A TV Program format is a license to produce and to broadcast a national version of a copyrighted foreign TV program and to use its name. Formats are a major part of the international television market.

The most common type of format is for game shows, many of which are remade in multiple markets with local contestants.

Whilst TV formats are a form of intellectual property which are regularly bought and sold by TV producers, distributors and broadcasters, they are very hard to protect in law. As a result, copy-cat formats are sometimes created, seeking to duplicate the success of an original format without paying the rights-holder of the original format. To avoid this, our TV formats are protected with patent applications and US copyright applications.