Talpa Studios’ Watch Your Back to Debut in the Netherlands

The psychological reality format Watch Your Back, the first format from Talpa Studios, Kinetic Content and Signal.Stream, is to debut on NPO’s streaming platform, NPO Start, in the Netherlands in early 2026.

“Watch Your Back shows what happens when you combine the format development DNA of Talpa Studios with Kinetic’s world-building and Signal.Stream’s platform-native storytelling,” said Maarten Meijs, CEO at Talpa Studios. “It’s creator-led, streaming-first and designed to travel—a true result of global collaboration.”

The format sees 12 celebrities enter a mansion where they lose their name and fame and become just a number, which is displayed on their back, visible to everyone but themselves. To stay in the game, they must uncover their own number.

There is only one place where the truth is undeniable—the Mirror Garden. Winning a challenge gives them access to the garden and see their own backs. That knowledge changes their strategy because not only do they know their own number now, they also know who told them the truth and who didn’t.

The Dutch version of the format—the first commission—is produced by Signal.Stream.

“Seeing Watch Your Back come to life as a full production in the Netherlands is a fantastic milestone—and just the beginning of what we believe will be a powerful international format,” commented Chris Coelen, CEO of Kinetic Content.

“From day one, we knew this was a concept that would push the boundaries of reality television,” added Wouter van der Pauw, founder Signal.Stream. “With deception, trust, and instinct at the core, Watch Your Back demands as much from the players as it does from the viewer. We can’t wait to share it with audiences on NPO Start.”