ITV Studios’ Ayesha Surty on The Voice’s Enduring Appeal in Asia

For 15 years, the singing competition The Voice has been entertaining audiences around the world. As Ayesha Surty, the head of brand partnerships for Asia and India at ITV Studios, explains, part of the show’s enduring appeal is that it’s family programming with universal themes.

WS: What elements have made The Voice so popular across countries and cultures?
SURTY: It resonates globally because it taps into a universal theme, which is the power of music. That connects people across languages and cultures. In Southeast and South Asian countries, while we have The Voice in Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Mongolia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, sometimes people sing in languages that [the viewers] are not familiar with. Sometimes they sing in English. That’s where we see the universal power of music that connects people across language and cultural barriers.
If you dive down into the format itself, we have three unique elements—first, the blind auditions, which were one of the show’s big USPs from the start. You don’t see the contestant. You don’t see what they look like. It’s 100 percent blind, so the contestant is being judged purely based on their voice. Another key element is our coaches. If you notice, we call them coaches, not judges, because they are there to coach and to mentor. They are A-list people in the music industry—top singers, producers. That is another USP. So is the mentorship angle, as well as the camaraderie and the chemistry among the coaches. After The Voice, you’ve seen many other singing shows that have tried to copy that. But The Voice was one of the first shows that did that.

The third thing is our involvement. We get involved before we even make a sale. We don’t hold back on making sure the client knows we first understand their needs and that they understand what the show entails. A very robust part of our business is the creative network and production consultancy. We offer advice from our consultants very early on. I would bring on a consultant even at the pitch stage, or I would plan meetings with consultants to help clients understand that this is our show, it’s our brand, and wherever it goes, we want it to succeed. That’s the number one aim. That’s why The Voice keeps airing multiple seasons, and multiple versions of it are being developed. These three elements have helped The Voice remain on the air for 15 years.

WS: In Asia, is The Voice always produced the same as the original versions in the Netherlands and the U.S., or has it changed?
SURTY: It’s always the same. The DNA of the show never changes. We always have the blind auditions, the battles, the knockouts, the semi-finale and the finale. Of course, there are cultural nuances, and depending on what the client wants, we change things around. But otherwise, if you see The Voice in Thailand, the U.S., the Netherlands or the U.K., the look and feel, the structure and the DNA are consistent.

WS: Once the format is sold, how does ITV support production of the show?
SURTY: Once the format is sold, the international executive producer (IEP) from the ITVS Creative Network contacts the local production team. This initial outreach involves sending the comprehensive format and production guide. As soon as key personnel from the local production team are secured, a kick-off meeting is arranged. These are frequently held on location.

For the following months, the IEP maintains a close working relationship with the local crew. Working collaboratively, they develop the breakdown, the series structure, which serves as the foundational element of the production. The IEP provides a variety of useful resources, such as episode narratives, stage plans, generic graphics assets and music packages. Furthermore, global best practices, cost-saving measures and fresh creative concepts are routinely exchanged.

During the filming of each single phase (blind auditions, battles, knockouts, live shows), the IEP meets the team in the studio. They are deployed to the location a minimum of three to five times. Our IEPs are all highly skilled professionals with a practical, hands-on approach. While at the studio, they are able to confer with the editorial, production and technical crews. They also guide the coaches with considerable finesse, ensuring the program’s feel-good element.

WS: Is The Voice available on streaming platforms in addition to the broadcasters that air it?
SURTY: Yes, that’s another unique element that we have managed to do since last year. The Voice has always been available on platforms like YouTube and Facebook. We always encourage our licensees to upload performance clips, any number of clips, that help garner more viewers and take them back to the show. It’s always been on YouTube. But last year, Netflix Thailand wanted The Voice. We were able to sell the Thai version of series nine to Netflix for a brand-new audience. Netflix is purely SVOD. That was something unique that we managed to do in Thailand. We have always tried to do unique deals like second windows. The first windows are always the traditional linear channels, with digital supporting them.