Today, Endemol produces nearly 400 separate television "formats," seizing on game shows and other reality-based programs as the easiest to export.

Sooner or later, the television industry was bound to come up with a reality-based program with actual social value.

Fox Broadcasting has won a growing audience for so-called reality-based programs, showing real footage of police chases.

Mr. Iger admitted that two new reality-based programs to go on ABC in the coming months were a "result of trying to save money."

Scandals was the only reality-based program ABC had scheduled.

It offers the distilled essence of reality-based programs, an adrenaline-loaded experience similar to watching an action movie without that nagging plot to slow it down.

Level 3 Post's repertoire includes sitcoms, one-hour dramatic television and reality-based programs.

But he has also introduced "I Witness Video," one of the so-called reality-based programs that dramatize actual events.

Other networks are expected to continue their plans to broadcast reality-based programs, he said, because the audience response to them has been so strong.

His most ambitious proposal, for a reality-based program on the cloning effort, was made to Fox Entertainment several months ago, an executive at the company said.