Exclusive data points to increasing unscripted format buying across key European territories
Broadcasters and streamers in Spain, Italy and France have fuelled a format revival across Western Europe over recent years, according to exclusive research seen by Broadcast International.
The trio have all commissioned more international formats in 2024 than they did in 2022, according to findings from GlobalData’s Trends in Unscripted Formats 2025.
The report, which focuses on 30* major unscripted formats and how they have sold across 22** of the biggest territories between 2020 and H1 2025, found that Italy had seen format adaptations leap from 10 and 11 in 2022 and 2023, respectively to 15 in 2024.
In France, format adaptations stood at 12 in 2022 before rising to 14 in both 2023 and 2024, while 10 have been ordered in the first half of 2025 alone. ITV Studios’ The Voice, Banijay’s Survivor and BBC Studios’ Dancing with the Stars (aka Strictly Come Dancing) have led the charge over the past 18 months, with four versions (including spin-offs) airing in 2024 and H1 2025.
RTL-owned M6 has been the biggest channel in format adaptation over the past three years, making the local versions of seven formats, with a slight lead over TF1 on six.
A similar story has occurred in Spain, where eight remakes were ordered in 2022, jumping to 11 in 2024 and six in the first half of 2025. Spanish public broadcaster RTVE has become a major buyer of international formats this year, while Atresmedia airs local versions of The Voice, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and Family Feud.
Norway has also been among European countries recording an uptick in format commissions after leaping from just four in 2023 to seven in 2024, but other Nordic countries including Sweden, Finland and Denmark have all seen declines.
And while broadcasters have traditionally been the main buyers of formats, Netflix has more recently emerged as a key commissioner. Dating has been a key genre, with the streamer making at least two seasons of shows in Germany, Brazil and Italy.
Germany is also a top priority market for Prime Video, which in 2025 ordered S6 and S7 of LOL: Last One Laughing, and the streamer also released local versions of The Traitors in both India and Italy in June and October respectively.
Stateside focus & format leader
The report also found that the US has produced the highest number of formats in the first half of 2025 with 15 commissions, followed by Germany on 12 and Australia on 10.
The US also leads across the past 18 months, with 25 commissions in 2024 and H1 2025. The Bachelor (including spin-offs) secured six local remakes, followed by four seasons of The Traitors and three seasons of Love Is Blind. Veteran formats such as Jeopardy also continue to perform with three seasons ordered over the period.
Across the 30 formats within the report (see a list below), MasterChef and The Masked Singer both clocked up more than 90 remakes (including first seasons, adaptations, spin-offs and associated reboots). But it was ITV Studios’ The Voice that topped the chart, with 100 remakes across the 22 markets.
Costanza Barria is senior analyst at GlobalData
- To access the 31-page Trends in Unscripted Formats 2025 report in full, please follow this link or visit https://broadcastnowstore.com/products/trends-in-unscripted-formats-2025
Countries covered
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, Turkey, UK, USA
Formats covered
The Masked Singer, MasterChef, LOL, The Traitors, The Voice, Bake Off, Dancing with the Stars, Got Talent, Big Brother, Survivor, Love Island, Love is Blind, The Floor, Married at First Sight, The Bachelor, Lego Masters, Deal or No Deal, The 1% Club, Come Dine with Me, Family Feud, Race Across the World, Jeopardy!, The Real Housewives, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, The Box, The Piano, Too Hot to Handle, Destination X, The Amazing Race, Who Do You Think You Are?
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