Nickelodeon’s The Viral Factory Localized in Thailand

Nickelodeon’s social influencer format The Viral Factory is to be adapted and produced by GMM Thailand for local audiences.

The Viral Factory will be produced by GMM Thailand for weekly transmission. The original Dutch format, which first aired on Nickelodeon in the Netherlands in 2018 under the title De Viral Fabriek, will feature a roster of local Thai talent. The show is slated to premiere in 2020.

The news comes as Viacom International Studios (VIS) bolsters its formats catalog for the first time with two new Viacom18 originals, Love School and Roadies. Launched in 2015 on MTV India and now in its fourth season, Love school is a lighthearted competitive reality format in which young couples-in-crisis have the chance to enroll at the Love School in the hopes of improving or saving their relationship. In the adventure challenge format Roadies, contestants are put into teams in order to travel around the country while taking part in physical, mental and culturally relevant challenges in the hopes of being crowned the ultimate Roadie.

VIS will also represent a brand-new studio-based talent competition format, America’s Most Musical Family. Launched in the U.S., simultaneously across Nickelodeon, BET, MTV, MTV2, Nicktoons, Paramount Network, TeenNick, TV Land and VH1, the series hosts 30 families who compete in front of three celebrity judges and a host in the hope of winning a recording contract and a $250,000 cash prize.

“Our recent agreements in Asia demonstrate the continued strength of our content and relevance to local audiences around the world,” commented Laura Burrell, head of formats at VIS. “I’m really looking forward to seeing The Viral Factory being brought to life in a brand-new language and to a whole new audience. We are committed to sourcing and representing top-quality formats from around the world, and are delighted to be partnering with Viacom18 for the first time on their originally developed hit series Roadies and Love School.”

Anuj Gandhi, group CEO of IndiaCast, added: “Indian original content is increasingly being accepted and applauded across the world—be it on television or cinema. This poses a great opportunity for Indian content creators to explore format partnerships and put India as an original content destination.”