Distributor Indigenius joins the Lonely Hearts Club for South African adaptation

Lonely Hearts Club is being adapted for South African audiences

Distributor Indigenius is to develop an Afrikaans-language version of hit Austrian dating format Lonely Hearts Club for South African audiences.

Cape Town-based Brainwave Productions is to produce a pilot episode, to be presented by two-time SAFTA-winning comedian Anne Hirsch, with Indigenius currently shopping the show to local channels.

It is hoped that the show can then be produced in multiple languages, leveraging South Africa’s cultural diversity.

Lonely Hearts Club is originally produced by Austrian pubcaster ORF and Cosmos Factory and has run for 25 years in Austria. It sees lonely people from all different walks of life pour out their hearts in front of a live camera in the hope of finding a partner for life.

The deal was revealed by sales house ORF-Enterprise.

Hans Spielthenner, co-CEO of Indigenius, said: “Given its tremendous success in Austria, we saw a fantastic opportunity to bring this beloved format to South Africa, where we believe it will resonate just as strongly with viewers.”

Spielthenner is the former CEO of German distribution outfit Ohm:tv, but set up Indigenius in 2014.