The Materialization of Television Formats

The materialization of television formats (e.g., The Masked Singer formats) has become a popular commodity in the global television trade. A television format is an idea, concept, or formula. How can buyers and sellers exchange intangible things such as formats? In this article, I examine the materialization process of formats, which enables the orderly exchange between buyers and sellers in marketplaces. By examining MIPFormats, the only global format conference held prior to Marché International des Programmes de Télévision, I argue that the format conference serves the distinct function of managing the format materialization process. I specifically highlight two aspects of the materialization process: objectification and singularization. Through three strategies—visualizing formats, educating format producers and creators, and establishing a normative framework—MIPFormats holds formats together as tradable items in the global television market.