Song vs Dance Unveiled at MIP London

TV Asahi’s Takaaki Kitano and Smart Dog Media’s Craig Plestis and Clara Plestis discussed their co-developed format Song vs Dance at a session at the inaugural MIP London moderated by World Screen’s Mansha Daswani.

The brand-new talent competition, which pits singers against dancers, is in production in Japan for broadcast on TV Asahi, with the format now being pitched to broadcasters and platforms across the globe.

“There’s never been a show that covers song and dance,” with the format featuring nonstop battles, Clara Plestis, executive producer at Smart Dog Media, noted before introducing a teaser of the new IP.

Craig Plestis, executive producer at Smart Dog, brought Got Talent to the U.S. when he was at NBC. “I was always obsessed, even at that time, with pitting those two gigantic forms of entertainment [song and dance] against each other. With that show, everyone kept saying, how do you judge a juggler versus a painter? It’s as simple as which one entertains you the most. That’s a little bit at the core of what we wanted to do with this.”

Social media plays a crucial role in both finding talent for the show and building engagement with the brand, Clara explained. “Everyone on the show is huge on TikTok and Instagram. We’re having these epic battles between people at the top of their game. But also, we have these stars that are bringing in their own audience.”

Craig stressed the importance of the battles, referencing his experience on The Masked Singer, which he landed at FOX. “Everyone kept waiting to find out who won a battle. [Engagement] spiked during every single battle, as long as they were well produced. Song vs Dance follows that same template, but even better because you make the choice between these two incredible pop icons.”

“There’s instant gratification on every minute of the show because you’re getting a winner,” Clara added.

Kitano, a creator and producer at TV Asahi, offered up some insights on casting the show based on his learnings from the Japanese original. The Japanese lineup includes comedian Naomi Watanabe, who has more than 10 million followers on Instagram.

“Part of the secret ingredient of the show is comedy,” Craig said. “It’s not just a great competition where everyone’s sitting there making astute observations; it is a funny show to watch, as well as thrilling. Even though it’s fresh and different, it feels like a legacy format already, like it’s been here already.”

Song vs Dance marks the first U.S. co-pro for TV Asahi. Kitano, speaking on the panel with translation provided by his TV Asahi colleague Megumi Shirokawa, said the goal was to create a show “that neither Japan nor the U.S. could create alone. It’s a product of the two cultures coming together.”

Gaming is also a key element in the show’s design, with Kitano referencing his love of Pokémon cards. “When the coaches select which contestants go [to battle], I had this idea of using cards. Our key visual is animation—that also came from my background in variety and entertainment shows.”

Elements that are uniquely Japanese also include the use of anime avatars, Clara added. “We’re incorporating a cool American variety competition show with distinct Japanese elements.”

Cross-cultural collaboration “is the future,” Craig said. “Scripted or non-scripted, we’re finding partnerships around the world to make things happen. This is the only way to make shows happen nowadays. With that, you get unique elements that you just don’t get if you’re producing one show in your own country and are isolated. There are a lot of things we probably wouldn’t have done in the show if we were just doing it in the U.S. These are all pluses that will make it better for the global market.”

The winner of the Japanese original will be given a spot in a U.S. version, Kitano added. “These are dancers and singers who are aiming to be in the global market; that motivated them to do really well. That couldn’t have been done if it weren’t for this co-production.”

The teams also collaborated on the design of the LED screen on the stage. A “distinct, unique set” is important for big variety shows, Clara said, referencing The Masked Singer and The Voice. That unique set can be replicated in any territory, Clara added, as can the format’s other key pillars. “This show was always meant to be economical.”

“We’re all under these price constraints,” Craig added. “Any country can produce it. And we made it simple. So many producers make things complicated. For the first season, it should be extremely simple to understand. It’s head-to-head battles. There’s comedy and other elements. That’s what makes a show successful: don’t over-complicate it. We make sure whatever formats we create are easy to duplicate around the world, and anyone can understand it quickly. That’s the key to success.”

“This can be adapted for a traditional network, or it could be on a streamer,” Craig added.