Television shows and movies have been hailed as one of Israel's best exports to the United States. A closer look at the data, however, reveals that local productions' overseas success is a common misconception.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Altogether, 72 Israeli formats have been sold to American broadcasting companies since 2006. Of those only nine series have been broadcast for more than one season: BeTipul (adapted as In Treatment), Prisoners of War (adapted as Homeland), The Greenhouse (adapted as Greenhouse Academy), Euphoria, Deal with it, The Four (adapted as The Four: Battle for Stardom), and series Fauda, Mossad 101 and Shtisel in the original Hebrew version.
Four Israeli TV series have aired for one season and might be renewed for another one: Our Boys, Tehran, Juda, and Shadow of Truth. Fourteen programs were canceled after one season and sometimes even only after a few episodes have aired; 12 were canceled after the pilot; 24 were shelved in early production, and nine programs have not started production yet.
Israeli TV series Valley of Tears was sold to the US even before it aired at home on public broadcaster Kan. The Yom Kippur War series is considered to be the most expensive TV series ever made in Israel. It was written by television writer Ron Leshem, best known for the Euphoria series, and directed by Yaron Zilberman, who also directed the Incitement.
It was sold just a few weeks after Apple TV+ launched Tehran, an Israeli espionage thriller series also produced by Kan. The streaming statistics have not been reported yet, but Apple has invested millions of dollars in promoting the series on billboards and commercials, including during the NBA playoffs.
It is expected that the Israeli drama series Losing Alice will also be streamed in the US in the upcoming weeks, as well as Possessions, a thriller series being filmed by French media giant Canal+ and Israeli operator Yes.
Two of Yes' TV series are in the final stage of production: On the Spectrum has been picked up by Amazon for an entire season, and an adaptation of Your Honor, which will air on the Showtime streaming service starring Brian Cranston from Breaking Bad.
Multiple adaptations of Israeli series are in progress, including the Israeli comedy series La Familia adapted by CBS, drama series Malkot, originally broadcast by Israeli cable television provider Hot, and When Heroes Fly, which was streamed in Hebrew on Netflix but will receive an American adaptation by Apple TV+.
Last year HBO aired Euphoria, the American adaptation of the Israeli TV series of the same name. It was viewed 5.6 million times, a number considered high for a paid cable channel. The series received excellent reviews and won three Emmy Awards, including an Emmy award for Zendaya in Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category.
The filming of the second season has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, HBO announced that it would air a special episode ahead of Christmas and another special episode it is preparing to air later, to fill the time gaps between the seasons.
Of the 72 programs sold abroad, Keshet Media Group sold 21, HOT sold 16, Yes sold 12, the now defunked Channel 10 sold 11, Reshet sold nine, and Kan sold three. Of all those, In Treatment and Prisoners of War have had the most success.
In Treatment was created by Hot and was sold to HBO in 2006. The show aired for three seasons and received two Emmy awards for actors Diane Wiest and Glynn Turman, and a Golden Globe Award for Gabriel Byrne.
Prisoners of War, created by Gideon Raff for Keshet, officially put Israel on the Hollywood map when it was acquired by Fox 21 Television Studios in 2009 and adapted as Homeland 2011. The TV series achieved great success and received many awards throughout the years.
"In Treatment is built on a simple idea. It reminds you of a theatrical dialogue", said Hollywood Reporter journalist Scott Roxborough.
"It is not connected to any place or time, so in a way, the idea could have come from any country. But it was Israel who came up with such brilliance.
"When Prisoners of War aired in Israel, the film industry started to take notice [of Israeli cinema]. When it was adapted as Homeland, no one could remain indifferent," Roxborough continued.
"No other Israeli program comes close to the success of In Treatment and Homeland. When I think about successful adaptations of Israeli formats, maybe three or four come to mind. Keshet's Yellow Peppers, for example, was adapted by BBC as The A Word. Even though the TV series was adapted by a British broadcaster, not an American one, it was important for Keshet to show that it has diverse ideas that can be adapted locally in different countries."
Ramzor was one of the most promising TV shows at the beginning of the decade. It was created by Adir Miller and Ran Sarig for Keshet. The series won the 2010 International Emmy for Comedy and was acquired by Fox and adapted as Traffic Light. The broadcaster canceled the series after one 13-episode season because it received low ratings and unfavorable reviews.
CBS created an adaptation of Keshet's Shalosh, but the series was canceled after airing two episodes due to a disappointing rating of 2 million viewers, the weakest launch in CBS history at the time. The company uploaded the show to the internet, defining Three as a network series.
Keshet's Deal With It game show was adapted by the TBS television network featuring comedian Howie Mandel, one of America's Got Talent's most veteran judges. The show was canceled after three seasons.
