Format

At Conecta Magaluf (Mallorca, May 25-28, 2026), M. Chiara Duranti  Chief Editor of Formatbiz had the pleasure of meeting Tim Crescenti for a special conversation dedicated to one of the key personalities of the international format industry. Known throughout the business as a true “format hunter,” Crescenti has spent decades discovering, developing and exporting some of the most influential unscripted concepts worldwide.

During the panel The Format Hunter: A Q&A with Tim Crescenti, another major figure of the global format business joined the discussion: Avi Armoza, one of the executives who helped transform the modern format distribution model into a global industry.

The conversation became a fascinating journey through the history and evolution of entertainment formats, from the early days of international adaptation to today’s fragmented digital ecosystem shaped by creators, streaming platforms and social media.

Avi Armoza reflected on the early years of Armoza Formats and explained how the company pioneered a business model centered on maintaining ownership of intellectual property while producing pilots specifically designed to be showcased at international television markets. Instead of waiting for broadcasters to imagine the potential of an idea, Armoza invested in producing polished pilots capable of immediately demonstrating the scalability and adaptability of a format to buyers around the world.

That strategy helped redefine the way formats were sold internationally and contributed to the rise of Israel as one of the most creative territories for unscripted innovation.

The discussion then moved to what both executives described as the true turning point for the modern format industry: the early 2000s. It was during this period that several revolutionary entertainment formats changed television forever, beginning with Big Brother — often described as the “mother of all formats.” Alongside it came landmark titles such as Survivor and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, programs that transformed unscripted television into a truly global business.

According to Crescenti and Armoza, those years marked the explosion of key unscripted genres that continue to dominate the market today: reality shows, adventure reality competitions and quiz shows. These genres became the foundation for hundreds of successful international adaptations over the following decades and established many of the production and distribution models still used today.

Throughout the panel, Crescenti shared several stories from his long career discovering and exporting hit formats around the world. Among the titles he proudly recalled was Dragons' Den, originally developed by Nippon TV before becoming a global franchise adapted in numerous territories. He also highlighted the Korean format Grandpas Over Flowers, one of the earliest examples of South Korea’s ability to create emotionally driven factual entertainment capable of traveling internationally.

Crescenti also reflected on his years working alongside legendary television executive Paul Gilbert, who held major positions at Sony Pictures Television and later CBS. During that period, Crescenti contributed to the international production of Wheel of Fortune across multiple territories, helping expand one of the world’s most enduring entertainment brands.

The panel also explored the countries that historically shaped the global format business. Naturally, the Netherlands was cited as one of the original powerhouses of format creativity, thanks to its pioneering role in reality television and entertainment innovation. However, both speakers emphasized that over time other territories became increasingly influential, particularly Israel, Japan and later South Korea.

Israel was praised for its extraordinary capacity to generate adaptable high-concept ideas despite the relatively small size of its domestic market. Japan was recognized for decades of innovation in game shows and entertainment mechanics, while South Korea emerged as a dominant creative force capable of exporting emotionally resonant reality and factual formats to younger global audiences.

As the discussion moved toward the present day, the focus shifted to one of the biggest challenges facing the industry: audience fragmentation. According to Crescenti, the explosion of streaming platforms, digital ecosystems and creator-driven content has completely changed the rules of the market.

YouTube and content creators, in particular, are now reshaping the entertainment landscape by developing new storytelling languages, new forms of audience engagement and entirely new models of fame and distribution. The traditional boundaries between television, digital media and social platforms are rapidly disappearing.

Yet despite the complexity of today’s media environment, Crescenti argued that opportunities remain everywhere for those willing to search beyond the obvious markets. One of his key recommendations was to continue exploring smaller or less saturated territories that may still offer strong creative potential.

“Sometimes the next great format comes from markets the big players are not watching,” he suggested, mentioning countries such as South Africa, Albania and Romania as examples of territories capable of generating original ideas outside the traditional global spotlight.

For Avi Armoza — who successfully sold Armoza Formats to ITV Studios before later reacquiring the company — creativity remains the true engine of the business despite all technological and industrial transformations.

According to Armoza, talent, originality and the ability to identify emotional connections with audiences are still essential elements for the future of entertainment. And judging from the energy and enthusiasm shown during the panel, neither he nor Crescenti appear ready to retire anytime soon.