Seven.One Studios International Touts Fresh Hits & Returning Juggernauts

Seven.One Studios International is showcasing a slate of brand-new concepts and returning hits at MIPCOM, leveraging its position as a division of ProSiebenSat.1 Media, one of Europe’s leading commercial broadcasting groups, as it navigates the disruptions in the global content business.

“Being part of a large broadcaster in Europe is incredibly beneficial for us, as it provides us with a pipeline of shows and, more broadly, resources for investment,” says Tobias Schulze, senior VP of global sales at Seven.One Studios International. “We work closely with our in-house production companies and channels—across both unscripted and scripted, which means we have a healthy stream of new content. Creating and owning our own IP is becoming more important for us as a business. And, of course, we are always on the lookout for strong, must-have third-party content.”

The curated catalog at Seven.One Studios is “underpinned by some real juggernauts,” Schulze says, especially in the formats space. Among them is Married at First Sight, which “continues to go from strength to strength as a brand,” he says, with adaptations in over 30 territories and tape sales to more than 100. This year saw the introduction of two new spin-offs, Married at Second Sight and Married at First Sight: The Last Resort. Schulze also touts Stranded on Honeymoon Island, which has been produced locally in nine territories, most recently on BBC One in the U.K.

“Buyers are still very much looking for the security that comes from proven hits,” he continues. “Big TV brands are just becoming bigger, with broadcasters looking to supersize them in as many ways as possible. So, in addition to making their own versions, picking up other ready-made versions and their associated spin-offs is a cost-effective way for a channel to extend a hit brand, ensure it is recognized as the home of that brand and benefit from the halo effect. Hence, the continued success of shows like Married at First Sight and the trend toward reviving older classics, particularly in the format space. However, clients are certainly open to new ideas from trusted partners. Seven.One Studios is known for being an innovator, particularly in the format space, as we have a track record of launching interesting, off-beat, noisy and commercially successful formats that quickly become the new mainstream.”

On that front, the company lands in Cannes with Match My Ex, which Schulze bills as a “new twist on the traditional reality dating format. It pits famous former lovers against each other—not to rekindle their romance, but to play matchmaker for their exes, which is a first for a dating format! Produced by Madame Zheng for Joyn Germany, Joyn Austria and the Swiss platform One+, we think the show will really tick a lot of boxes for clients. One of the streamer’s most successful reality shows of the year so far, it has proven success; it skews young, and it also has the benefit of being super-scalable, flexible and cost-effective—Madame Zheng produced two shows a day, for instance.”

The Race, which has been a hit for Joyn, “taps into the current trend for adventure reality formats,” Schulze continues. “Season two spent nine weeks in the streamer’s top ten and it has been commissioned for a third season to be produced by Seven.One Studios International’s sister production company, studio flitz.”

For linear broadcasters looking for family-friendly, feel-good fare, Schulze highlights Play That Song Again, produced by Herriemakers for RTL in the Netherlands. “The beauty of the format is that it is flexible, it can be tailored in size, episode count and editorial focus and is easily adaptable for holiday or charity specials.”

Conceding the challenges of the scripted space, Schulze stresses that the genre remains critical to Seven.One Studios International, which arrives at MIPCOM with The Cooking Academy, produced by ITV Studios Germany for Joyn and ProSieben; Frier & 50, a dramedy from Good Humour for Joyn; and the returning daily The Country Doctor, which features more than 260 episodes. “Produced by Filmpool Entertainment and commissioned for a fourth season by SAT.1, the series has sold internationally to TV2 in Hungary, Duo Media in Estonia, Nova TV in Croatia, TV Polska in Poland and Planet TV in Slovenia. In Germany, the series is currently running on Disney+, Joyn and SAT.1.”