Bankable format shows are becoming increasingly important to broadcasters, and a big attraction for advertisers, as ITV2’s Love Island has demonstrated once again this summer.
Channel 4 made a surprise success of The Great British Bake Off when it moved over from the BBC last year, and this big-budget in house trailer for the new series indicates there’s still a lot riding on it. Amazon Echo is the £5 million sponsor, which seems like a great fit for the show; no-hands recipe searching has to be the way forward.
The ninth series of GBBO, which aired in 2018, continued to be the biggest title on Channel 4, increasing share across all audiences, particularly 16-34 viewers, and reaching an average of 8.9m viewers, or 35.4% of the audience.
Inevitably these shows have a shelf life, but broadcasters can’t be blamed for making hay while the sun shines, and even ploughing new energy and money into shows that are starting to look a little tired. As well as all the spin off shows and podcasts, ITV recently announced it is risking two series of Love Island a year.
Chris Wood, acting head of 4Creative, said: “In previous years we’ve used our big Bake Off launch film to celebrate the nation’s collective love of bakes and cakes. This year we wanted to shift the focus to the people behind the bakes, giving a voice to the diverse and passionate bakers of Britain, a nation blessed with a legacy of rich regional baking traditions, culinary creativity and a universal willingness to give it a go.”
The “All Together Now” theme may be wishful thinking for a fractured nation, but it’s a nice idea and it’s a good watch.
MAA creative scale: 7
