Commercially funded UK pubcaster Channel 4 took home three prizes at the annual International Format Awards, held digitally this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Surviving the Stone Age, from Renegade Pictures and Motion Content Group for Channel 4, took home the Best Factual Entertainment prize at the online event, hosted by C21Media in association with Frapa, EMC and MipFormats.
In the C4 show, which is being shopped by Passion Distribution at this week’s digital MipTV, eight experts journey across one of Europe’s last remaining wildernesses for a month, using Stone Age tribe methods of survival.
The channel’s ‘Heart Special’ of long-running hospital obs doc 24 Hours in A&E, from The Garden Productions and distributed by Banijay Rights, was this year’s Best Brand-Driven Format.
Love Productions’ format The Great Bake Off, which C4 nabbed from the BBC in 2016, was named Best Returning Format.
Elsewhere, one of US streamer HBO Max’s first forays into the formats business, floristry competition show Full Bloom, from Eureka Productions, was named Best Competition Reality Format.
The prizes were spread far and wide across the globe in 2021, with Asahi TV in Japan taking Best Comedy Format for The Secret Gameshow, France 3 winning Best Multi-Platform Format for Thriller Game, VTM Belgium’s Project Cupid scooping Best Reality Format, and US broadcast network ABC taking Best Studio-Based Gameshow Format for Don’t.
Unter Freunden Stirbt Man Nicht (You Don’t Die Among Friends), from Keshet Tresor Fiction, for TVNow in Germany, was named Best Scripted Format.
Anette Romer, who left TV2 in Denmark after three decades of service in 2020, was the recipient of this year’s Gold Award.
TO VIEW THE AWARDS SHOW, CLICK HERE.
And the winners are:
BEST FACTUAL ENTERTAINMENT FORMAT
Surviving the Stone Age
Produced by: Renegade Pictures and Motion Content Group
For: Channel 4
Distributed by: Passion Distribution
Thriller Game
Produced by: Coyote and Alphamedia
For: France 3
Distributed by: All3Media International
Unter Freunden Stirbt Man Nicht (You Don’t Die Among Friends)
Produced by: Keshet Tresor Fiction
For: TV Now
Distributed by: Keshet International
The Secret Gameshow
Produced by: Asahi Broadcasting TV Corporation and NBCUniversal Formats
For: ABC Japan
Distributed by: NBCUniversal Formats
24 Hours in A&E: Heart Special
Produced by: The Garden Productions
For: Channel 4
Distributed by: Banijay Rights
Project Cupid
Produced by: Roses Are Blue
For: VTM
Distributed by: Be-Entertainment
BEST COMPETITION REALITY FORMAT
Full Bloom
Produced by: Eureka Productions
For: HBO Max
Distributed by: HBO Max
BEST STUDIO-BASED GAMESHOW FORMAT
Don’t
Produced by: Banijay Studios North America
For: ABC
Distributed by: Banijay Rights
Alan Carr – Epic Gameshow
Produced by: Talkback
For: ITV
Distributed by: Fremantle
Best Returning Format
Produced by: Love Productions
For: Channel 4
Distributed by: BBC Studios Distribution
BEST INNOVATION IN THE TIME OF COVID FORMAT
Drive Thru-Oke
Produced by: Space Rabbit
For: MBN
Distributed by: NBCUniversal Formats
THE INTERNATIONAL FORMATS BUSINESS GOLD AWARD 2022
Anette Rømer
Formats consultant, STV Production
Congratulations to all the winners!