The cost of UK broadcasters’ new love of reboots and imported formats

By Ed Waller 10-03-2025

The recent London TV Screenings highlighted a concerning trend: the notable absence of new British unscripted formats. Is an increasing reliance on reboots and imported formats diminishing the UK’s position in the global format business?

There were plenty of headlines coming out of last month’s London TV Screenings, as new shows were unveiled and deals were struck across Soho. But what was missing was the kind of news that used to be a staple for C21’s newsdesk at these industry events: a hot new UK unscripted format making waves in the international market after proving itself domestically.

Historically, the UK has been a leader in unscripted television innovation, exporting original formats like The Weakest Link, Pop Idol, Bake Off and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? to be adapted for local audiences around the world. However, UK broadcasters are increasingly relying on imported formats or reboots of old ones, a trend that risks stifling domestic creativity and innovation.

Survivor is one of many reboots filling UK screens (Photo: ITV)

The BBC’s revival of Gladiators in 2024, for example, is based on a US format that first aired in the UK in the 1990s. Similarly, The Traitors, one of the BBC’s biggest recent hits, is an adaptation of the Dutch show De Verraders. Even the BBC’s revival of Survivor — despite originating in the UK — takes up valuable airtime that might have otherwise gone to developing new formats that could drive a fresh wave of UK IP exports. Meanwhile, Channel 4’s remit to innovate is surely not fulfilled by poaching hit formats like Taskmaster from other broadcasters who took all the initial risk in establishing them.

This increasing dependence on tried-and-tested formats raises serious concerns about the future of original British content. The lack of new British formats at the London TV Screenings is a worrying sign that UK broadcasters are prioritising established foreign formats over investing in original ideas.

As UK unscripted industry veteran Steven D Wright recently told C21investigates: “It’s difficult to oversell just how bad the situation is now – it’s apocalyptic. We’re living in a post-nuclear TV world where cockroaches might survive, but formats probably won’t. Everything that previously worked for the past 30 years has stopped in the last three years. It feels like a bunch of people have met behind closed doors and decided to just kill off unscripted for five years.”

So, why are UK broadcasters opting for reboots and repackaged imports rather than original concepts? The answer is simple: risk aversion. In an era of shrinking budgets and unpredictable audience tastes, a show that has already proven successful — either in a previous decade or in another country — seems like a safer investment than an untested UK format. If a format has already worked in Europe or the US, it becomes easier to sell to audiences, advertisers and investors.

But while this strategy might save money in the short term, it comes at a significant long-term cost. By prioritising the familiar over the fresh, networks are stifling innovation and depriving the UK’s distribution sector of new unscripted IP to sell globally.

The UK’s once-dominant position in the global format business was built on risk-taking. Broadcasters like the BBC and Channel 4 were willing to take chances on original ideas, and those that succeeded became valuable international IP. Networks around the world essentially outsourced the risk of developing and testing new formats to the UK because not every broadcaster could afford the time or money to do so themselves. However, they were more than happy to acquire proven British formats once they had been successfully road-tested.

Now, territories like South Korea and the Netherlands have taken over the role the UK once played. The market is brimming with formats from these countries — even in the UK itself — further evidence that Britain has shifted from being a format exporter to an importer.

The financial challenges facing the UK television industry only exacerbate this problem. Rising production costs, dwindling ad spend in traditional TV, and increasing competition from YouTube and deep-pocketed streaming giants like Netflix and Disney have made it harder for traditional broadcasters to take creative risks. The situation is worsened by inexperienced TV commissioners who are under pressure to deliver instant hits rather than nurturing potential long-term successes.

If the UK wants to regain its status as a leader in television formats, broadcasters must strike a balance between the appeal of reboots and imported formats and a renewed commitment to developing and investing in original British content.

Investing in new UK formats may seem riskier in the short term, but it ultimately builds brand identity and strengthens the UK’s global influence in the television market. Britain once led the world in television innovation. But if this current trajectory continues, it risks becoming an industry that simply recycles and repackages other people’s ideas — at the expense of its own creative future.