NPO Start preps Talpa, Kinetic psychological reality format Watch Your Back

Watch Your Back debuts on NPO Start early next year

Dutch public broadcaster NPO has commissioned a psychological reality format from Talpa Studios and Kinetic Content for its streaming service.

Watch Your Back premieres on NPO Start in early 2026. It was co-created by Talpa Studios and US reality producer Kinetic Content (Love is Blind, Married at First Sight), in collaboration with Signal.Stream, which will produce the Dutch version.

It is the first title to emerge from the previously announced creative partnership between Talpa Studios and Kinetic Content.

The show is described as a psychological reality format and game of strategy and deception.

Chris Coelen, CEO of Kinetic Content, said: “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.”

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