And, generally speaking, the local programs will perform much better, last much longer and after the initial establishment of the show, grow their own identity. But not everyone agrees. The format has been so popular in New Zealand and Australia, he says, it makes perfect sense for the format to travel well. But certainly there is more local production than there ever was. At one point, there were six such programs on air in Germany at one time, although that has settled down to three.
China is one of the last untapped world-television markets.
Australia's Banksia Productions has leapt into Asia head first, but Grundys is a little slower on the uptake. The change is a lot greater than the change from Australian culture to European culture, for instance, in terms of society and family structure and other elements. But he does concede Granada's sale of Coronation Street is something of an ace in the hole. You can't make everything for everyone. NBC liked it, but they were cautious.