TV FORMATS IN FLUX: ITV QUIZ, THE PAPER, AND VIRGIN ISLAND DEFINE 2025 TRENDS
June 13, 2025
In the latest TV Format News, The television landscape in 2025 is defined by strategic pivots. Traditional broadcasters like ITV are doubling down on quiz formats. Streamers like Peacock are reworking nostalgic IP. And networks like Channel 4 are testing the limits of emotional reality formats. The message to creators is clear: formats must balance the familiar with the bold.
ITVBe Becomes ITV Quiz
ITVBe ends after more than a decade, replaced by ITV Quiz starting June 16. The new channel will host Wheel of Fortune, Tipping Point, Deal or No Deal, and Millionaire. Lifestyle shows like TOWIE and Real Housewives move to ITV2, while Dinner Date is cancelled. The switch to quizzes reflects ITV’s cost-effective strategy with formats that offer loyalty and replay value.
The Paper: Peacock’s Mockumentary Move
Peacock has ordered The Paper, a mockumentary created by Greg Daniels, Michael Koman, Ricky Gervais, and Stephen Merchant. Set in a failing Midwest newspaper, it stars Domhnall Gleeson and brings back The Office tone with new dynamics. Premieres September 2025. This signals continued appetite for proven formats reimagined for modern platforms.
Virgin Island: Emotional Unscripted
Channel 4’s Virgin Island features twelve adult virgins exploring intimacy with therapists. The show avoids sensationalism in favour of vulnerability and emotional depth. Early response has been positive, with industry observers suggesting it could define a new sub-genre of ‘empathy-first’ formats.
Takeaway for Creators
Successful formats in 2025 rest on three pillars:
- Reliability – quiz shows are cost-efficient and audience-friendly.
- Recognisable Tone – mockumentaries carry built-in viewer appeal.
- Emotional Depth – intimacy-first reality formats resonate with younger viewers.
Creators should think modular: blend structure with narrative depth to futureproof their formats.
WHAT DOES DCMS UK REALLY SPEND ON TV?
While the BBC often dominates discussions around UK television funding, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) plays a crucial, if less visible, role in sustaining the wider TV ecosystem. In 2023–24, DCMS allocated around £88 million to support the television and media sector—excluding the BBC. Though modest in absolute terms, this funding acts as the only direct government lifeline for many UK-originated projects, training schemes, and infrastructure developments.
The recent 2025 Spending Review, however, casts a shadow over that support. Despite headlines suggesting increases, the detail reveals that day-to-day spending is being cut by 1.2% in real terms, and capital investment is effectively shrinking due to inflation, even if nominal figures stay flat. Administrative costs are also set to be reduced by 15% by 2030. In short, DCMS may still have billions within its envelope, but rising costs are quickly eroding what that money can achieve.
And yet, the real bulk of UK government support for television comes not through direct grants, but via tax relief. Under schemes like the High-End Television Expenditure Credit, productions can claim back up to 34% of their qualifying spend—a huge incentive that totalled £1.1 billion across film and TV in 2022–23 alone. What’s more, that money works hard: every £1 in tax relief is estimated to generate £6.44 in economic activity, supporting jobs, studios, suppliers, and local economies.
Still, not all beneficiaries are contributing equally. Netflix, for example, earned more than £1.5 billion from UK audiences in 2022, yet paid just £13.1 million in UK tax. While it’s a step forward that the company now books revenue locally (rather than routing through the Netherlands), the imbalance remains stark. Netflix—and other global streamers—are leveraging UK public infrastructure, talent, and tax incentives, without returning proportionate value in tax.
This creates a precarious balance. Domestic freelancers, independent producers, and public interest broadcasters face mounting pressure as funding tightens. Meanwhile, international giants continue to benefit from the system without investing back into it at scale.
The core question is this: is the UK television economy built on sustainable foundations? The evidence suggests we’re investing heavily—just not always in ways the public can see or scrutinise. If we want a thriving, independent, and future-facing UK media sector, then DCMS funding must grow, and global players must be asked to do more than simply show up.
WHAT THE BFI REPORT ON GENERATIVE AI COVERS
The BFI’s latest report, in partnership with CoSTAR’s Foresight Lab (Goldsmiths, Loughborough, Edinburgh), offers an in-depth look at generative AI across the UK screen industries: full article here BFI REPORT INTO GENERATIVE AI
Opportunities
- Democratising content creation: Charismatic (Channel 4 + Aardman) uses AI to reduce barriers.
- Efficiency gains: AI is already being trialled in post, dubbing, subtitling, metadata tagging, classification, and VFX.
- Interactive storytelling: AI tools are powering experiments in dynamic narratives and dubbing.
Challenges
- Training data & copyright – Widespread training on unlicensed scripts.
- Creative integrity – Safeguarding human control and disclosing AI use.
- Skill gaps – Many freelancers lack formal AI training.
- Environmental concerns – High energy usage calls for tracking and labeling.
Nine Strategic Recommendations (3-year horizon)
Organised under Frameworks, Targeted Support, and Growth:
- Licensing frameworks for training data
- Sustainability standards for AI tools
- Inclusive, culturally relevant design
- Data gathering for strategic use
- Workforce upskilling
- Public transparency on AI use
- AI tools for digital production
- Investment in UK creative tech
- Ethical AI access for independent creators
Sector Context
- 13,000+ UK creative-tech firms
- AI pilots already in place: BBC (features), BFI Archive + BBFC (metadata/subs), de-aging tools in Here, performance-capture in games by Humain
In Summary
Generative AI can empower UK screen industries through creativity, efficiency, and competitiveness—but risks remain. The BFI outlines a roadmap to ensure AI enhances, not undermines, UK storytelling.
COMMISSIONING ROUND-UP
- MrBeast: Beast Games S2 – Lowe’s signs on as exclusive partner
- BBC: Preschool Doctor Who – Animated version in development for CBeebies
- Netflix: Stranger Things Catalyst – Immersive experience in The Sandbox
- YouTube/Converse: Chuckmates – Sneaker-based dating show
- Fortnite/FOX: Father’s Day IP crossover
UK Highlights
- BBC boosts regional commissioning: £1bn+ spent outside London
- ITV2/ITVX: Transaction – Sitcom starring Jordan Gray & Nick Frost
- UKTV: Bergerac – S2 greenlit
- C4: Falling – Romance drama with Keeley Hawes
- Sky Max: Can’t Knock The Hustle and The Dyers’ Caravan Park
European Quiz Trends
- Trivial Pursuit and Jeopardy! adapted in Spain
- Agárrate al Sillón follows French hit Tout le Monde Veut Prendre sa Place
- Intervilles reboot (France/UK) returns in summer 2025
ITV Quiz Channel Impact
- Streams up: 185 million quiz views on ITVX in 2024
- 24/7 quiz programming now gets its own linear home
So that’s all for this week, hope its of interest
Jonathan Glazier
#TVIndustry #DCMSUK #AIinMedia #TVFormats #QuizShows #UKTelevision #BroadcastTrends #ContentCreation #MediaPolicy #BFI #StreamingTrends #PublicFunding #NetflixTax #FreelanceMedia #GenerativeAI #TVProduction #Channel4 #ITVQuiz #PeacockOriginals #Mockumentary #RealityTV #UKScreenSectors
