NTVF Showcases Dutch Dating Format

AMSTERDAM, October 12: NTVF Productions is at MIPCOM this
week with the dating format Switch,
which is set to launch in Latin America next month.

In the format from the Dutch outfit, ten singles go
speed-dating to find their match and win an all expenses paid weekend. The
catch is that two contestants are secretly a couple. MTV Networks Latin America
has produced eight episodes, for launch in November.

Marc Nelissen, the format’s creator, stated: “Everybody is
very excited, because the show actually turned out better than we could have
hoped: zany, wild, sometimes shocking, surprising, but most of all great fun.
The participants loved it, regardless of the outcome, and we think that shows.
Production-wise it’s a very interesting format, because it can be made very
cost-effectively. Actually, it’s a studio show that is put together in post
production for maximum effect. So it can be produced very efficiently, with 4
or 5 shows per day. Taking into account that there is no script and there are
no actors, there are just meetings between total strangers, Switch offers great results at very affordable costs.”

There is also new-media potential, Nelissen notes, with
broadcasters able to show additional footage of all the speed dates online.

William Morris Agency closed the MTV deal in Latin America.
A representation deal is in the works with a key distributor.

—By Mansha Daswani