Welcome to La La Land

By Siobhan Crawford 23-03-2026

C21’s resident formats expert outlines the challenges and contradictions being tackled in the confused modern market.

Do you know that feeling over the Christmas holidays where you don’t actually know what day it is? You perhaps know the date but no idea where you are in the week? Well, I feel like that is Formatland right now.

Expensive, impulsive, ‘trendy’ formats acquired. Then failing. Industry veterans clueless what to do next because their career is unpredictable in this new normal. A whirlwind of travel to just ‘catch up’ with the same people in a new place.

No news, except the next saga to see which big fish will buy which medium fish. And passes for content that nailed the brief.

Formatland is testing us and I can’t get my head around which way is forward. Can you?

White out
In the golden days of MipTV we would know where we were – we were anchored: February and March pre-pitches, September and October pre-pitches, markets in April and October, commissioning windows, pitch seasons, new launch window. Our years were predictable and there were peaks and troughs.

It felt like everyone had a fair chance to buy a format, politics was not in the decision, business was not in the decision. But does anyone actually know where we are anymore?

I thought we were all doing the same thing: searching for good content. Instead we are making sure we all have one show in the same genre as a hit format, co-owning IP because of supposed sales bumps, commissioning the loud shows that you know are style over substance, turning every gameboard into a studio show, removing primetime slots and increasing the pre-prime local talkshows and news, cancelling the afternoon soaps to better fund that one big scripted series.

Trying to do it all alone so you don’t have to share. Everyone creating their own in-house prodco and studios. Asking people to deliver the same results when our world has fundamentally changed.

There was a turning point two or three years ago where digital mattered and your on-demand player mattered. Commissioning was going to be digital-first. Today, there is a consensus move away from linear digital-first commissioning. In Germany, Italy, Spain, the Nordics, Netherlands, Belgium and elsewhere, the shows have to make sense on your linear schedule, they have to show up there, the budget has to be split across both. Whiplash.

I read that an Australian production company is hiring a developer for US developments – when they already have a sister US company, during the saddest commissioning phase of modern memory. What?

If you can see a direction sign, then please point it out. We have a direction problem and we have a consistency problem. We are out there telling people we need to reduce risk and lower budgets, we need tested content, known IP, watercooler moments, culturally independent and relevant moments away from trends, talent driven– but that is not what you bought. Make this make sense to us so we can do our jobs.

For the love of God
I have sold formats for almost 20 years and I have never experienced a lack of understanding more than now. Selling formats used to be the most logical thing – and part of that was because there were not as many. They were unique and structured concepts. The predictable method of launching at certain times of year (September, January, maybe March) was reassuring, and so was the ability to actually see a launch – not just the developments we are shown at screenings today – with ratings you could track! There was none of this ‘loudest pre-launch/most panels mentioning it wins’ attitude. There was no tussle for ‘co-ownership before you commit’ to loving a format properly.

Today, even with proven, performing formats with strong visual identities, demographics younger than any pubcaster could dream of and excellent streaming numbers, you cannot sell that format. You can sell yet another format in the saturated dark reality space. Or another quiz. Probably. The production company will likely be one of the big global groups. The channel is probably one of only eight globally that really buy.

And the rest? Producers are forced to invest personally in development, without a budget (after acquiring an option) and even now, they are starting to pull back because it is not economically sustainable.

And the reasons why your perfect format for the brief is not acquired? Less logical than ever before. Recently, I was told a format “has to attract new subscribers, not just retain the subscribers they have.” I felt like that cat GIF that is looking both directions with wide eyes, back and forth.

Never before have ratings been so uniquely and specifically analysed. Ratings no longer cross country borders as a reason to buy. Episode count – now, that can stop a commission if you are not able to stretch the series beyond the eight or 10. Budgets don’t stop commissions. Ownership sharing stops commissions. But the licensing of the logical ‘it fits your brief perfectly’ format – God speed and God bless, you’ll be trying to sell that for a long time, six years perhaps.

Imposter syndrome
I have conversations with my favourite people about whether we are doing enough right now, whether we need to stay chained to our desks at all hours to get the results expected of us even in these crazy times. Our hustling sometimes comes up empty, not for lack of trying but for lack of logic in the market – or just ‘lack.’

The sale of formats has never been easy or quick; it is why options are renewed so often. The other day I saw a format I started almost six years ago get commissioned in France with the same client and channel. Six years. It shows that the decision I made was right, but six years explaining to finance or management why you keep waiting. Trying to find solutions, understand the market, suitability of partners – just to get that one sale you believe in at your core. But it is also where self-doubt starts to creep in, the belief that you hit the brief so perfectly and yet, actually, no… it’s a pass. You doubt, and I doubt, if we really are good at our jobs and we start to question if we should be doing something else.

Why am I saying this? Because right now it is not normal. And sometimes you just need to say it out loud: THIS IS NOT NORMAL. And you are doing enough. This moment is when we get to be extra creative and think big: what if? What else?