ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) has signed the first international format deal for Star China’s hit primetime entertainment series, Sing My Song. Vietnam’s VTV3 has commissioned a 10 episode local version of the series from Cattiensa Media, which will air in early 2016.
ITVS GE has also signed a deal for 12 Yard’s primetime family entertainment format Big Star’s Little Star. VTV3 has commissioned a 26 episode series from Multimedia JSC. It will air in July 2015 in a Saturday evening slot. This is the second Asian deal for the format, after Korean channel JTBC commissioned its own version of the show. Big Star’s Little Star has now been produced in six territories worldwide, including Finland and Belgium.
These commissions follow the annual ITV Studios Formats 2015 event, at which ITVS GE’s formats slate was presented to an audience of over 100 buyers from around the world.
Hyeonza Hong, SVP Sales, Asia for ITV Studios Global Entertainment, said, “There is a strong demand from the Asian market for family-friendly entertainment and Sing My Song and Big Star’s Little Star are the perfect fit. We’re delighted that Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy these shows and expect further interest in the formats from broadcasters across the region.”
“Sing My Song has been a great success for Star China. We are thrilled that Vietnam will now have their own local version and we thank our valued partner, ITV Studios Global Entertainment, for bringing our first original format to their attention,” said Vivian Yin, Chief Representative of Star China and VP of Starry Productions. “We are confident that VTV3’s audiences will come to love the show as much as our millions of fans do, while discovering great new talent in their country.”
Sing My Song is a studio-based music contest, searching for the best original songs in the nation. Four of the music industry’s most accomplished singer-songwriters share their experience and expertise as producer-judges, providing feedback and guidance to the contestants. The judges also have an important goal: each is scouting for songs to be part of their own original music album. The first series aired on China’s national TV channel CCTV-3 in 2014, reaching 480 million viewers over the series, with a total audience share of 37% in China (CSM) and CCTV-3’s slot ratings up 59% year-on-year. The second series recently launched on CCTV-3, attracting 33.75 million web hits within 24 hours of the premiere.
The deals were brokered for ITV Studios Global Entertainment by Elsie Choi, Senior Sales Manager for Pan-Asia, South East Asia and India.
