Two proven international hits, the successful Married at First Sight, recently acquired by Endemol Shine for Mexico, and the studio game show Blockout, lead Red Arrow International’s catalog as new titles that are sure to stand out on screens across the region.
Finding the perfect person to share life with is very difficult. Would you be willing to get help from a panel of experts, even if it means accepting getting married to a stranger? That is the idea behind the mega-successful format Married at First Sight, which has conquered audiences around the world.
The format features people who are unlucky in love and agree to marry someone they don’t know, who is chosen for them by a group of experts and, after living together for six weeks, decide whether or not it was the right decision.
“The format was originally created and produced by Snowman Productions and has been adapted in 29 countries around the world, with sales in more than 194 territories,” explains Fabiola Flores, Director of Sales for Latin America and the US Hispanic at Spiral Distribution, the distributor that represents the Red Arrow Studios International catalog in the region.
Married at First Sight
“It has multiple seasons, as is the case in the United States with 14 seasons on Lifetime, in Italy with 10 seasons, in Australia with 9 seasons, and in Denmark and Germany with 8 seasons.”
Thanks to its success, Married at First Sight has become synonymous with the channels that broadcast it, such as Lifetime in the US, where the show has been the channel’s star show. “A brand has been built around the format for Lifetime,” says Flores. “The final episode of the first season, in 2014, was the most watched TV broadcast in A&E’s history. Four years later, the seventh season reached a ratings peak that propelled Lifetime to the number one spot in prime time.”
The success has led Lifetime to extend its commitment to the format, through season 17, and also add the Australian version to its screen.
Married at First Sight has been so successful that the brand already has multiple spinoffs that continue the stories of its protagonists, both successful and not so much.
Married at First Sight
“For Latin America I think it could be an ideal format for Saturday and Sunday slots,” says Flores. “However, some channels I have talked to have been interested in airing it daily and in a telenovela format, where all the stories are interspersed, as if it were a telenovela narrative.”
“We are very happy to announce that the option of the Married at First Sight format was acquired by Endemol Shine for Mexico, both for VOD and broadcast TV,” says Flores. “We are excited because we know that a production well done in Latin America is a trigger for other productions throughout the region.”
Meanwhile, the gameshow Blockout stands as the ideal solution for current times: a studio format with the ductility to be located in any programming slot, depending on the style that the broadcaster on wants to offer.
This happens because this Nippon TV format proposes a mixture of skill, ability and trivia, in an entertaining format where the participants, divided into two teams, must answer questions while a treacherous wall tries to push them into the void.
Blockout
The format has already been adapted in Spain, the Netherlands, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, while the license was acquired in Italy, France and Portugal.
“Blockout has elements that are currently being sought, such as the fact that it is a gameshow that is produced in a studio, suitable for these times of pandemic, that can be played by different ages, different types of participants and, above all, which is new and very funny”, Flores explains. “It’s a family format that can be adapted to a daily strip from Monday to Friday, in a midday block, or on weekends for prime time.”
