EXCLUSIVE: British codecs are again in vogue, based on analysis agency K7’s annual Monitoring the Giants report.
Pushed by new hits like The 1% Membership and The Piano, together with evergreens equivalent to MasterChef, the UK accounted for one-third (33%) of all new diversifications abroad final 12 months, K7 mentioned. That 33% determine put the UK manner forward of the U.S., which fell from 24% to 19% of all launches.
The UK determine was up from 25% the 12 months prior and is a powerful restoration from a “important decline” reported in 2022-2023, K7 mentioned. The UK was additionally the one nation among the many high 5 exporters from 2023 to realize development in new diversifications with 11.
Representing a powerful 18% rise, the 119 new diversifications of Brit codecs was pushed by BBC Studios’ The 1% Membership, which airs on ITV within the UK and had 10 launches alone in 2024 together with on Prime Video within the States hosted by Patton Oswalt. The 1% Membership was second solely to John de Mol’s The Ground from The Netherlands for brand new launches, which knocked The Traitors off its perch to take K7’s high format prize in 2024.
Different UK reveals to win large overseas had been Fremantle’s The Piano and resurgent evergreen hits like MasterChef, Who Desires to be a Millionaire? and The Weakest Hyperlink, together with spin-offs of Love Island, Lego Masters and Taskmaster.
Trying forwards, K7 mentioned the UK’s momentum “reveals no indicators of slowing, with a minimum of 50 new diversifications of UK codecs already confirmed for launch or manufacturing as of February 2025.”
The report might be welcome information for British format creators and execs, who had raised fears final 12 months that, domestically, they had been shedding out to international diversifications like Denmark’s Stranded on Honeymoon Island, Belgium’s 99 to Beat and Korea’s Genius Sport, which have lately been tailored by the BBC and ITV.
For these promoting each scripted and non-scripted reveals it’s also a good time to be successful large on the codecs facet, given the shrinking of the scripted market pushed by much less cash from American co-producers.
“British TV has a historical past of success across the globe,” mentioned K7 Media CEO and founder Keri Lewis Brown. “What we’re seeing now could be the UK’s storytelling heritage, format innovation, and world collaboration exhibiting resurgence in a difficult local weather and quick altering world.”
The report burdened that the likes of The Netherlands and Belgium stay format heavyweights, evidenced by the success of The Ground and Stranded on Honeymoon Island, whereas Japan continues to carry out nicely pushed by the success of LOL: Final One Laughing. Total, there have been round 360 new launches in 2024, which was barely down on the prior 12 months.
For the third 12 months in a row, Banijay was the top-selling unscripted format distributor, adopted by on-the-block vendor ITV Studios then The Piano gross sales home Fremantle.