Keshet's Sabri Maranan also received an American adaptation. The show was produced by TBS as Your Family or Mine, with Richard Dreyfuss and Ed Begley Jr. The ratings were unsatisfactory, and the network canceled the show after 10 episodes.
After launching the HaKokhav HaBa singing competition in Israel, Keshet presented the Rising Star franchise at the MIPCOM conference in Cannes and sold the format to 17 countries. The American television network ABC began airing its first season of Rising Star in June 2014.
The launch of the American Rising Star had only 5 million viewers. NBC aired an America's Got Talent special at the same time and attracted 8 million viewers.
There was a decrease in the number of viewers in the first week of ABC's Rising Star, and the show received mainly negative reviews, mostly because viewers on the East Coast watched and voted in the show live, but viewers on the West Coast saw a recorded broadcast, without the ability to vote. The show was canceled after ten weeks. The British ITV network canceled its plans for Rising Star altogether, France and Germany decided to cut the show short due to the lower-than-expected ratings.
"Keshet jumped the gun by claiming that Rising Star was the next generation of singing competitions because of its interactive element," Roxborough said.
"The format worked in countries like Brazil, Indonesia, India, but in the end, the technological elements complicated things. Some countries had glitches with the app, and the audience lost interest. Once a format is unsuccessful in the US, nobody else wants it. In any case, despite the damage this did to Keshet's reputation, the company continues to sell formats abroad."
Keshet International, the global production and distribution arm of Keshet Media Group, was established in 2012 and is run by Israeli media executive and television producer Alon Shtruzman. The company has branches in London, LA, New York, Munich, and Hong Kong. In addition to distributing Keshet Media Group properties, the company also sells third-party properties and develops and produces localized versions of popular television formats.
"Keshet and other Israeli companies have a significant advantage in that they produce content and have their own channel," Roxborough said.
"They don't have intermediaries, unlike in many other countries where the production companies and studios do not belong to the broadcaster.
"Keshet aims to sell a format as soon as it launches in Israel, creating a marketing narrative that is a hit. That is what they did with Rising Star, with Boom!, with 2025. They assured foreign buyers that these were successful formats, but the formats didn't draw any interest, and eventually, they were taken off the air in Israel too."
Q: How sought-after are Israeli formats in Hollywood?
"Hollywood is always looking for the next big thing, and in that regard, Israeli formats are in demand. Many Israeli producers, writers, and even actors are well-known on television networks and talent agencies. Some Israeli production studios have branches in Los Angeles or representatives in New York or London." Roxborough said.
"What we've learned in the last decade is that Israel is very good at producing quality dramas, but reality TV or entertainment shows not so much. When you watch Israeli shows, you don't focus on a crime drama because that can be found everywhere. As a viewer, you are looking for unique content."
Roxborough draws a few similarities between Denmark and Israel, in that "both are small countries with limited local markets and budgets, but their formats stand out thanks to powerful scenarios and a marketing vision on behalf of the people whose job it is to export the formats abroad."
Denmark sold its drama series Forbrydelsen to the US. It aired both in its original version and was adapted by Fox as The Killing. Denmark also sold The Bridge, a crime television series, which aired in its original language and became an international success.
"Israel and Denmark are not obvious choices when it comes to format export, unlike English-speaking countries like Britain and Australia, which is a default choice for every American producer. The Brits have a decades-long proven record of successful formats, but Israelis have earned their place in Hollywood too."
Roxborough pointed out that acquiring foreign formats is a side business for major broadcasters and studios. The acquisition of a format is never a guarantee that the series will be produced.
"It's very rare that two broadcasters fight over the rights of a format. Not even American drama series create bidding wars when they are sold abroad."
Q: What happens when a broadcaster finds a format it deems worthy of production?
"A long road lies ahead of the format. First, it has to receive the approval of senior executives, along with other creative and financial approvals. Then there's the pilot episode. Only after the pilot episode does each broadcasting company decide if they want to produce an entire season. And even after the whole season has been shot, it doesn't necessarily mean that the series will see the light of day or that all of its episodes will be released," he explains.
"The price of purchasing a format is a symbolic one, a kind of down payment. These aren't large sums, especially when it comes to Israeli formats, as Israel has a small local market and limited production budget. The cost of purchasing an Israeli format is a fraction compared to a German or British one. The Brits, for example, have been selling formats abroad for decades, but unlike in Israel, nobody hears about it until the series is actually ready."
Q: What do you mean?
