Channel 4 & Lifetime Go for More Married at First Sight Australia

Red Arrow Studios International has secured new tape deals for the Australian version of its dating format Married at First Sight, as well as other international tape sales, local series recommissions and spin-offs.

Seasons four through seven of Married at First Sight Australia, produced by Endemol Shine Australia for Nine Network, have been sold to Channel 4 in the U.K. for broadcast on E4. The U.K. broadcaster is also expanding its own version of the format, with season six set to consist of 20×1-hour episodes when it launches next year. The U.K. version of Married at First Sight is produced by the Red Arrow Studios company CPL Productions.

In the U.S., Lifetime has acquired season six of Married at First Sight Australia. RTL Netherlands has taken seasons four to seven of the format adaptation, while Mediaworks in New Zealand has picked up tapes of seasons eight and nine. Mediaworks has also taken tapes of seasons seven and eight of the U.S. version of Married at First Sight, produced by the Red Arrow Studios company Kinetic Content for Lifetime. Lifetime has commissioned the series through to season 17, with season 12 set to premiere in January.

Further tape sales include M6 in France acquiring seasons two and three of Married at First Sight’s Belgian version, produced by Never Ending Story for RTL; and Lifetime Africa, part of A+E Networks, picking up Married at First Sight: Couple’s Cam, the new self-shot spin-off produced by Kinetic Content for Lifetime.

Red Arrow Studios International holds worldwide rights to Married at First Sight.

Across Europe, new seasons of local versions are being produced for broadcasters including M6 in France (season five), TVN in Poland (season five), Markiza in Slovakia (season two), RTL in Croatia (season two), RTL in French-speaking Belgium (season four) and RTL in the Netherlands (season six). SAT.1 has just launched its seventh season for Germany, Austria and Switzerland; and Nova TV has recently debuted its first season in the Czech Republic. In Israel, Keshet has commissioned a further three seasons (seasons four through six).

Tim Gerhartz, senior VP of global sales at Red Arrow Studios International, said: “Married at First Sight continues to be a smash hit around the world, both as a format and a finished tape. These latest deals are a testament to the format’s power as a channel-defining brand, as broadcasters with local productions, including Lifetime and Channel 4 look to maximize its value through tape acquisitions and spin-offs.”