Israeli television’s global success story began about a decade ago with the psychotherapy drama “BeTipul,” which was adapted by HBO as “In Treatment” and has since been turned into local spinoffs in more than 20 countries including, most recently, Argentina (“En Terepia”).
“In Treatment” was followed by thrillers like “Hatufim,” which Showtime made into “Homeland,” and innovative game shows like “HaKokhav HaBa” (“Rising Star”), which has been adapted in 25 territories including China (CCTV), the United States (ABC) and Turkey (TV8).
The international demand for more shows has given rise to a cottage industry in Israel dedicated to creating television concepts for export. While many of these series are based on Israeli programs, others are dreamed up as so-called “paper formats” to be sold abroad. Three Israeli companies dominate the business — Keshet, Dori Media and Armoza Formats — and together they have sold over 100 shows to markets as diverse as Indonesia, Japan, Finland and Brazil.
Top Israeli television shows sold abroad
Shows by Israel’s leading television companies that have aired or been adapted in five or more countries (number in bold)
FIRST BROADCAST
Who's Still
Standing?
(Lauf al
Hamiliyon)
’05
10
HBO’s successful American adaptation has spawned local versions in countries like Serbia, Russia and Japan.
In Treatment
(BeTipul)
22
’06
’07
Date Blind
(Ciega a
Citas)
44
’08
A teenage vampire drama has been dubbed into many other languages, including French, Tagalog and Vietnamese.
’09
Split
80
’10
11
Connected
KEY
Dramas and
telenovelas
17
17
Upgrade
Studio game
show
Homeland
(Hatufim)
30
Comedy
Reality game
shows and
dramas
’11
’12
Smart Face
(Lo Sabe, No
Lo Sabe)
30
’13
The Gran
Plan
CBS in the U.S. adapted this thriller before it appeared in Israel; BBC in Britain and Canal+ in France aired the Hebrew version with subtitles.
7
Hostages
(Bnei Aruba)
18
Rising Star
(HaKokhav
HaBa)
Broadcasters in the United States, Britain, France and Russia have picked up this live singing competition, where viewers vote on mobile apps.
25
’14
5
Little Mom
I Can Do That!
15
Business continues to boom. This season, Keshet — the company that developed the format for “Homeland” — has six new series coming to American channels. They run the gamut from “Dig,” an archeological mystery set in Jerusalem and created for USA Network, to the TBS sitcom “Your Family or Mine,” starring Richard Dreyfuss. That show is based loosely on an Israeli series, “Savri Maranan,” which takes place during Shabbat dinners in the home of a “mixed” Jewish family — the wife’s side is Sephardic (of Middle Eastern extractions) and the husband’s is Ashkenazi (of European). The series also inspired a popular show on Alpha TV in Greece, “To Sy sou” (“Your Kin”), where the Shabbat dinner becomes a typical Greek Sunday lunch.
Much of the challenge with this type of television production is adapting a format so that it remains relevant across diverse markets and cultures. Take the case of “Hatufim” (Prisoners of War), about the homecoming of three Israeli soldiers captured years before in Lebanon. In “Homeland,” the American version now on Showtime, the series gets a glossier treatment and a female lead (Claire Danes, who plays a bipolar C.I.A. agent). In the still-untitled Spanish language version — now in production by Televisa in Mexico — this prime-time drama becomes a daytime telenovela. “It’s the same arc, the same narrative DNA, but developed differently based on the market needs and geopolitical connotations,” said Alon Shtruzman, the chief executive of Keshet International.
The companies’ success in making Israel a kind of global entrepôt for creative TV has prompted producers in other countries to look for Israeli partners to package their shows for international markets.
Dori Media — which was founded by Yair Dori, an Argentine-Israeli executive and which got its start packaging Spanish telenovelas like “Lalola” for the international market — specializes in exactly this kind of business, recently adapting a long-running Japanese game show, Nippon Television Network’s “Aha Experience!,” into a global hit. The company recently announced a major deal with Sony Pictures Television to invest in its channels in Israel.