EXCLUSIVE: British codecs are again in vogue, in keeping with analysis agency K7’s annual Monitoring the Giants report.

Driven by new hits like The 1% Membership and The Piano, together with evergreens equivalent to MasterChef, the UK accounted for one-third (33%) of all new variations abroad final yr, K7 stated. That 33% determine put the UK manner forward of the U.S., which fell from 24% to 19% of all launches.

The UK determine was up from 25% the yr prior and is a formidable restoration from a “vital decline” reported in 2022-2023, K7 stated. The UK was additionally the one nation among the many high 5 exporters from 2023 to realize development in new variations with 11.

Representing a formidable 18% rise, the 119 new variations of Brit codecs was pushed by BBC Studios’ The 1% Membership, which airs on ITV within the UK and had 10 launches alone in 2024 together with on Prime Video within the States hosted by Patton Oswalt. The 1% Membership was second solely to John de Mol’s The Ground from The Netherlands for brand spanking new launches, which knocked The Traitors off its perch to take K7’s high format prize in 2024.

Different UK reveals to win large overseas had been Fremantle’s The Piano and resurgent evergreen hits like MasterChef, Who Desires to be a Millionaire? and The Weakest Hyperlink, together with spin-offs of Love Island, Lego Masters and Taskmaster.

Trying forwards, K7 stated the UK’s momentum “reveals no indicators of slowing, with not less than 50 new variations of UK codecs already confirmed for launch or manufacturing as of February 2025.”

The report might be welcome information for British format creators and execs, who had raised fears final yr that, domestically, they had been dropping out to international variations like Denmark’s Stranded on Honeymoon Island, Belgium’s 99 to Beat and Korea’s Genius Recreation, which have not too long ago been tailored by the BBC and ITV.

For these promoting each scripted and non-scripted reveals additionally it is a good time to be profitable large on the codecs facet, given the shrinking of the scripted market pushed by much less cash from American co-producers.

“British TV has a historical past of success across the globe,” stated K7 Media CEO and founder Keri Lewis Brown. “What we’re seeing now’s the UK’s storytelling heritage, format innovation, and world collaboration displaying resurgence in a difficult local weather and quick altering world.”

The report pressured that the likes of The Netherlands and Belgium stay format heavyweights, evidenced by the success of The Ground and Stranded on Honeymoon Island, whereas Japan continues to carry out properly pushed by the success of LOL: Last One Laughing. General, there have been round 360 new launches in 2024, which was barely down on the prior yr.

For the third yr in a row, Banijay was the top-selling unscripted format distributor, adopted by on-the-block vendor ITV Studios then The Piano gross sales home Fremantle.