Case Study: Lip Sync Battle

Caroline Beaton, the senior VP of international program sales at Viacom International Media Networks, talks about the global success of the entertainment format.

Music and celebrities are often among the ingredients that make up the recipe for a successful format. Combine the two in the same show and the result is Lip Sync Battle, an entertainment format that looks on as famous personalities compete to see who is better at pretending to sing songs of their choice. The concept came from a game originally played on the American talk show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

“Jimmy Fallon, John Krasinski and Stephen Merchant took the idea to NBC, proposing to make it a stand-alone show,” says Caroline Beaton, the senior VP of international program sales at Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN). “To Viacom’s good fortune, NBC rejected it. The trio then took it to Viacom’s Spike channel and Spike said yes. They had already teamed up ***Image***with Matador as a production partner, who worked closely with Casey Patterson Entertainment to develop the concept into a half-hour format.”

The first iteration of Lip Sync Battle debuted on Spike in the U.S. in April 2015. The show is hosted by hip-hop musician and actor LL Cool J, with supermodel Chrissy Teigen serving as co-host. It has featured the rival performances of such celebrities as Hayden Panettiere (Nashville) vs. Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives); Black-ish‘s Anthony Anderson vs. Tracee Ellis Ross; and husband-and-wife actors Channing Tatum vs. Jenna Dewan Tatum; among many others. Nearly a year after its premiere, Lip Sync Battle has been watched by more than 54 million people in the U.S., with 198 million platform streams and 121 million total YouTube views.

“Broadcasters have long been looking for a studio-based, shiny-floor format that is not a talent show, and Lip Sync Battle perfectly fits the bill,” says Beaton. “It is light entertainment at its best, featuring celebrities performing against type, losing their inhibitions and behaving in a way that we all secretly do when our favorite song comes on the radio. Furthermore, the concept is culturally acceptable all over the world. It’s a proven ratings hit. It is easy to re-produce; local songs can be used alongside internationally known hits.”

To date, Lip Sync Battle has been produced and launched on TVN in Chile, V-Tele/Musique Plus in Canada, NET TV in Indonesia, TV2 Humor in Norway, Channel 5 in the U.K., TVN Player in Poland, and Sohu and Shenzhen TV in China. Local versions are currently in production in the Philippines and South Africa. “We make it as easy as possible for our partners by providing a detailed set design and production bible that provides the ultimate ‘how to,'” says Beaton. “As more local versions are being made, the format is strengthening its fantastic track record with lots of additional experience and knowledge for new producers to work from.”

Because of the success of the original formula, international treatments of Lip Sync Battle are fairly similar to the U.S. show. “All local versions so far have followed the bible, the set design and the overall look and feel—it’s a winning combination that works,” says Beaton. “All versions so far have included ‘Lip Sync’ in the local title, and have the same opening graphics and music. There have been some differences in casting to fit the broadcasters’ needs. For example, in the Norwegian version, both the host and co-host are male, while in the Chilean version both roles are female, and in the U.K. version the roles are reversed (female host, male co-host). Also, the U.K. version features a lot of comedians and the Polish version features a lot of YouTube talent. The Chilean version has been the only live version so far.”

Moving forward, Beaton anticipates many more international adaptations of Lip Sync Battle in the coming months. “The show is without question one of the most infectious formats ever to come out of the Viacom stable, and the excitement and support it receives around the world—from broadcasters and audiences alike, across all platforms—is showing no sign of fading,” she says. “With season three already greenlit for Spike U.S. (with AAA talent lining up to take part), and with more than 25 territories under option to produce their own local version, we certainly expect to see further rollout globally this year.”