RÖMANTIEK FORMAT
A comedy/entertainer game + a reality competition show
RÖMANTIEK FORMAT
People in the third age have traditionally been underrepresented on television, but in recent years they have become the stars of fairly successful shows. One of the first of these was the American show Better Late Than Never (2015), based on a Korean format and internationally represented by Small World. It follows the amusing travel adventures of four 'seasoned' North American celebrities and has been adapted in various countries.
Hotel Römantiek, one of the most successful programmes on the national public broadcaster of the Flemish Community of Belgium, Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie - VRT (and one of my favourites), belongs to this trend.
This format focuses on the emotional lives of the participants in a kind of dating show for the elderly. The first three seasons of the format, created by Belgian prodco Woestijnvis and distributed by Primitives, were broadcast on Belgian commercial channel VIER from 2017 to 2019. The fourth series was broadcast on the public channel VRT1 in autumn 2022, and the fifth series was broadcast with great success from January to March 2024, also on VRT1.
A group of 12+12 singles over 65 are given a second chance at love and life on a singles holiday abroad (in the first series, there were 20+20 singles): Switzerland (Bergün), Portugal, Tunisia, Turkey and Poland (from series one to five) — because it's never too late to fall in love! During their stay, the singles take part in daily activities designed to help them find a partner. Each night, one lucky couple is taken to a beautiful cabin for a romantic dinner on 'The Swan', the show's signature pedal boat (pictured). At the end of the series, we find out who will be taking the bus home alone and who will be spending a few more days at the Hotel Römantiek with their newly found love.
The programme was also broadcast on French-speaking Belgian public television, Spanish and Dutch channels, and Sat.1 in Germany; three highly successful seasons have also been produced in Sweden on SVT.
The latest news is that, on 20 June, Danish public channels DR1 and DRTV premiered their local version, in which 20 seniors (aged between 62 and 78) checked into an idyllic Swiss Alpine hotel with the shared hope of finding love. We're all cheering them on!
BIG DEAL, BIG SUCCESS
Let's Make a Deal is an iconic American game show which first aired on NBC in 1963. After moving to ABC, then into syndication and then back to NBC, it was revived by CBS in 2009. It is notable for perhaps being the first game show to combine typical game mechanics with variety and entertainment elements. The format is also famous for the 'Monty Hall Problem', a brainteaser named after the show's original host, Monty Hall, which has driven viewers and mathematicians crazy for years. You can find out how it works here.
During its existence of more than 60 years, the show has been localised in around 20 countries, including France. There, it was broadcast daily on TF1 under the title Le Bigdil from 1998 to 2004. It was produced by AH! Production, distributed by Can't Stop Media and hosted by comedian (and more) Vincent Lagaf'. After a 21-year break, it returned to RMC Story, a relatively new independent French TV channel launched in 2012, always produced by AH! Production (Satisfaction Group) and Lagaf' as host (see the trailer below).
The results were truly remarkable for the channel. The first episode attracted 1.8 million viewers and a 9% share, while the second episode attracted over 2 million viewers, which made RMC Story, a small digital terrestrial television channel, the third most watched channel in France for several weeks in a row. Its success extends beyond TV screens, with the show capturing the attention of the younger generation and achieving 27 million views on social networks. The renewal was therefore inevitable: another 30 episodes will begin in mid-July.
The concept is simple and, ultimately, not that important, with the contestants having to pass various tests, after which they can decide whether to keep their winnings or exchange them for gifts or a sum of money. The programme's real strength lies in its entertaining tests and challenges, its general atmosphere, and above all, the verve of its host, Vincent Lagaf', who is widely acclaimed for his charisma and unique sense of humour.
PREDATOR OR PREY?
Now, let's switch to a completely different genre. One of the hottest trends nowadays is 'Surviving in the Wild' — essentially 'reality shows 2.0'. These programmes are set in increasingly extreme conditions and push participants beyond their limits. Examples of this include: Hard North, The Summit, Extracted (the one with the best twist), The Hunt, L’Anneu- Le plus grand escape game de France and many others…
Now Predator vs Prey has been added to this list, produced by Bunim/Murray Productions (part of Banijay Americas) which has partnered with Alan Ritchson (pictured), star of the Prime Video thriller series Reacher.
Ritchson is the executive producer and host of the series, in which 15 fan favourites from shows such as Alone, Survivor, Naked & Afraid, and Outlast will compete against each other in a game of hide-and-seek across a rugged 25-square-mile wilderness course. Some of the cast will play the hiders ('Prey'), while others will track them down as the seekers ('Predators').
The competition will take place over 21 days, with each episode featuring a new challenge that increases the stakes and forces the Prey to risk coming out of hiding. Players can win up to $500,000 in cash prizes throughout the series: Predators earn their money by catching the Prey, while the Prey earn money by staying in the game.
The challenge promises to be adrenaline-fuelled, but not particularly original, given that it follows the hunter-prey mechanism already seen in similar shows, such as the aforementioned The Hunt, to give one example among many.
NEWS IN A NUTSHELL
La Noche del Gran Show, an adaptation of the British format Big Show by Hungry Bear Media and distributed by NBCUniversal Formats, premiered on Tuesday 24th June at primetime, produced by Fremantle España. The show featured celebrity guests, music and dreams coming true, providing unforgettable moments and emotional and fun surprises.
Todos Por Ti, the new game show premiered by Telecinco on Wednesday, 25 June at primetime, with Carlos Sobera as host. Produced in collaboration with Topanga Crea and adapted from the international format Surprize Fund — developed by Talpa Studios in collaboration with Youngest Media and distributed by Talpa Studios — Todos Por Ti adds emotion and the strength of family ties to the traditional quiz show format.
On Wednesday, 25 June, RTVE's main channel La 1 premiered La Conexión. Produced by RTVE in collaboration with Satisfaction Iberia, La Conexión is based on the original MediaLane format, The Connection, which ran for four successful seasons on Dutch public television channel NP01.
El Trece, Argentina's leading television network, will become the first in Latin America to adapt the Sony Pictures Television format, Chain Reaction. It will thus join Indonesia, Italy, the United States, Serbia, Turkey and Spain — the only other Spanish-speaking country where the format has been adapted — as countries that have adapted the format.
NBCUniversal International Networks and Direct to Consumer (NBCUIN & D2C) Latin America has acquired the rights to produce local-language adaptations of The Traitors in both Brazil and Mexico.
Chilevisión has confirmed that the third season of Top Chef VIP will premiere soon. The culinary competition will once again be hosted by actor and presenter Cristián Riquelme.
Amazon Prime Video has set 21 July as the release date for Justice on Trial, a new series starring Judge Judy Sheindlin, the former star of the long-running syndicated series Judge Judy. In the show, Sheindlin and her expert legal team will recreate landmark trials.
Channel 4's YouTube channel, Channel 4.0, has commissioned three new original series led by content creators, set to be released this summer. In The Intern, eighty amateur content creators are given the chance to secure a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with four of the UK’s top creators. Family Face-Off is a new quiz competition in which two creators and their families go head-to-head, answering a series of questions to prove who knows their relatives best. Find the Catfish is a new, funny dating prank show.
Finally, we would like to draw your attention to the Super Early Bird Passes for MipCom in October, offering a saving of €610. This offer ends 7th July.
Further information is available here.
