Little innovation: who stole the show?

“Overall, we definitely see a need for innovation in entertainment.” Wolf Bauer, chairman of the jury for the German Television Awards, said this in an interview with DWDL.de last year. Bauer was focusing primarily on the show sector and asked: “Where is the next major innovation that will ultimately have a global impact?” And if you look at the formats that are hoping to win an award for best show this year, you can say that there was no breakthrough last year.

The nominees, including “Let's Dance”, “Lass dich angebracht” and “Wer stehlt mir die Show?”, are all TV shows that have been around for several years. They have all earned their nominations because they are strong content-wise and elaborately staged productions. But after the developments of the past few years, the question arises as to how innovative German television still is when it comes to the Shiny Floor, apart from the long-distance runners – and where the challenges lie.

“Innovation doesn't come for free. In times when budgets are just not as loose anymore, it is difficult to launch something completely new. The broadcasters rely on familiar brands, well-known people and tried and tested game principles. That is quite understandable, but it does not mean that there are no ideas in entertainment,” says Ute Biernat, Managing Director of UFA Show & Factual, in an interview with DWDL.de. “New approaches and ideas are also everywhere, but making something new big from scratch requires budget and perseverance. And if you only have one shot and the ratings don't meet expectations right away, both are quickly thrown out the window in times when everyone is rather hesitant.”

The financially challenging times facing not only traditional TV channels but also streamers are one reason why there are so many tried and tested formats to watch instead of new ones. DWDL.de also hears this from other producers.

© Boris Breuer
Fabian Tobias

“The fact that only established shows are nominated for this year's television award is a reason for the industry to be “bolder and more willing to take risks,” says Fabian Tobias, Managing Director of EndemolShine Germany. “Because these formats have not only been successful for many years. They are also large, elaborate productions that are complex and have correspondingly high budgets. It is therefore a call to the industry to take more risks again and to also provide strong ideas with good financial backing.” The fact that the broadcasters and platforms have recently focused more on security than innovation due to various crises is understandable, says Tobias, who also observes a change. “The demand for innovative, elaborate shows is currently increasing again,” he says.

“The demand for innovative, elaborate shows is currently increasing again.”
Fabian Tobias, Managing Director EndemolShine Germany

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Nina Klink

Nina Klink, managing director of Seapoint and as such also in the running for a German television award with “Let's Dance”, points to the extremely extensive range of program content on all platforms. “To get there, you first need to have an appeal that can be achieved through a strong brand and/or beloved personalities.” It is therefore understandable that broadcasters rely on these beacons. And: “In times when there is such an extensive and diverse range of programs and often narrow budget corridors, there are not many opportunities to place completely new and innovative formats.”

Wave of savings at shows

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Gillad Osterer

And Gillad Osterer, managing director of SEO Entertainment, and thus of the company that took home the German Television Award in the Best Show category in 2023 for the new production “That's My Jam”, says that the broadcasters are constantly “working in a field of tension between the tried and tested and the new”. For economic reasons alone, they also have to rely on what is known and successful with the audience. “The fact that long-standing formats are nominated speaks for their continued popularity and quality. In my opinion, that is definitely a sign of innovative power,” says Osterer, who, in an interview with DWDL.de, also directly beats the drum for a new start: Starting today, Tuesday, September 17, ProSieben will be showing the new “Superduper Show” developed by SEO Entertainment.

“New approaches and ideas are everywhere, but making something new big from scratch requires budget and perseverance.”
Ute Biernat, Managing Director UFA Show & Factual

But the truth is that the broadcasters have been cutting costs on their shiny floor shows in recent years. And that doesn't just mean that RTL scaled back the “DSDS” theme show phase a few years ago. Most recently, “Supertalent” was only shown in a mini version and in the summer they made headlines with a quiz show that was not only weak in terms of content, but also because the set for this show looked like it was designed by volunteers from the art group. But that's not all: double recordings in the hope of reducing production costs are now commonplace on all broadcasters. ARD will definitely keep Florian Silbereisen, but is it possible to do it a little cheaper? Sat.1 has already shown what a stripped-down pop show can look like – the result is well known. And “The Floor” and “The Tribute” from John de Mol also attracted attention because they left a lot of potential untapped.

In addition, although major shows are still present on television, they play only a minor role on streamers, if at all. And so innovations in the entertainment sector are currently taking place elsewhere, for example in reality. There, three completely new productions have been nominated for this year's German Television Awards – “Alone – Survive the Wilderness”, “Kaulitz & Kaulitz” and “The Traitors”. The range here is also wide.

The famous wave movement

And where is the next big show trend that everyone is waiting for? “Everyone has been looking internationally for the 'next big hit' for years, but in recent years you have seen more of a wave movement in entertainment,” said UFA show boss Ute Biernat. Gillad Osterer and Fabian Tobias both rely on a comparison with the fashion industry: “As in fashion, there are cycles in shows too, and suddenly things that you had almost forgotten are 'in' again,” says Osterer, who also addresses the integration of AI into show formats. “In my opinion, that could be a significant new trend.” And Fabian Tobias believes that there will be major trends in the future too. “However, it is difficult to imagine that a whole new genre will emerge from a trend. As in other creative industries, such as fashion, we see 'evolution rather than revolution' in entertainment, but that is also great fun.”

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Otto Steiner

Otto Steiner, Managing Director at Constantin Entertainment, has already identified the next show trend: “The coming trend in my eyes will be comedy show formats in prime time, because people simply want more to laugh at and more funny distractions from their worries,” he told DWDL.de. Steiner believes the channels and platforms are “innovative enough” and this year in particular there is “much more willingness for new formats everywhere.”

In this respect, the big entertainment show may not have outlived its usefulness, but it will simply be different in 2024 than it was in the past. And if you believe in the much-vaunted wave movements, the chances are not bad that the show sector will be hit by just such a wave in the near future. And who knows what the next big hit will be. After all, quiz and casting shows were not on anyone's radar in the 00s either.