Global Agency

Global Agency Goes “Top Secret” with New Format

Renowned for its buzz-generating launch stunts, Global Agency is revealing a top-secret format at MIPCOM with an event in St. Tropez. “We have made the decision to unveil the show exclusively to our top buyers one day before the official market launch,” says Izzet Pinto, founder and CEO. “This early preview allows our partners to experience the format firsthand and gain insight into its unique elements. The show itself carries a title that encapsulates the entire concept, narrative and vision behind it. Because of the importance and impact of the title in conveying this message, we have chosen to keep it confidential until the reveal.”

The rollout strategy for this brand-new format is centered on a tailor-made event designed to showcase the series in an exclusive and engaging way. Global Agency is inviting 100 top buyers from 45 different countries to St. Tropez on the Sunday before MIPCOM to give them an intimate first look at the show. The event will include a special screening session, followed by a lunch and party.

“Global Agency has a reputation for innovative launch events and marketing strategies,” Pinto says. “We promise to create an unforgettable day for our valuable clients. This exclusive preview is designed not only to introduce the format but to create a lasting impression that reflects the creativity and vision behind the show.”

While many of the details are being kept tightly under wraps, Pinto says that the format aligns perfectly with Global Agency’s vision of delivering entertainment that resonates on a global scale. “This has even bigger universal appeal; it suits the audiences of every country,” he says. “And it is an idea that can be produced very big or small. Creativity is the key to this format.”

Pinto sees prospects for an American version that could then sell to the whole world as finished tapes. “Overall, this format embodies Global Agency’s commitment to bringing innovative and universally appealing entertainment to the market, ensuring it meets the diverse tastes and preferences of audiences worldwide,” he says.

The top-secret format joins a catalog that includes the comedy entertainment show Good Singers, which has aired for three seasons on TF1, with a fifth season in production in the CIS region. Shopping Queens (also known as Shopping Monsters) celebrated 2,500 episodes in Germany. The Married Game is in its 16th season in Poland, and Keep It or Lose It is in its 13th season in Brazil. My Style Rocks is on season nine in Brazil. “We now have multiple formats that have run for several seasons,” says Pinto. “We are very proud of the growth in our format division.”

Daily formats, in particular, have done very well for Global Agency. For example, My Wife Rules has a 16th season airing soon in Brazil. Quiz shows are on the rise, Pinto notes, pointing to the success of Joker’s 1,165 episodes in Portugal.

Pinto’s ambition for the brand-new format, though, is to reach 50 local editions within the first three years. “We are confident in its ability to become a prime-time sensation, with viral appeal that resonates across various demographics,” he says. “This show has the elements to capture the public’s imagination and become a talking point in popular culture. We envision its initial success with an American broadcaster, which would not only set a high standard but also open the door to global markets, enabling the format to thrive internationally.

“As the founder and CEO of the company, I bring 18 years of experience in the format business and have created multiple formats since 2010,” he continues. “My deep understanding of the industry’s nuances, combined with the expertise I’ve gained over the years, has equipped me to develop a concept that can transcend borders and appeal to audiences worldwide. This new creation holds immense potential to be more than just a show—it can go viral.”

Global Agency is targeting the show for broadcast on free-TV channels around the world, “ensuring broad accessibility and a wide audience reach,” says Pinto. “However, for the U.S. market, I can also envision it thriving as an original production on major streaming platforms like Netflix, Prime Video or Disney+. This would allow us to tap into the growing demand for high-quality, on-demand content while still maintaining a global presence through traditional broadcasting.”

Global Agency Delivers Family-Friendly Fun with Match the Family

Over the last ten years, Izzet Pinto, founder and CEO of Global Agency, has created more than ten formats. The concept for Match the Family, a fresh family-centric game show that the company is launching to the global market, came from a very personal source of inspiration. “I have a son, and the question of who he looks like has always been a topic of conversation in the family,” Pinto explains. “Some say his mother, some say his father, some say neither of us. So, it has always created funny discussions. The core idea of the format was created based on curiosity and presumptions.”

The game show challenges two teams of three players to identify the family members of a person in the studio. Intelligence, quick wits and gut instinct are crucial to pick out the relative from five candidates, build earnings over five rounds and win a place in the money-spinning final.

“Usually, you see competitors competing throughout the games, and you just take one side and follow the games,” Pinto says. “But in this show, as a viewer, you also play along with the game and make your guesses throughout the show. This makes the show more entertaining and interactive.”

Over the five rounds, prize money rises from $5,000 to $50,000 as teams first pick out the person’s father with the help of clues about his profession and interests. Competing at high speed, teams jump in with their guesses, boosting their money pot with right answers and reducing it with incorrect answers.

In the next four rounds, they must identify the person’s mother, sibling, child and partner. Teams can use three wildcards during the show. The first of these is a photo wildcard, in which childhood photos of the person in the studio and their relative are shown. The second allows the team to get close to the person and the five potential relatives. The third wildcard allows them to hear the voice of the real family member.

The team with the most money gets to play in the final quick-fire quiz, answering five personal questions about the family within 150 seconds.

“Since the basic structure of the format is very simple, it could be produced identically in each territory,” Pinto says of the adaptation potential. “If the broadcaster prefers to air in access prime, the set can be smaller; if aired in prime time, the set can be bigger. That should be the only difference.”

The global resonance of the format is rooted in its central theme: family. “Since it is a family-oriented show and the main topic is matching the family members, it is a universal discussion of who looks similar to whom,” says Pinto.

“It absolutely fits every territory in the world,” he adds. “But our biggest sales targets are the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, Italy and Spain.”

In terms of scheduling flexibility, Global Agency sees this as a prime-time play, with a big money prize, in larger territories such as the U.S. and the U.K. In smaller territories, though, it could be produced for daily access prime time.

Match the Family comes at a time when game shows are as popular as ever in the global format landscape—with broadcasters seeking out reliable yet noisy entertainment and viewers perennially invested in the genre. “In most game shows, viewers prefer to watch the gameplay until the end to determine who the winner is or whether the contestant wins the money,” says Pinto. “It creates an interaction in which you put yourself in the contestant’s shoes. You get happy if they win and upset if they lose. As long as you create an emotional attachment, the format works.”

The format perfectly aligns with the wider Global Agency format catalog, says Pinto. “In the last three years, we have brought big prime-time shows to the markets, but for a long time, we have been looking for a daily strip format, which is a perfect match for our catalog.”