It spoke volumes that Reality Revolution was one of the least popular panels. In fact, it was pretty empty: maybe 4 dozen people in the audience. The speakers focused on the current problem with Reality TV: that, at first, any new idea was considered a great new idea, but now it’s become more difficult to think up new shows. David Goldberg, Chairman of Endemol North America, said he hopes that new ideas can still be encouraged by the networks and studios who seem to be settling for just variations on dancing or singing shows. “We as producers need to be more inventive and widen the net,” said Goldberg. The panel members agreed it’s unfortunate that the pattern today is for ”grandfather” reality shows (American Idol, Big Brother, etc.) to survive season after season, while new ideas die. “That’s what keeps me up at night,” said Goldberg. The panelists did see the U.S. now taking the lead on creating new and even ground-breaking Reality TV content. “I think the UK is a mess,” said John Saade, SVP of Alternative Series, Specials and Late Night for ABC Entertainment. – posted by DHD stringer Rebecca Ford.
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Talk of ‘ground-breaking reality TV content’ is a bit rich when so many of the reality formats recycle the same idea – gather a disparate group of people and then, on a weekly basis, contrive to eject one from the group with the maximum of public disappointment. Singing, dancing, farming, cooking, bug-eating, playing pirate – they’re all the same thing in different pants.
Odd that a North American producer claims the UK is a mess when every successful reality format on American TV is a format licensed from the UK….American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, everything Gordon Ramsay’s ever done, America’s Got Talent (yes it was broadcast in America first, but this is only because the UK host fell through). I’m struggling to think of reality formats of equivalent success that have originated in the US. Survivor, Amazing Race…..ummmm…..Survivor…..
hmmmmm…..maybe don’t bite the hand that feeds? OR come up with your own damn shows!
Here’s a fresh concept for Endemol: Let your writers join the union. Pay them overtime. Give them health insurance and money towards their pension. Give them a residual payment for their work like their peers receive. Maybe even give them a created by credit.
Then maybe you’ll get them to not keep their best ideas to themselves.