Seven.One’s Tobias Schulze on Continuing to Deliver Top-Rated Formats

Seven.One Studios International has been delivering top-rated formats for many years, sending Married at First Sight around the world, quickly growing Stranded on Honeymoon Island and constantly introducing innovative new ideas. Tobias Schulze, senior VP of global sales, tells TV Formats about the new format The Hunt: Prey vs Predator and how the company is meeting the needs of risk-averse, budget-conscious buyers.

TV FORMATS: Tell us about The Hunt: Prey vs Predator. How did it come about, and what made Seven.One Studios International believe in its potential to be a hit?
SCHULZE: The Hunt: Prey vs Predator is a high-stakes competition show that combines adventure with strategic gameplay and authentic reality elements. Every episode is built around a tense, dog-eat-dog hunt, where each player becomes either a Predator or Prey. The Prey hold the cash, desperately trying to protect their winnings while completing challenges to win more money. The Predators must hunt them down and steal their cash. If they succeed, their roles are reversed and the entire game flips, with Predators suddenly becoming Prey. Clever alliances, strategic teamwork and mind games are the key to survival, as at the end of each hunt, back at a futuristic basecamp, it’s time for one player to face elimination from the game.

The format has been commissioned first by Channel 4 in the U.K., where it has been produced by Seven.One Studios company CPL Productions and GroupM Motion Entertainment. It is based on an original idea by Redseven Entertainment, who, also in co-production with GroupM Motion Entertainment, are producing a German celebrity version for ProSieben and Joyn. The two versions were produced back-to-back on a hub in Bulgaria and will both air this year. It’s a great example of Seven.One Studios companies working together to create and exploit our own IP.

We have high hopes for The Hunt: Prey vs Predator, as it combines adventure and authentic reality elements with suspense and strategic gameplay. Even though it’s a high-energy, action-packed show, success isn’t predicated on being the fastest or the youngest contestant, it’s about being the smartest—and the most socially adept. So, from a casting point of view, the net can be spread quite wide. And while a lot of the drama and jeopardy is provided by the constantly changing fortunes of the contestants and their relationships with each other, the format is quite high-concept, utilizing technology and devices that enhance the gameplay with real-time reveals and unexpected twists.

TV FORMATS: How are reality competition shows satisfying buyers’ needs?
SCHULZE: They keep delivering audiences, on both linear and nonlinear platforms!

TV FORMATS: Seven.One Studios International offers a range of formats. In general, how are they received by buyers in today’s risk-averse, budget-conscious market?
SCHULZE: In a risk-averse, budget-conscious market, broadcasters look for shows with proven ratings success that have longevity and can work across all their platforms. Married at First Sight is a good example of a non-scripted format that continues to go from strength to strength. It has now been produced locally in over 30 territories, while the tapes of the various versions have sold to over 100 territories.

Other examples of formats that keep returning, even in this difficult market, include: The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes, an innovative social experiment that sees 14 people with dementia tasked with running a professional restaurant, which has just been commissioned for season four in Belgium and is under option in the Netherlands and France; Buying Blind, the radical reality format that sees a family who can’t decide what house to buy put their life savings in the hands of experts to purchase a home without seeing it, for which new commissions are in the works in the Netherlands, French- and Flemish-speaking Belgium and France; and My Restaurant Rocks, in which five restaurants compete to be the best in their local areas, now in its 11th season in Italy and its tenth in Spain. In Germany, it has been airing on Kabel Eins since 2013.

TV FORMATS: Are certain types of formats more in demand than others?
SCHULZE: The demand for dating formats in particular shows no signs of slowing down. In addition to the ongoing success of Married at First Sight, Stranded on Honeymoon Island—in which couples, matched by experts, are marooned on a deserted island and left to fend for themselves for three weeks—continues to do well. The series is about to launch on TVN Poland, which will mark the tenth commission for the format. In addition, Match My Ex, in which celebrity singles hand over the matchmaking reins to their ex-lovers, has been commissioned for a second season by Joyn in Germany, with other deals expected soon.

TV FORMATS: Seven.One Studios International has several long-running hit formats. What factors are contributing to their ongoing popularity? Do they need to be updated or refreshed from time to time?
SCHULZE: The controversial yet simple premise of a show like Married at First Sight—in which singles who have failed to find love put their hearts in the hands of a team of experts who select their perfect partner—has proved to be endlessly fascinating for audiences around the world, such that it endures season after season. For example, Married at First Sight in Australia is still the top-rated entertainment show in the country, despite the fact that it is now in its 13th season on Nine, and it’s a similar story in the U.K., where the latest season ten smashed digital channel E4’s slot average, posting 7.8 percent against an average of 1.4 percent, even beating BBC One.

To help keep the show fresh, new twists and turns are often added to the experiment. In Australia, a new chapter of “Revelations Week” has been introduced, and last season’s new addition of “Final Test Week” has returned this season with a powerful twist. In addition, to help maximize the brand’s value, over ten Married at First Sight spin-off shows have been launched, including two last year: Married at Second Sight and Married at First Sight: The Last Resort. Increasingly, the Married at First Sight has become a channel-defining brand, with many broadcasters not only commissioning both the original show and the spin-offs but also buying tapes of other versions too, which they air across all their platforms. Such range of content available around a single concept undoubtedly drives new commissions. For example, the show has just returned in Spain to great ratings after a hiatus of eight years. Produced by Bulldog for Telecinco (the show previously aired on Antena 3), the premiere led the ratings with a 13.9 percent share.

Other examples of Seven.One Studios International formats that have been updated and refreshed include the game show My Man Can and the reality format Real Men. Originally a game show in which women gambled on their husband or boyfriend’s ability to accomplish various tasks, My Man Can has been adapted to include gender-swapped versions and celebrity versions, featuring celebrities and their partners or even celebrities and their fans. Similarly, Real Men, in which everyday men embark upon the ultimate health transformation journey, has spawned two new spin-offs: Real Women and the younger-skewing version Real Gen Z.

TV FORMATS: What are the challenges of launching a format based on a new idea?
SCHULZE: The difficult economic environment means launching a new format right now is particularly challenging, as buyers are risk averse and budgets are tight. Most want to see ratings and evidence of performance before they will make a decision. However, at Seven.One Studios International, we are fortunate in that we have a strong record of success, which gives clients confidence. And for those genuinely outstanding original ideas, there is always a market.