RTL first to pocket Benefits Handout

The Big Benefits Handout originally aired on Channel 5 in the UK

Germany’s RTL has become the first international broadcaster to order a local version of Endemol Shine Group’s social experiment format The Big Benefits Handout.

RTL’s show will be produced by Endemol Shine Germany and will see families who have been dependent on benefits given a cash handout of €25,000 (US$28,000).

In return, they must agree to sign off benefits and see if one large cash sum can turn their lives around, with the support and help of experts.

The show was created by Endemol Shine-owned Dragonfly and launched on Channel 5 in the UK earlier this year.

Lisa Perrin, CEO of creative networks at Endemol Shine, said the deal “is a great example of how Endemol Shine Group collaborates and a format can be quickly adapted for any territory, within months of it first launching.”