Fremantle’s is scaling “Hitster,” scoring its first format sales on new music TV game show of the same title, based on the party game which has burst onto the scene, proving a top seller in Northern Europe, Spain and Canada.
The game also ranked in retailer charts over Christmas in the U.S. and U.K.
In the first global territory commissions, Amsterdam-based Blue Circle, a Fremantle company, and NewBe will produce eight episodes for RTL4 in the Netherlands.
NewBe and historic German production powerhouse UFA, also part of Fremantle, are set to produce six episodes for RTL Deutschland. Meanwhile, in Canada, Attraction and Productions Déferlantes will produce two seasons in collaboration with Quebecor Content.
After Fremantle Australia and Amsterdam-based NewBe teamed to create the Netflix hit “Heartbreak High” reboot, Fremantle Netherlands and NewBe led the creative development of the “Hitster” TV format together with Jumbo Group.
Holding international production and distribution rights, beyond announcing its first three territory orders, Fremantle has shared in exclusivity with Variety a brand new image from the set of “Hitster.”
Invented by Stockholm-based Markus Carleson, “Hitster” was first played by Carleson at a dinner party in his kitchen on June 24, 2019. “I had some colleagues over and I figured I needed some sort of dinner entertainment,” Carleson has recalled.
“This was a very competitive crowd so I figured I needed some sort of competitive element and why not combine that with music. But I needed it to be lightweight and very inclusive so instead of having to guess some facts about the song I decided to go with timeline mechanics,” he added.
This spirit plays out in the studio-based TV show where two teams, pairing people from different generations, compete hearing hit after hit to place the tracks in a chronological order. The first team with 10 tracks placed correctly on their timeline progresses to a prize money final.
The format plays off the “addictive simplicity” and “instant playability” of the original game, “rewarding players’ instinct over expertise,” Fremantle said Thursday. “Transforming music trivia and pop culture nostalgia into a high-energy game show,” “viewers are invited to join an irresistibly feel-good, play-along party, packed with legendary tracks and lively performances,” “designed to create big, shared reactions and joyful moments that spark personal stories and anecdotes.”
The new “Hitster” set photo indeed shows a studio bathed by warm orange lights, three presenters behind consoles clapping or dancing to a song, accompanied by two packed levels of contestants or audience members, who look to be doing very much the same.
“‘Hitster’ has already proven it can spark conversation and bring people together in their living rooms – and that’s exactly what great entertainment does. It’s a brilliantly social, instantly playable format that taps into nostalgia and music passion across generations,” said Fremantle Director of Global Entertainment, Andrew Llinares.
“Building on our partnership with NewBe and Jumbo Group, with these first broadcast partners on board, there’s real excitement around scaling the format internationally and bringing an instant party into homes around the world,” he added.
“What started as a simple idea, bringing generations together through music, has grown into a global brand with real cultural impact. The TV adaptation captures the instinctive, feel-good energy that made the game a success, while amplifying the emotion and shared moments that music uniquely creates,” noted Isa Lana, CMO at the Jumbo Group.
“With Jumbo Group, ‘Hitster’ became a worldwide hit, and that gave us a strong foundation to build from together with Fremantle,” added Jeroen Koopman, NewBe founder & CEO. “From the start, our creative focus was clear: preserve the heart and DNA of the brand, while translating it into a television format that feels true to the original game experience.”
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