"Israeli television representatives are experienced businessmen. They are quick to advertise a format and create a buzz around it, saying that it is a success in Israel. As soon as they sell the format, they rush to proclaim they have "conquered America." It's something I've only seen with Israelis," Roxborough laughs. "Practically speaking, most of these formats will never be produced."
Many Israeli formats have been sold to the US over the years, but most of them were never picked for production. Four years ago, Hot announced that its drama series titled Very Important Person would be adapted by a US broadcaster, even reported that Zac Efron might be starring in it, but in the end, the series was never produced.
Fox announced in 2015 that it would produce an American version of the Israeli drama False Flag, but it never happened. Instead, Apple picked up the format and announced earlier this year that it would produce a version with Uma Thurman in the lead role.
That same year NBC aired Allegiance, the American adaptation of Yes and Keshet's The Gordin Cell. The series was canceled after just five episodes due to disappointing ratings. Eight more episodes were produced and aired online.
Keshet's Sachkan Zar and Reshet's Litfos et Hashamayim and A Touch Away were all acquired abroad but were never produced. Pilot episodes for Hot's Timrot Ashan, Keshet's Yom Haem, Reshet's Nebsu and Reshet, and David Schwimmer's Irreversible were filmed but were not picked up for an entire season. Apple was in the process of producing an American version of Hot's Eagles mini-series with Richard Gere in the lead, but the project was canceled last year.
Yes sold its Zanzouri and The Ran Quadruplets series in the US, but the pilots were never picked up for an entire season. Its series titled New York was acquired in the US, but the pilot episode was never filmed.
Apple announced four years ago that it would adapt Shtisel, an Israeli drama series about a fictional ultra-Orthodox Jewish family, with the help of Martha Kaufman, the creator of Friends, but in the end, the show was never produced.
Netflix's Greenhouse Academy is an adaptation of the Israeli series The Greenhouse. It aired for four seasons and was canceled last March. Netflix's The Good Cop, based on an Israeli series of the same name, was canceled in 2018, six weeks after coming on air. Paramount's 68 Whiskey, an adaptation of the Israeli series Taagad, was canceled in September after one season.
ABC announced earlier this summer the cancellation of The Baker and the Beauty, based on the Israeli romantic-comedy series Beauty and the Baker created by Assi Azar for Keshet. The series aired in the US last April and only lasted for one season. The Four: Battle for Stardom is based on the Israeli music competition The Four created by Armoza Formats. The US version was launched even before its original Israeli version. The viewer ratings were acceptable, with 3.5 million viewers for both seasons of the show that was broadcast by Fox in 2018. The show was canceled after two seasons. Armoza's docu-style series Mehubarim was mentioned on the American AOL web portal but did not spark any interest.
Yes' Fauda action series was revolutionary in that it achieved success in its original version, without being adapted.
"Until Fauda, foreign series wasn't a mainstream thing," said Roxborough. "Then came this action series, aired in the US in Hebrew and Arabic, and it was so successful. It reconfirmed the fact that broadcasting companies don't necessarily need to adapt foreign formats."
"Action series that take place in the Middle East are usually produced by American companies, so the series lack authenticity. Even Homeland was criticized in Arab countries. They were even accused of Islamophobia. That did not happen to Fauda. The series was developed by Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, who drew on their own experiences in the Israeli military service," Roxborough continued.
"One can disagree with the narrative presented in the series from the Israeli point of view. Nevertheless, Fauda turned out to be a success because viewers felt the series was real, filmed in real locations, not in some fancy LA studio. No other country could produce a series about this subject with such precision."
After the success of Fauda, creators Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff received a contract from Netflix to produce a new drama series called Hit and Run. The filming began in February this year in Tel Aviv and New York but was put on hold due to the coronavirus.
US networks began to take an interest in broadcasting original Israeli series after the success of Fauda. Netflix, for example, purchased Shtisel in 2019 and aired two seasons in Hebrew. Hulu purchased and aired Prisoners of War in its original format.
"Most often than not, broadcasting companies buy the rights to a certain format to acknowledge that it is the intellectual property of the creators of the format," Netflix's legal advisor Mark Litvack said.
"The idea is that no one should claim in the future that a particular American series looks suspiciously similar to a foreign one. Since foreign formats are not that expensive, American broadcasting companies prefer just to acquire the rights.
"The acquisition of rights is similar whether it's TV series, motion pictures, or literary works. Obviously, the rights to a Stephen King novel, for example, will cost millions of dollars, but a foreign format from a small country will sell for much less.
"An American broadcasting company that wants to acquire the rights to an Israeli format usually offers a preliminary contract with future options. That is, it reserves the right to acquire exclusive rights to a certain format, and that format is removed from the market. It is not a contract that will necessarily be used. It is just an option," Litvack explained.
