Small screen, big ideas

Where Are We Going, Dad? wins unexpected success. Photo provided to China Daily

Film poster for 'Where are we going, Dad' released

'Voice of China' musical comedy

Concerns regarding income and ratings mean a tested formula is a safer card to play, Peng adds. Following the success of the Voice, the number of singing shows exploded, so much so that the country's authorities rolled out a policy to limit them. Shows revolving around parents and children are expected to become the next big thing given the unexpected popularity of Dad.

Despite the high cost of buying a "pre-made" formula, many still fail because they are designed for another culture. But Gordon says if they do fail, there is less blame attributed because no one had to stick their neck out.

"You have to be an incredibly strong leader to say 'no' and 'I want to use a Chinese format'," he says.

In the UK, the industry is directed toward innovation with the separation of manufacture and broadcast. To encourage diversity, the government requires broadcasters to commission independent production companies to produce a certain proportion of their programs.

After the independent sector took off in early 1980s, the British government has also been deliberately supporting their growth by granting them more rights, such as production rights and international sales rights.

Meanwhile, rules are made to guarantee reasonable payments of commission. That has made London the center of today's innovative TV industry, with local companies All 3 and Tinopolis enjoying huge success, and international companies, such as Endemol of the Netherlands, also seeking opportunities in London.

In China, private companies were given the rights to TV program production in 2004. The real motivation for innovation has always been outside the TV stations, says Liu Xichen, CEO of Shixi Media, one of the three largest TV format brokers in China. The other two are arguably IPCN and Asian Communication.

Shixi's business took off after licensing China's first overseas program format, the UK-originated Strictly Come Dancing, to Hunan TV in 2006. In 2010, they also started producing the shows they licensed by collaborating with foreign production companies. Since Hunan TV's former deputy director Wang Bingwen joined them in 2011, they have co-produced nearly 15 entertainment shows.

By working with foreign counterparts, Liu says, their ultimate goal is to learn enough to create programs of their own.