Ask anyone, wherever in the world, what the Netherlands’ top products are and they’ll come up with tulips and windmills. Some may know that Philips and Unilever are Dutch brands. But probably no one will tell you that the Netherlands is one of the world’s leading exporters of TV formats. A feat which has been exploited this week in India during Asia’s top TV convention, FICCI Frames.

Deal or No Deal, Big Brother (or Big Boss, as it’s known in India) and 2009 Emmy Award winner The Phone – just three TV formats that can be seen on television sets (and increasingly also on computer and smartphone screens) all over the world. These three have at least one thing in common, which is that they were invented by Dutch TV companies.

Endemol (creators of Big Brother), Eyeworks and IDTV are just three of dozens of Dutch production companies which create and export game shows, reality concepts and factual-based TV ideas to the rest of the world.
 

Lapping it up
And the rest of the world is lapping it up in huge numbers. Big Brother is still on air in many TV markets, 12 years after it debuted on Dutch TV; Deal or No Deal is a worldwide hit and even the local (and very Dutch) reality show Boer Zoekt Vrouw (Farmer Seeks Wife) has been picked up by stations in Europe, Australia and North America.
 

World's number two
“The Netherlands is the world’s number two format exporter, after the US,” says Soeniel Sewnarain of ME India, a partnership of 15 Dutch media companies that try to strengthen the ties between the Dutch and Indian creative industry.  “Not many people realise that, but it’s a fast growing part of Dutch economy.”

ME India represented a number of Dutch creative companies on Mumbai’s FICCI Frames media convention this week, one of Asia’s top media events where TV and online formats are bought and sold. “India is probably the fastest growing TV market in the world,” Mr Sewnarain told RNW. “It’s got the potential to become the world’s largest market, both in population numbers and in turnover."

"China has more people, but India has a free and open market. By 2025 they’ve overtaken the US. So it’s very important to become firmly rooted in that market now.”

Partner
India is not only a suitable market to just sell TV formats, its creative industry is also a good partner for Dutch media companies, says Mr Sewnarain. “We’ve got a lot going for us. The Netherlands has the largest population of people of Indian origin on the European mainland. English is our second language. We’ve got a great film climate with good facilities. We’ve got many opportunities for Indian creative companies to seek partnerships with us.”
 

Smaller companies
It’s not just the big players in the market like Endemol and Eyeworks that are trying to make inroads in the Indian market. ME India also works as a hub for smaller companies.

“We’re working with animation companies, online game developers, internet creatives and people working in social media,” Mr Sewnarain says. “Some of these companies only have a dozen or so employees. They don’t have the resources to conquer the Indian market on their own. We give them a little push to get into contact with vital Indian companies.”
 

Awareness
It is not known how many Dutch TV ideas have traded hands during this year’s FICCI Frames, but that’s not the point, says Mr Sewnarain. “We’re there to create awareness that the Dutch creative industry has a lot to offer. Hopefully Indian companies will recognise that.”