"The payment is ten percent of the value of the transaction. It guarantees exclusive rights to the American broadcaster for a predetermined time. The broadcasting company has the option to produce the series during this time. After the end of this time, the broadcasting company and the original format creators can part ways or extend the contract.
"The initial payment is about $20,000, and if the series goes into production, then $70,000 more, plus royalties for each episode. If the series is successful, more payments will be made. It all happens in stages. Nobody receives large sums of money unless the series is actually successful."
Q: What are the chances for a format to be produced?
"In cinematography, one of out ten formats gets produced. In television, it's even less. What works well for creators is the thirst for content that is created when there's competition between streaming platforms and between those platforms and the veteran networks," Litvack explained.
"Netflix has been purchasing content for years, until it realized it had to start producing series and movies itself, because the content it was purchasing from Disney or Universal, for example, was being uploaded onto those companies' own streaming services. Apple and Disney set up Apple TV+ and Disney+, NBCUniversal set up Peacock. The competition is about flooding viewers with as much content as possible. It's best if you have your own worldwide streaming service, and you don't have to work with other content distributors."
Veteran Israeli producer in Hollywood, Alon Aranya told Israel Hayom that "there are lots of formats out there, and not that many productions", so everyone who works in adaptations is trying to "better their chances."
"It comes in waves. American companies acquired many formats after the success of In Treatment, perhaps too many. But over the years, the studios realized that it's not about the number of formats you purchase but about their quality. They are much more careful about that today."
"Adaptations require a lot of technical work on the producer's part. True, the series is based on a format, but there are so many elements that need to be connected - screenwriters, additional producers, actors, broadcasters, and, of course, the budget. That is what I do every day, from morning to night."
Aranya arrived in the US in the 1990s and worked in the development stage of movie production before graduating with a master's degree in writing from NYU. "During the day, I taught myself how to write features, and at night I wrote pilots to start my journey on television. I sold some ideas for development, but then the era of formats arrived, and I decided to work in adaptations."
"I approached producers from Europe and suggested I work on one of their series. I worked on a Dutch drama called Red Widow [which aired for one season on ABC in 2013]. Working on the series helped me make connections with people who worked in the field of adaptations."
Aranya's first significant success was the adaptation of Channel 10's Hostages, which aired on CBS in 2013. Despite winning an award in the Favorite New Television Drama category of the People's Choice Award, the series was canceled after one season due to another TV series that aired at the same time and lowered the ratings of Hostages.
"The American adaptation was produced even before the original aired in Israel because Channel 10 ran into some financial difficulties," Aranya explained. "We did not wait for the series to be filmed in Israel before selling it abroad. I felt confident that the format would spark interest in the US. I wrote the American adaptation, which was sold to CBS and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. It was the only one out of 12 pilots that was picked up for an entire season in the fall.
"But the platform was not right. You had two options back then: approach national networks or go to HBO, which produced very few series at the time. Netflix has created the middle ground."
Q: Does the growing number of streaming platforms bode well with foreign formats?
"There are more buyers today, but ironically, there's also much more competition," Aranya explains. "Production companies raised the bar really high. The television industry is broadcasting over 500 high-quality dramas today. The production of a high-quality adaptation is expensive."
"That is why we work in groups; it's like franchises in the cinematic world. Israel is very much appreciated in the film industry, like in high tech, except here we are not juggling millions of dollars. I believe we will see many more projects in the future, both original series and adaptations. The sky's the limit."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
Responding to Israel Hayom, Keshet International said the company "was ranked the world's fifth-largest content distribution company, in between Fox and ABC, according to a K7 poll. The company has sold dozens of formats worldwide, and thousands of episodes have been produced, both original and adapted. Over 10 Keshet International formats have been adapted in the US alone, more than any other Israeli broadcaster," Keshet said.
"Israeli formats have broken the language barrier and received recognition in the US and multiple awards at the Golden Globes, Emmy, and the Cannes Film Festival. Israel has many talented creators, and the Israeli film industry is highly regarded in the international market.
"We are pleased to see the success Israeli creators and broadcasters have achieved over the last few years, contributing to Israel's good standing with the industry."
Yes reported that its distribution company, yes Studios, "has achieved tremendous and unprecedented success in the international market, even though it was founded only three years ago. The company is a revolutionary content ambassador for the entire Israeli television industry. It put Israel on the international television map through its participation and success at many important film festivals worldwide, like Fauda, which was named by the New York Times as one of The 30 Best International TV Shows of the Decade, and has aired in more than 190 countries.
Reshet 13 reported that it has "many programs and formats that have been sold to the US and worldwide and achieved great success."
Hot provided a list of all the formats the company has sold worldwide.
