sense, that's not new: TV formats have been being exported for decades, with the approach and methods changing along with changes in broadcast technology, markets, government involvement, and audience interest. This book brings together scholars of TV formats from around the world to analyze and discuss those changes and offer an up-to-the-minute analysis of the current state of TV formats and their use and adaptation worldwide.