Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) will reveal a wide-ranging slate of 20 new formats for autumn 2024 and beyond, launching to the international market at Mipcom later this month. As buyers have come to expect from WBITVP, the new slate covers reality, entertainment, and factual entertainment genres, as well as scripted formats. It incorporates iconic content brands, innovative twists on established hits, and one very entertaining and utterly compelling physical competition show.
“WBITVP has a long-standing reputation as a provider of world-beating, ratings-winning, and readily adaptable formats - and this extensive new slate only serves to support that. From creative cookery formats to family-friendly competitions, stand-out reality programming, and titles that tap into hot topics and current trends, our MIPCOM slate truly does offer something for everyone," Andrew Zein, WBITVP’s EVP of Creative, Format Development, and Sales, commented.
Leading the slate and expected to cook up a storm are three creative new food formats. "24 in 24: Last Chef Standing" is billed as the world’s toughest cookery competition. Created by Lando Entertainment for Food Network and Max in the US, this dramatic new format is part culinary marathon and part social experiment, pitting 24 chefs against each other with 24 challenges over 24 non-stop hours. Chefs will be tested to their limits, facing frequent twists, curveballs, and complex techniques that border on the impossible once exhaustion sets in. It launched on Food Network in April 2024 to great success, and the second series is currently in production.
Combining culinary creativity with movie magic, "Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking" is an edible celebration of the magical world of Harry Potter, created by Warner Horizon Unscripted Television for the Food Network and Max in the US. Pairs of talented pastry chefs and cake artists come together on the incredible sets of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour and are tasked with producing spellbinding sweet creations for judging by a panel of professionals and alumni from the Harry Potter films.
The final new food format is "Cook Once, Eat Twice," based on the Nadiya Hussain series produced by Wall to Wall Media for BBC Two. Leaning into the real-world trend of minimizing waste, it’s an inventive cookery format that makes ingredients go further, spins leftovers into exciting new recipes, and encourages efficient and economical cooking without compromising flavor or quality.
"Fast Friends," created by Warner Horizon for Max US, celebrates the 30th anniversary of the iconic sitcom Friends with a brilliant challenge show for fans. Part game show and part escape room against the clock, who can demonstrate the best Friends’ knowledge while running the gauntlet through a range of familiar sets for a final showdown on the Central Perk sofa?
From the recently announced partnership with Magnolia Network, there are three new competition formats. "Human vs Hamster" is a highly entertaining, standout physical gameshow created by A. Smith and Co. Productions that sees extraordinary hamsters take on exceptional humans in an epic battle to determine which species reigns supreme. "Second Chance Stage" is a talent show giving performers who had to give up on their dreams a second chance to make it big, and "Roller Jam" is a family-friendly, nostalgic format searching for the nation’s best roller-dancing crews. "Second Chance Stage" was created by The Intellectual Property Corporation, while Roller Jam comes from Nikki Boella and Brain Lando.
After the huge success of "The Golden Bachelor," which has already been produced in four European territories, WBITVP is launching "The Golden Bachelorette" as the latest format in the Bachelor reality universe. This time, a lovely lady in later life seeks a second chance at love and romance, choosing from 25 mature men. Staying with reality, "Jungle Dads," created by Twenty Twenty for Channel 4, is an intriguing social experiment reality format designed to transform soft, risk-averse modern dads into more adventurous role models by undertaking challenges with their kids - under the watchful eye of a high-profile adventurer - in a remote tropical jungle.
"The List," from the talent behind "The Inspired Unemployed Impractical Jokers" series, created with WBITVP Australia for Channel Ten/Paramount+ in Australia, is a fun, high-octane, and unpredictable show that takes unusual challenges in different locations to a whole new level. The format follows two comedians as they travel to a surprise new country in each episode and get given a nightmare list of things they must do, e.g., train with Japanese mountain monks or stalk (or be stalked by) bears in Finland. Some are physically demanding, some are emotionally draining, and others are awkward. Another new spin-off is "The Repair Shop: On the Road," which takes some of the show’s best-loved experts on a road trip to an iconic part of the nation to work on ‘in situ’ community fixes and historical projects, including some that would be too big to fit in the barn. Focusing on heritage craft skills, it is a warm-hearted celebration of local craftsmanship, all set against stunning landscapes and created by Ricochet for BBC Two.
Also taking to the road is the obs-doc "Driving Lessons," created by Dahl TV for NPO3 in the Netherlands. With multiple cameras placed inside and outside training cars, it follows a regular cast of driving instructors as they teach a varied student base how to drive, capturing all the highs and lows, intimate conversations, and fascinating personal stories. "What’s the Big Deal," from Ricochet for Channel 4, is a contemporary consumer affairs format that sees a celebrity host investigate topical and talked-about products, e.g., weighted blankets and sourdough bread, to determine how they work and which are worth the hype. Brides in Business, created by Blu Jazmine for Discovery Italy, is an emotional format that sees brides-to-be compete at auction for the perfect second-hand wedding dress, with one dress being transformed by an expert in each episode. At the same time, "My Dream Green Home," produced by WBITVP New Zealand for TVNZ, taps into current trends as a contemporary home makeover format that provides stylish yet affordable solutions for people looking to lead better, greener lives.
Finally, in unscripted, Mipcom sees the launch of two refreshed and rebooted formats that are now back with new seasons on TV. "House Hunters," the hugely popular and long-running series created for HGTV, has been reinvigorated by WBITVP in Australia for Channel Ten. The format sees local real estate agents helping individuals, couples, or families looking to find new properties to either rent or purchase. "Back to the Frontier," from Wall to Wall Media for Magnolia Network, is based on the original living history format for The 1900 House and takes three very different pioneering families back in time to live on the American prairies in the 1880s.
WBITVP is also launching three new scripted formats at Mipcom. "Styx" is an eight-part crime story with a horror twist, produced by Eyeworks and Hollands Licht for VTM /Streamz in Belgium. It is based on Bavo Dhooge’s best-selling novel of the same name. "All and Eva" is a light-hearted six-hour drama from WBITVP Sweden for Viaplay about a woman who falls for her sperm donor. He, however, thinks they met by chance and has no idea that she’s pregnant with his child. "Planet Eldorado" is an eight-part, fast-paced comedy-drama for Elisa from WBITVP Finland. It’s set in the 1990s, during the early days of the Internet, and follows a teenage geek as he comes to rely on an anonymous online friend who he wrongly assumes is the girl of his dreams.