Three new public broadcasters join TV Lab formats initiative

ZDF, RTV and STV have joined the TV Lab initiative in which broadcasters show a raft of format pilots on air before the public selects the ones they like, which then go to series.

The initiative started out in the Netherlands in 2009 and is spearheaded by Roek Lips, channel manager at Nederland 3. He tells TBIvision that as well as having German, Belgian and Slovenian public broadcasters on board for the first time, there are numerous others interested in signing up.

In Germany, ZDF has already announced the pilots it will show and made them available on its NEO catch-up service.

They includes How Cool is That, from Elb Motion Pictures, in which the presenter ticks off things people should try at least once in their lives. There is also Teddy’s Show from Sony Pictures, a vehicle for German comedian Tedros ‘Teddy’ Teclebrhan and German Angst a about minority groups and dating format Liebe auf Speed, both from SEO Entertainment.

The Dutch version, meanwhile, will feature 24 formats including a cross-platform drama from Israel’s Armoza Formats, Restart.

The public broadcasters will air the new content in September, purposefully ahead of MIPCOM. Lips will then run a Wednesday morning session at the market showcasing the new formats aired through TV Lab and introducing them to international buyers.