Endemol Shine, China’s Hunan TV Duet on ‘Sing or Spin’

Global production and distribution giant Endemol Shine is to duet with leading Chinese producer and broadcaster Hunan TV on primetime entertainment format “Sing or Spin,” which has an innovative spin: a revolving stage that lets singers know how well they are scoring.

The show has been co-developed by Endemol Shine China and Hunan TV as part of the Biu Project, an initiative set up to create a pipeline of pilots for the Chinese broadcaster. The initiative created more than 500 hours of original non-scripted content last year.

“Sing or Spin” will be showcased Monday at an exclusive event at Mipcom in Cannes, where the promo will be premiered to buyers at the Hunan TV International Biu Project Conference. Lisa Perrin, CEO of Creative Networks at Endemol Shine Group, will join Hunan TV’s executives to talk about their partnership, which has been approved by China’s National Radio and Television Administration.

The combined co-development team for “Sing or Spin” is led by Rebecca De Young, Endemol Shine China’s head of content, and Lester Hu, Hunan TV’s head of formats and international business.

William Tan, managing director of Endemol Shine China, said: “This deal is part of our ongoing approach to long-term strategic partnerships for non-scripted programming in China, and we’re excited to once again co-develop a new format with Hunan TV. They are undoubtedly one of China’s top players with a schedule packed with original and creative output. We firmly believe such cooperation benefits both parties and will enable us to elevate the Chinese market internationally.”

Hu said: “’Sing or Spin’ is a milestone co-development which reinforces our strategy to partner with international content creators to bring original Chinese TV formats to the global market. As we continue our hunt for fresh new format ideas that work in China and the rest of the world, it’s fantastic to launch our third primetime entertainment show developed through Biu Project at Mipcom.”

Endemol Shine China is behind a range of hits including ratings success “Puzzle Masters” for Jiangsu TV, which has just been commissioned for its third season and is expected to air early 2020; and CCTV has ordered a third season of its stellar show “The Nation’s Greatest Treasures,” also set to broadcast in early 2020.

By：Leo Barraclough