TF1 is bringing hit British comedy format “Taskmaster” to France as part of its big push into premium unscripted entertainment.
“Taskmaster,” created by British comedian Alex Horne and originally launched in the U.K. in 2015, pits five celebrities against one another in a series of increasingly absurd challenges.
Camille Combal, a popular French TV personality who also hosts TF1’s “Masked Singer” and “Qui sera le plus nul?,” has come on board to produce the show, as well as play the Taskmaster’s assistant.
“We’ve loved this format for a long time. It’s an institution in comedy entertainment,” said Julien Degroote, TF1 Group’s EVP of content development, in an interview ahead of Mipcom. “We’re not buying it just because it’s a hit, we’re buying it because it addresses what we’re seeing among French audiences: a desire for lighthearted entertainment, games, surprises and shared laughter.”
Degroote said TF1 has been working closely with the British team behind the original, visiting the U.K. set twice with Combal and meeting the producers and presenters to learn from their experience.
The format has so far been adapted in 15 territories outside the U.K.. Earlier this year, the Dutch adaptation launched on RTL4 to more than 1 million viewers and a Polish version delivered TVN’s biggest primetime launch in five years, according to TF1.
The acquisition comes as TF1 is looking to build on the success of its long-running franchises, including “Star Academy,” “Koh-Lanta,” “The Voice” and “Masked Singer,” while investing in a new wave of interactive entertainment shows that gathers both families and younger viewers.
For Degroote, the goal is to deliver entertainment programs that have a strong enough interactive or live component to engage audiences and stand out in an increasingly crowded market that includes streamers, social media and YouTube.
“We’re in a world of abundance and fragmentation. There’s never been so much content available,” said Degroote. “Everyone is in their own feed, their own algorithm. We’re in a battle for attention, and the content that’s capable of capturing people’s attention, creating enjoyment and, above all, bringing people together is becoming increasingly rare. And because it’s rare, it’s becoming more valuable.”
The strategy also makes economic sense at a time when French broadcasters, including TF1, are facing declining programming budgets and are looking for alternatives to pricey original drama series to fill primetime slots, while drawing audiences coveted by advertisers.
As such, the broadcaster is also tapping into France’s booming YouTube talent pool to lure the younger demos. One of its upcoming primetime launches, “Crazy Mini Golf,” an adaptation of the U.S. competition format “Holey Moley” sold by Fremantle, will be hosted by French YouTube comedy duo McFly and Carlito (pictured below).
Based on ABC’s “Holey Moley,” which ran for four seasons in the U.S., the show puts contestants through a giant miniature golf course filled with oversized obstacles, physical challenges and elaborate comic set pieces.
The French adaptation was filmed in Portugal, where TF1 joined forces with ITV in the U.K. and Amazon in Germany to finance it and recreate the elaborate American course, which Degroote says would otherwise have been too expensive for TF1 to produce independently.
Speaking on McFly and Carlito, the executive says, “They’re bringing their own tone, their own comedy language and their own community.” Their large social media following also gives TF1 an opportunity to promote the format ahead of its linear launch.
“They have their own community, and that obviously helps when we launch the show,” Degroote says. “They’ll talk about it on their social networks and their YouTube channel, so it gets people talking about the program before it’s even on the air.”
“We’re in a very ambitious creative phase at TF1,” says Degroote. “We’re lucky to have strong brands like ‘The Voice,’ ‘Koh-Lanta,’ ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and ‘Star Academy,’ which structure our schedule and are successful. That allows us to take risks, to try things and test lots of new ideas.”
The investment in comedy-driven unscripted formats follows the breakout success of “Qui sera le plus nul?,” TF1’s adaptation of the Norwegian format “Nation’s Dumbest,” which brings celebrities back to school to test their knowledge.
Launched in January, the show’s first season averaged 3.7 million viewers and attracted 4.5 million for its opening episode, making it the biggest launch for a new unscripted entertainment show on French television in five years, according to TF1.
The success prompted TF1 to quickly commission a second season, which launched in September. “Those are audience levels comparable to some of our strongest drama series,” says Degroote.
The show has also become an international success story for TF1. Degroote says Fox acquired the format after executives watched the French adaptation, which significantly expanded the scale of the original Norwegian concept. The U.S. version subsequently aired over the summer.
TF1 is also eager to develop homegrown formats. Among them is “Le Dernier Cercle,” an original quiz show co-created with French TV personality Arthur, which has already aired six primetime episodes on TF1 and been adapted in Germany.
Meanwhile, TF1’s biggest existing unscripted hit remains “Star Academy,” the revived talent competition that has become a major driver of younger audiences.
According to TF1, the show’s most recent season reached 55 million viewers across its various broadcasts and platforms, with an average 49% audience share among 15-34-year-olds for its primetime episodes.
Per Degroote, who’s been in the unscripted business for over two decades, one of the key ingredients for a format’s success today lies in audience participation. “Two years ago, our main question was how to make the audience active. Today, we’re adding another question: How do we turn that active attention into a collective experience?”