Program Format Franchising And Reality Television

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the practice and significance of television format programming, including its relationship with both reality and nonreality forms of television. A history of the development of a television program format trade over more than 60 years is provided. Franchising has become a transnational business practice only since the late 1990s. The chapter suggests reasons for this timing. It treats program format franchising as a key dynamic in an emerging world television system. The maturation of the television format business heralds a significant change in television program production and distribution. A tendency associated with program format franchising concerns the dominance of particular transnational companies that have already achieved considerable international clout. Investigating television format remaking in national settings offers various challenges to both experienced and emerging scholars.