Keshet International has secured a second Belgian adaptation for its children’s gameshow format The Search Kids, after RTBF commissioned a remake for its youth platform, Auvio Kids. The deal marks the seventh international adaptation of The Search format.
Produced by Free Kings, RTBF’s Soupe de Mots (Wordsoup) becomes the second Belgian adaptation of The Search format, following the successful launch of the producer’s Flemish remake Lettersoep (Alphabet Soup) on VRT last autumn. The commission continues the rapid international expansion of The Search format, becoming the third children’s spin-off to be greenlit within the past 12 months, following Lettersoep and Aragón TV‘s Sopa de Letras Zagales in Spain.
Separately, VRT has re-commissioned Free Kings to produce a second season of Lettersoep for its dedicated children’s and youth brand Ketnet. This second season reorder of VRT’s Flemish adaptation of The Search Kids will be filmed back-to-back with RTBF’s new French-speaking remake by Free Kings this summer, using the same colorful studio set. RTBF’s Soupe de Mots will premiere on Auvio Kids from 19 October 2026, with VRT’s second season of Lettersoep expected to premiere on Ketnet in 2027.
Based on The Search format originally created by Keshet International and Youngest Media for Keshet 12, The Search Kids combines language skills, teamwork and physical gameplay, transforming the classic word-search puzzle into a fast-paced visually engaging studio-based competition that supports language learning.
Salomé Peillon, Acting Managing Director of Distribution and SVP of Business Development at Keshet International, said, “The Search Kids combines learning and entertainment in a way that resonates with broadcasters, parents and children alike. Following Globomedia’s multiple adaptations and re-orders from local PSBs in Spain, Free Kings’ second Belgian license is another strong endorsement of The Search’s appeal, while VRT‘s recommission demonstrates the strength and longevity of the kids’ spin-off.”
Sylvestre Defontaine, Head of Culture, Music & Heritage at RTBF, commented, “As a public broadcaster, we’re always looking for content that can inform, inspire and entertain young audiences. The Search Kids achieves that balance brilliantly, encouraging language skills, teamwork and quick thinking through a format that children genuinely love taking part in. Combined with the creativity and expertise of Free Kings, it made this commission an easy decision for us.”
Geert Willems and Muriel Maebe, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of Free Kings, comment: “The Search Kids is that rare format that is instantly understandable, visually exciting and genuinely educational. It delivers all the energy of a gameshow while helping children engage with language, learning and teamwork — and we’re proud to see it reaching young audiences across both of Belgium’s major public broadcasters.”
Free Kings’ French-speaking adaptation of The Search Kids for RTBF will follow the same format as the Belgian production company’s original Flemish adaptation for VRT and will also be filmed on the same colorful and intimate studio set, which features a multi-hued 64-square interactive LED letter grid. Known locally as Soupe de Mots, the 30×20’ series will have an educational flavor, with themes that complement the values of Auvio Kids. Hosted by actress and TV host Clara Laureys, each episode will feature two duos of tweens competing head-to-head across three rounds, combining gameplay with age-appropriate vocabulary, spelling and language-based challenges to win a Soupe de Mots trophy.
Free Kings’ season two re-commission of Lettersoep for VRT’s Ketnet will again be hosted by Emma Vanthielen, with all 30×20’ episodes featuring pairs of young contestants competing to uncover hidden answers and score points to win a Lettersoep trophy.
The first international version of The Search was produced in Uruguay, where Keshet International licensed the format to Canal 4 and strong ratings led to an expanded order of 70 episodes of Sopa de Letras. In Spain, Globomedia has now produced four different local versions of The Search for three regional broadcasters in Spain, following Keshet International’s first license of the format to them in the autumn of 2024 – five seasons and more than 270 episodes of Sopa de Letras to date, plus the 2026 kids’ spin-off Sopa de Letras Zagales for Aragón TV (announced 6 May 2026); two seasons of Sopa de Letras for Canal Sur; and most recently, a new order of Sopa de Letras for Telemadrid. Free Kings’ two licenses in Belgium brings the tally up to seven international adaptations produced to date, with the format currently under option in the UK, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Portugal, the Netherlands and Greece.
