Discovery+ joins Singletown’s new suitors

Singletown was originally produced by Keshet for ITV2

Discovery+ is among the international buyers to pick up both the original and local versions of UK relationship-based reality series Singletown.

The fledgling streamer has agreed a deal with distributor Keshet International (KI) for new episodes of the Danish version of the show, which was originally produced by Keshet Productions for ITV2 in the UK.

The format follows five couples who press pause on their relationships by living the single life. At the end of each week, the couples meet and must decide whether to reunite and leave the programme as a couple or stay single and remain on the show.

Banijay Nordic-owned Metronome Denmark will produce and is also making an 8×15′ spin-off, which follows the couples after they left the show. Filming of both is slated for the summer, ahead of a premiere later in the year on Discovery+.

In addition to picking up the original 15×60′ UK series, Discovery has also acquired both the 16×43′ Danish and 18×43′ Norwegian adaptations in several other markets in EMEA.

These were produced locally in Copenhagen and Oslo last summer by Banijay Nordic’s Nordisk Film TV for Discovery+ and have also been picked up by TV4 in Sweden.

The latter has also taken the original UK show, joining HBO Max, DPG Media in Belgium, MTV in Finland, RTL Passion in Germany, Now TV in Hong Kong and Hoopla Digital, the streaming service available in the US, Canada and Australia.

KI has also sold the format rights to Discovery Group in the Netherlands and Spain, with Banijay Nordic extending options in multiple territories, while Banijay Italy has also acquired production rights to the series.

Pil Gundelach Brandstrup, VP of content and programming at Discovery Networks Denmark, said: “Singletown brings something new and refreshing to the reality genre, and in Denmark the programme has been a great digital success on Discovery+.

“We have seen many reality shows where it is about finding love, but in Singletown the focus has moved to what comes after the great infatuation. It is basically a love experiment which takes a deep dive into relationships in the process where they seek clarification of the love to each other and whether to continue as a couple or separately.”

Rose Hughes, KI’s VP of sales, added: “Singletown continues to show itself to be the perfect format to bridge the gap between full lockdown and normality, because it’s a quick-turnaround primetime format that is both flexible and scaleable, and can be produced locally with no need for international travel. Plus, because Singletown is all about real relationships, it’s relatable escapist entertainment with a purpose, and that really appeals to younger audiences.”