ITV Studios is taking 10 new titles to MIPCOM, and the slate reads like a thesis on modern formats: familiar brands first, proof-of-performance numbers second, and original ideas only when they already have market traction.
The centrepiece is The Chase Around the World, a six-episode spin-off produced by Bright Entertainment for ITV. Six pairs of contestants hunt for The Chasers across undisclosed European locations, unravelling puzzles before the winning pair faces the quiz masters for a prize pot. The pitch is scale and travel appeal. ITV Studios’ EVP global content and content strategy Julie Meldal-Johnsen described it as “a clever way of wrapping up a treasure hunt and bit of travel porn.”
Proof points, not pilots
The slate is stacked with shows that already have an audience verdict.
- Expedition Into the Wild was the number one commercial title in its Kanal 5 Sweden timeslot, beating the slot average by 60%, and has a second season.
- Apocalypse was Binge’s biggest unscripted original launch since 2024 and one of Channel 4’s biggest young-skewing entertainment launches this year.
- Secret Garden, narrated by David Attenborough in the U.K., was the BBC’s biggest new factual series since 2025.
- Name That Tune returns to the U.K. in 2027 after 29 years off air, with local versions in more than 25 countries since 1953.
- The Ultimate Summer Star extends The Ultimate Christmas Star, which grew total viewers 13% from season 2 to season 3 in Norway.
Elsewhere, Celebrity Escape turns escape rooms into a comedian elimination format for Three in New Zealand; Next on the Menu asks food superfans to create the next menu hit for brands such as Wagamama and KFC; How to Clean Up for Cash clears a home in 48 hours; and The Joy of Pets follows veterinary and community stories.
For buyers, those metrics reduce commissioning risk and give marketing teams a built-in audience hook. For ITV Studios, they turn a slate meeting into a numbers conversation.
Unscripted catalogue payoff
The company also detailed its unscripted lineup, led by 70 Up, the final chapter of 7 Up, the longest-running documentary series ever made. The series has been broadcast in 157 countries. Asif Kapadia steps in to close the story following Michael Apted’s death, and Meldal-Johnsen said: “I can’t think of another documentary project that is more ambitious, more far-reaching.”
Around it sit World’s Wildest Cities, Ages of Ice with David Tennant, Jesus Christ: The Man, The Mystery, and Spy Next Door: The Anna Chapman Story. It is a catalogue-conscious mix: new factual series built for event commissioning, plus a documentary landmark that could lift demand for the entire 7 Up library.
What the slate tells buyers
This is less a collection of pitches than a set of case studies. The formats are arriving with slot averages, launch ranks, renewal decisions and decades-long version counts. For media planners, that means formats are being packaged with the same performance language as digital campaigns.
The likely test is whether The Chase Around the World can convert a studio quiz brand into an adventure travel franchise, and whether the final 7 Up instalment pushes streaming buyers toward the back catalogue.
Source: Variety
