Keshet Studios Working with BuzzFeed on Digital Venture

LOS ANGELES: Keshet Studios and BuzzFeed Motion Pictures are working together on a new TV and digital venture surrounding the game show Touch.

The two companies will create a next-generation, transmedia version of the Israeli game show that will be developed around the core concept created by Ido Rosenblum and Keshet for the original. BuzzFeed’s brand, content and talent will play an integral role in the creation of the game show. The partners will combine BuzzFeed’s unique approach to content creation and large online promotional reach with Keshet International’s IP and technology, and expertise of crafting linear TV shows with digital entertainment at the heart of their narratives.

The original version of Keshet’s Touch is a game in which gut reaction, sharp eyes and quick fingers can win prizes. Based around the question “What is wrong with this picture?,” it connects with viewers and online users in real-time or offline by quickly identifying what is wrong and touching the screen as the clock counts down.

Keshet International will handle the global rollout of the format in other territories.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Keshet to develop Touch into a cross-platform, global show,” said Matthew Henick, the head of development at BuzzFeed Motion Pictures. “Leveraging our audience-focused development process and our global promotional engine will make this a huge phenomenon.”

Sebastian Burkhardt, the senior VP of digital and acquisitions at Keshet International, commented, “BuzzFeed has been at the forefront of creating culturally defining and buzzworthy original online content. Working jointly with such a prolific and extraordinary partner, I believe we are well positioned to develop a next-generation game show. Together, we will create content that engages viewers of all ages and on all platforms as the speed of linear and digital convergence accelerates.”