EXCLUSIVE: The Wall is getting a big international push here at MIPCOM with plans afoot for a new European production hub and fresh international deals for the gameshow format in the offing.
Season 6 has just wrapped in the U.S. and is in post before airing on NBC. Andrew Glassman, who had the original idea for the show, and Toby Gorman, Universal Television Alternative Studios President (UTAS), have broken down their plans to boost the show’s profile outside the U.S.
“We feel like now is the time to bring it back, not just in one country, but multiple at the same time,” Gorman said about the format.
“There are territories where it’s done really well, and for whatever reason it’s had a break, and we believe there is an opportunity to bring it back. Whether it’s bigger, whether it’s a daytime strip, we’re looking at everywhere individually, but the plan is that almost certainly we will build a hub in Europe for multiple territories because we’ve got so much interest.”
Glassman had the original idea for the show, which was created and produced by his Glassman Media and LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Entertainment in association with UTAS. Both he and Gorman talk about the ability to scale the format up or down – in the U.S. it’s a big-ticket show with big money prizes, but internationally more modest versions have been stripped and made at different price points. The idea of the hub, of course, is to max out the economies of scale.
The U.S. show crossed 100 episodes this summer and Glassman said lessons will be gleaned from that version of the show, which is hosted by Chris Hardwick.
“The key to the longevity that we’ve had in the U.S. version has been the positive storytelling, giving this dream chance to contestants who’ve done good deeds or put others first,” he said.
“This is something that is a primary focus of the next wave of the distribution around the globe. It hasn’t been in all the versions frankly and we are looking for network partners who believe in this universal positive storytelling. We want to bring this to the renewed global distribution [effort].”
Many buyers are cautious in the current market and looking for established brands, which could play in The Wall’s favor as NBCU looks to re-ignite international sales.
“Talent and IP cuts through,” said Gorman. “Every territory has its own unique story – in some it ran and ran, in some it burned bright and it was quick, you’ve got to look at every territory and why that happened. Overall, people know this is a global brand, over 1,500 episodes that have been produced globally in 32 countries, and that cuts through [with buyers]. It really helps.”
