Cyril Travassac: "We develop a wide variety of formats covering a broad range of themes"

RTBF Creative, distribution branch of Belgium public broadcaster RTBF, is worldwide recognized for its original formats across all genres, including unscripted and scripted TV series. Cyril Travassac, Head of Global Format at RTBF Creative, talked exclusively with Señal News about this vast portfolio and the tempting opportunities for Latin American buyers.

Belgium public service broadcaster RTBF is very well-known for its original formats and scripted content. What are its most notable titles currently?
"In recent years, RTBF has strengthened its offering of original formats across all genres, including unscripted and scripted TV series, broadcasted on its multiple distribution channels (TV, Radio, Digital). RTBF Creative, our distribution branch, represents our catalog of IPs on the international market. Strong titles like '5-Star Village', 'Sweet Street', and 'Won't Get Fooled Again' have sparked considerable interest beyond our borders. We are particularly proud to see these creations successfully adapted by our foreign partners. We recently sold 'The Yurt' to the TF1 group."

Which formats can be exported to Latin America?
"We develop a wide variety of formats covering a broad range of themes. For Latin America, 'Apocalypse Kitchen', 'Cactus', or '5-Star Village' are some of our formats that can be adapted in these territories because cooking talent show, entertainment, and promotion of villages, tourism and heritage are universal and fit perfectly with the expectations of these audiences. We also have a number of celebrity-centered formats, knowing this is an important draw for the South American continent."

Regarding scripted content, what is the aim in the region?
"This year, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of our Belgian scripted TV series, which have enjoyed incredible success both at home and internationally. They showcase the rich Belgian heritage and the strengths of our country. 'The Break' has been successfully exported to France, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Brazil. Traditional TV broadcasters and streamers like Netflix appreciate our productions for their diverse genres and tones, local grounding, unique tone, and boldness. 'Good People', 'Unit 42', 'Pandora', 'Attraction', are adaptable formats internationally because their themes are both universal and highly relevant. Our ambition for the South American market is to bring these extraordinary stories to a brand-new audience by working closely with broadcasters."

How would you describe the content demand in Belgium?
"Our demand is both rich and diverse. As a Global PSM, we always steer the development of our unscripted shows, formats, and scripted TV series based on the varied expectations of our audiences. So, we are particularly active on themes such as crime, local issues, humor, breaking news, Belgian lifestyle, and proximity."

What are your clients looking for Internationally?
"We must constantly adapt to market trends, which can sometimes change very quickly, and react accordingly because discourse can vary from one market to another. We are therefore particularly attentive to the demands of our clients in order to guide them effectively through our vast catalog and provide them with formats that meet their needs. It is thanks to our originality and variety of genres that we have stood out internationally. We are not afraid to develop formats on themes that our colleagues or neighbors may shy away from or struggle with, such as ecology. There is always strong demand for adventure, documentary, and proximity, which remain strong pillars of our format range. You can discover all RTBF creative formats and more on www.rtbfcreative.be."