K-WAVE: a trio of Korean formats
A social reality, a docu-talent and a comedy action game
KOREAN INFLUENCERS REALITY
One of the hottest trends at this particular time of transition is the combination of the online world with the genres of 'classic' television (tele-digitalisation). And within this trend, the participation of influencers/content creators/internet personalities in 'classic' formats is the most common (and easiest) declination.
Spain's Temporada de Caza ('Hunting Season' - a classic manhunt with some of the country's most influential content creators in the role of hunters and fugitives), Germany's Reality Backpacker (eight social stars travel to an exotic island and compete against each other) are just two of many possible examples.
And now Netflix is using this very simple principle in a classic 'Big Brother'-style reality show. As announced last week, The Influencer, a "survival reality show" (but why "survival"?) created by Lee Jae-seok and Son Soo-jeong and produced by Kakao Entertainment, will launch on 6 August. The concept is actually very basic: 77 South Korean influencers, with a combined 120 million followers, will compete to gain the most exposure.
The show's introductory video features some of Korea's most famous internet personalities: Jang Geun-seok (South Korean actor and singer), Risabae (Korean YouTuber specialising in make-up), Pani Bottle (YouTuber specialising in travel), Jin Yong-jin (filmmaker, rapper and YouTuber), Shim Euddeum (Pilates instructor and social media star) and TikToker Xiajiu (who has 27.5 million followers across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and AfreecaTV).
The concept is very simple indeed (at least from what we know so far) and relies entirely on the popularity of the participants, which should - at least in theory - guarantee a high level of coverage on social media. Will this be enough?
MAKE A K-POP BAND
A talent show aimed at creating a new K-pop band (or a sub-group of an existing K-pop band) has almost become a genre in itself. Examples of recent shows of this type include Girl re:verse (FE 17 Mar 2023), NCT Universe: LASTART (FE 18 Aug 2023), K-Pop Dream (FE 22 Mar 2024) and others. This is only natural considering the worldwide success of this genre and the business it generates...
Made in Korea: The K-Pop Experience, set to air on BBC One and iPlayer this summer, is the latest product of this trend. The six-part series - produced by Moon&Back Media in association with K-pop talent agency SM Entertainment and Kakao Entertainment America, with international distribution handled by ITV Studios - follows five boys from across the UK as they are put through the K-pop training process with the aim of launching a new boy band onto the global stage.
The boys are immersed in K-pop culture and undergo the original K-pop training process for 100 days. For the first time, the cameras go behind the closed doors of SM Entertainment to watch the band work with choreographers, sing songs by top talented songwriters and be coached by some of the most respected experts in the K-pop business. Each week, the band's progress will be critiqued by K-pop expert Hee Jun Yoon, the creative force behind some of the biggest K-pop bands of the last 20 years.
SHRINKING ROOMS
Battle in the Box - created by Nmedia, represented by Something Special and aired in South Korea on MBN last year - is probably one of the funniest and most original Korean, and not just Korean, formats of the past season. Now the UK version of this comedy game premiered on Wednesday 16th July, hosted by popular comedian Jimmy Carr and produced by Interstellar for UKTV and channel U & Dave.
Two pairs of celebrity teams are invited to stay in a specially designed container, the box, for 24 hours (64 hours in the original Korean version!). The box is divided by a movable wall and is completely empty except for a toothbrush. Over the course of one day and one night, they must earn it all by winning a series of physical and mental challenges set by Jimmy - winning a game means more space and luxury for the lucky duo, but there is a catch, as more space for one team means less for the losers, as the box's sliding wall forces them into an ever smaller space. A very good mix of game, fun and originality.
The Korean wave of formats is stronger than ever...
NEWS IN A NUTSHELL
Comedian and TV presenter Romesh Ranganathan will front a new quiz show, Romesh Ranganathan's Parents' Evening commissioned by ITV: 3 celebrities team up with their daughters and sons in a game where they have to guess how much their relatives actually know
100 Day Hotel Challenge will premiere on Tuesday 13 August on HGTV, the American pay-TV channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. In this new renovation series, husband and wife team Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt compete against each other to renovate adjacent beachside hotels in North Carolina before the summer tourist season arrives
RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars, a new spin-off of the globally franchise, is coming to Paramount+ on Aug. 16, featuring 12 queens from around the world competing for a grand prize of $200,000 and a spot in the international pavilion at the Drag Race Hall of Fame
Hallmark+, the rebranded Hallmark streaming service set to launch this autumn, has ordered a US version of Israeli dating format Dear Neighbours, owned by Keshet International, titled Small Town Setup
ITV Studios' dating show My Mum, Your Dad will air on Polsat in Poland under the title Moja Mama i twój Tata and on TVA in French Canada under the title Ma Mère, Ton Père
The Belgian reality game De Mol will return this autumn on Channel 5 of the Mediaset Italia group (after being on air on the Infinity streaming platform) under the title La Talpa, after a 16-year hiatus
On Prime Video Italia, the Dutch hit format The Traitors, produced by Fremantle Italia, will debut in 2025. The comedy game Red Carpet, which we will discuss in the next issue, will also make its debut
Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark, which will premiere on Netflix next summer, will shine a spotlight on the steamy world of late-night linkups is a “sneaky link” (basically someone you’re secretly sleeping with). This brand new dating/social experiment will bring together a group of not-so-single daters who must decide if their sneaky link is really "the one"
