8 December 2014: Major change is on its way to Asia's formats environment in 2015, with new super heroes, turbo-charged ambition, overflowing talent and free-flowing funding to drive it all. For some, at least. The others? Not so much.Asia's formats landscape could change in a big way in 2015.In the next few months, the Asia structure of the Endemol, Shine, Core Media venture will be announced, combining, among other things, the strengths of Shine's MasterChef brand with Endemol's high-profile properties, production experience and resources across the region, including China.Questions swirling around the Endemol/Shine changes include the Asia management structure of the merged entity. Books are open and bets are still being taken, including wagers on how Asia's indie production houses will fare in the new environment.Another 2015 change agent is the region's biggest talent reality format ever, Asia's Got Talent, which is scheduled to air on AXN in 2015. FremantleMedia's regional first will – hopefully – create a new bar for regional shows. Meanwhile, the industry is keeping a close eye on the FremantleMedia franchise for insights into the deal and its details – particularly sponsorship details, which had not been announced by the end of November.Others say regional advertiser funding is as difficult as ever, and they’re not expecting miracles in 2015. What is clear is that Endemol, Shine and FremantleMedia were major players in the local space through 2014, with at least 67 formats on air or commissioned for 2015. Combined, Endemol and Shine had 53 of those in 2014, including Shine's MasterChef versions in Cambodia and Korea, and the first Junior MasterChef on Indonesian free-TV station RCTI, which aired MasterChef Indonesia in 2013. Speculation about a regional MasterChef continues, although there was no confirmation of a deal with front-runner A+E Networks Asia's Lifetime by end November.Endemol leads with at least 35 titles on air, led by six versions of The Money Drop (Afghanistan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Thailand, Vietnam) and four versions of Big Brother, including the first China version in partnership with online platform Youku Tudou; Big Brother China is scheduled to debut in 2015.Shine had 17 local versions of its formats on air (or scheduled for 2015), including four versions of Minute to Win It (Cambodia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore), formerly distributed in Asia by NBCUniversal, which had Dance Your Ass Off on air in Thailand in 2014 as Dance Your Fat Off.BBC Worldwide had at least seven formats on air in Asia through 2014, including two versions of Top Gear (China, Korea) and two versions of Strictly Come Dancing (Cambodia, India).The third major formats force – and perhaps, ultimately, one that could have the biggest impact given the size of the audience – is China, where online platforms are locked in battle for users, viewers, fans and anyone else with a taste for reality.As 2014 drew to a close, online platforms Youku Tudou, Tencent, Sohu and a new mega-platform from the Shanghai Media Group (SMG) said they were pouring millions into content creation, pushing content development in Asia to record levels. This included the first Chinese version of Endemol's Big Brother for Youku, the first version of Talpa's The Voice Kids for Tudou and a second season of All3Media's Are You Normal? for Tencent. Content plans for the new giant created by the merger of SMG's BesTV and Shanghai Oriental Pearl are not yet clear; what is obvious is that the new entity, Shanghai Oriental Pearl New Media Co, will be massive.Myanmar, Cambodia and, more recently, Laos are also stepping up their formats activity. Local versions of 1 vs 100, Deal or No Deal, The Kids are Alright and Minute to Win It headed for Myanmar in 2014/5, while Cambodia picked up The Money Drop, MasterChef, Minute to Win It, Got Talent, Strictly Come Dancing and Cambodia's Next Top Model. Laos has just bought Got Talent, bringing the country into the regional formats fold for 2015.As 2014 draws to a close, one question remains unanswered: Where is Asia with its ambition to create a global "superformat"? If the answer is that it hasn't done so yet, it's not for lack of trying. As ContentAsia's latest Formats Outlook shows, local creators – including Japan's Nippon TV, Korea's CJ E&M, China's Star China Media and Malaysia's Astro – are alive and thriving in their home (and a few other) markets. Roll on 2015...ContentAsia Issue 6, 2014