We have come a long way from the nascent days of broadcasting, when there was one state-owned television channel and the quiz show Neelam Ghar was all the rage on the airwaves. The last two decades have witnessed a prolific, sometimes seemingly uncontrolled, growth of channels.

At last count, there were 140 licensed channels operating in Pakistan, according to the state media regulator, with close to half dedicated to news. The rest of the channels focus on niches from music to sports, entertainment and infotainment, health and children’s programming, and religious and regional language channels.

Alas, this explosion of channels has not translated into memorable programming, including of game shows and competitive series. There have been iterations of Neelam Ghar — such as the popular Jeeto Pakistan or shows such as the seasonal Inaam Ghar, that are aired during the holy month of Ramazan — but Pakistan is yet to produce any locally conceptualised shows that could make their mark on the global entertainment landscape.

Or even birth a catchphrase to match “Dekhti aankhon aur suntay kaanon ko Tariq Aziz ka salaam” [Greetings from Tariq Aziz to the eyes that are watching and the ears that are listening].

Work is underway to bring a local version of the popular franchise show Shark Tank to our screens. But why do format-based shows, popular globally, fail to find footing in the country? And can Shark Tank Pakistan buck this trend?

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

There have been several attempts to bring globally popular format shows to Pakistan in the past, with MasterChef Pakistan and Pakistan Idol generating quite the buzz, but both shows were shelved after one season only.

Now, another globally successful show is coming to Pakistan, with a local company acquiring the franchise rights to Shark Tank, a TV show where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to wealthy investors, hoping to secure funding and expertise to grow their ventures.

Usman Malik, the CEO of Grenlit Studios, says the decision to get the rights to the show was spurred by its success in India. His company has partnered with Sony Pictures Television to bring the show to Pakistan.

The show originally aired in Japan in 2001 as Tigers of Money. The UK version, Dragon’s Den, aired in 2005, while its US iteration, Shark Tank, premiered in 2009. Versions of the show have aired in a large number of countries — from Afghanistan to Israel —with the 2022 launch of the show in Bangladesh hailed as its 50th remake.

But does it make sense to invest big bucks on a franchise show at a time when TV viewership has to compete with digital platforms?

Malik acknowledges that there is a clear shift — including among advertisers — towards online platforms in Pakistan, with broadcasters now monetising content on YouTube. “But the kind of content currently dominating Pakistan includes daily vlogs or TikToks, which may not necessarily add value,” he notes.

For him, the structure of the show will attract eyeballs — on digital platforms and TV channels — particularly of Pakistan’s large youth segment. Moreover, he believes the show can provide a fillip to the start-up ecosystem in Pakistan.

While Malik is interested in creating good content, he also wants to recoup his investment, which is sizeable. The production cost varies significantly, with licensing costs ranging from $15,000 to $100,000, depending on the show.

While Malik didn’t share the numbers, for a show like Shark Tank, the licensing fee is likely to be between $45,000 and $60,000 per season, according to veteran producer Ahmer Khan. “Spread over 26 episodes, it fits well within the budget per episode,” says Khan, whose previous experience with a franchise show was MasterChef Pakistan.

According to Khan, excluding the licensing fees, producing such a show could feasibly start with a budget of around Rs70 million, which is approximately USD 250,000.

This would be separate from marketing and promotion.

HOLDING THE PURSE STRINGS

But such high costs mean that there is added pressure on the rights owners to recover their initial investment.

According to veteran producer Hamza Ansari, this is one of the main reasons such shows don’t take off. “For example, Pakistan Idol had a much higher budget than regular shows, but our advertisers didn’t invest in it enough to make it financially viable.”

Localisation of content is another challenge, he tells Icon. “If the show is not modified and adapted for the local consumers’ viewing palate, it won’t get ratings, resulting in advertisements drying up and the show getting canned,” says Ansari.

A third problem, he says, is the lack of consummate professionals who can execute such a show. “Getting an international franchise isn’t just about replicating the show, but following the brand guidelines to the T,” says Ansari. “We only have a handful of such people [who can do that].”

One of those handful of people is Khan, whose efforts at MasterChef Pakistan resulted in the show getting nominated for multiple awards. Despite being a success — the winning participants on the show went on to have successful careers in the culinary industry — it was shelved after one season only.

According to Khan, that was a mistake. “Such shows need to do at least three seasons. That’s the global practice, to get the ratings in,” he tells Icon. It has to be long-term instead of focusing on instant revenues, he points out.

In contrast, the original British MasterChef franchise currently boasts four versions: the main MasterChef series, Celebrity MasterChef, MasterChef: The Professionals, and Junior MasterChef. The format and style of the show have been replicated worldwide in numerous international versions. For instance, MasterChef US has successfully aired 22 seasons to date and continues to run.

A bigger challenge, say industry insiders, is the “close-knit boys’ club” of various media agencies, which control advertising revenue. “Instead of reaching out to and promoting such new projects, these [agency] people act as gatekeepers, forcing the broadcasters to bring costs to a minimum,” says Khan. “Broadcasters also give in and it impacts the quality of the product.”

Ansari concurs with Ahmer’s assessment. “We produce the same franchise content in a fraction of the budgets that they put in global markets.”

Ayesha Jalil, another producer and director, disagrees. For her, it is important to bring the costs down. “The high cost and price tags associated with such shows [MasterChef Pakistan, Pakistan Idol] is what led to their failure,” she tells Icon. “The right kind of show, which doesn’t have to be extravagant and costly, will get the traction needed.”

GETTING THE FORMULA RIGHT

Can the Shark Tank Pakistan team get the formula right?

There were some initial hiccups, including the selection of the ‘Sharks’ — the investors on the show. But now, at least seven individuals have been finalised for that role.

They include Rabeel Warraich, of the venture capital firm Sarmayacar; Junaid Iqbal, who was instrumental in Careem’s expansion in Pakistan; Aleena Nadim, who recently featured in Forbes 30 under 30 Asia; and Romana Dada, who leads the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund in Pakistan, among others.

With the sharks in place, the team has now got to work to find compelling pitches for the investors and to make sure the process translates well on the screen.

As Pakistan navigates the evolving media landscape, the introduction of Shark Tank Pakistan may yet serve as a catalyst for a new era for format shows. With the growing realisation of the potential for innovative content formats, especially among the youth, there’s a palpable demand for fresh and engaging programming. As digital platforms continue to grow as preferred mediums, the hope for foreign format shows to thrive in Pakistan remains more than just a possibility.

But for that, not just broadcasters and advertisers, but also our content creators have to step out of their own ponds. How well do they make that leap will determine whether such shows stay on the airwaves or end up shelved.

The writer is a freelance journalist and a communications professional

Published in Dawn, ICON, June 16th, 2024