Abstract Countries that develop international television formats sell their format rights to hundreds of countries, thereby obtaining regular royalty income from each episode broadcast in these countries. The aim of the study is to contribute to the development of international television program formats by revealing some of the distinctive features used in international television formats. Although there is no definitive formula for creating a successful television program, successful productions often share certain common traits. In this qualitative study, international television formats are discussed within the framework of the audience expectations criteria put forward by Walters and with 14 criteria, three of which were added for this research. Four international format programs broadcast in Turkey with high viewing rates were selected using the purposeful sample method and examined with multiple case analysis. The research demonstrates that the criteria of tension, action, sexuality, comedy, information, significance, value, personalization, curiosity, realism, innovation, as well as emotions, interactivity, and digitalization are utilized in the television programs Kim Milyoner Olmak İster?, MasterChef, Çarkıfelek and O Ses Türkiye. Knowing these principles can be a small step towards developing international television formats, but the real task falls on the production industry and government support is needed to develop and grow the industry. Keywords: television broadcasting, international television formats, television program, production industry, audience expectation