As lockdown eased in Europe, the European big 5 recorded unprecedented spikes in commissioning throughout June and July 2020. The increase in commissioning was predominantly led by broadcasters seeking to fill their depleted broadcast schedules. The hike also coincided with seasonal highs in commissioning for territories such as France and Italy; months where linear providers in those countries have typically commissioned titles for the year ahead. While increases in scripted commissions generally returned to normal levels, the volume of unscripted commissions increased dramatically throughout Europe. Broadcasters have favoured unscripted shows as they typically have shorter production periods enabling them to bring new shows to screens faster.

In France and Spain, the spikes in commissioning occurred in late June and early July, coinciding with the traditional commissioning season. Spanish commissions increased from 22 to 48 in June 2020, with increases in new Documentary and Entertainment shows. In France the increases were spread over June and July, with 144 titles commissioned over those two months, from 94 in the previous year. French commissioners also focused on Documentary and Entertainment shows. Upticks in Germany and the UK were less marked over those two months. The UK recorded increases in Documentary and Entertainment shows like elsewhere, whilst German commissioners also boosted the number of Reality shows as social distancing measures eased.

Italian broadcasters have historically favoured unscripted shows with shorter production periods, a factor which resulted in a rapid depletion of schedules through lockdown. In July 2020 as the country opened up, the number of new first-run TV show commissions in Italy more than doubled. Italian broadcasters commissioned 73 new titles in July 2020, compared to 35 in in the same period in 2019. A distinctive aspect of this commissioning was the uptick of Reality and Entertainment genres. Reality commissions increased to 18 compared to 5 in July 2019 and Entertainment genre commissions increased from 10 in to 26. RAI, the Italian pubic broadcaster, along with its on-demand/catch-up service RaiPlay became a key driver of the increase. RAI commissioned 42 new TV shows, 14 solely for RaiPlay. The increase in Reality was also partly driven by new shows from Discovery Italia with 20 new commissions in July 2020 compared to just 8 in 2019.