Fox starts lab for format ideas out of Asia

Fox International Channels is teaming with Singaporean regulator and funding body the Media Development Authority to create a local formats lab.

The pair said the formats incubator will support the development of local content in Asian and “ramp up creation of international TV content by local production companies”.

In its first phase, the Fox Formats Lab will be focused on factual content for FIC’s National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild and Nat Geo People offerings.

Singapore-registered producers selected to take part will take part in a production workshop in May where they will be given a detailed commissioning brief.

They will then submit their ideas and the producers selected for the next stage will be mentored and given help to develop their ideas into fully-fledged production ideas.

Ultimately, the best projects will enter production and co-funded by FIC and the MDA. The production development funding for Fox Formats Lab totals US$6 million, the partners said.

Executive vice president and head of international content for NGC International, Hamish Mykura (right), said: “We’re very pleased to be launching this unique initiative, in which production companies will have unprecedented access to our global content development team.

“By aligning producers with commissioners, the FOX Formats Lab will not only provide a window into how channels operate and what drives our creative decisions, but will also result in new programming that will resonate with a global audience.”

Joon Lee (top), FIC’s executive VP of content and communications for Asia Pacific and Middle East added: “There are many local stories to be told in Asia and there’s no better entity to facilitate this storytelling than NGC.

“With Singapore already a strong hub for content creation and creative talent, we jumped at the opportunity to launch a worthy initiative like Foc Formats Lab with the MDA. We get to invest back into the talent pool as well as gain great locally-developed content for NGC in the process.”