EXCLUSIVE: JioCinema is heading to Temptation Island.
An Indian version of the Banijay format has been in the works for some time now and we can now reveal Viacom18’s streamer has snapped up the evergreen dating format and is preparing to launch the show.
JioCinema hopes the show will replicate the success it has had with Bigg Boss, the long-running Indian version for Big Brother, following a deal with distributor Banijay.
The format sees couples put their relationship to test in an enchanting tropical paradise. As in other versions, they’ll be tempted to sever their ties and explore new romances as they wilfully separate and immerse themselves in an environment filled with allure. JioCinema said the format’s “focus on relationships and human emotions… is expected to strike a chord with Indian viewers, offering them a unique and compelling viewing experience.”
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We’ve known the show was set for an Indian bow for most of the year, with Banijay Asia CEO Deepak Dhar telling Deadline back in March that it was set to go into production later in the year, though the identity of the buyer hadn’t emerged until now.
Banijay Asia, which Banijay and Dhar operate as a joint venture, has been building out a reality production hub in India for shows such as Temptation Island, and expects this to be used for shows commissioned elsewhere in Asia.
There’s no launch date on the Indian show yet right now, but JioCinema said it would “soon premiere,” with Too Yumm attached as a sponsor.
Temptation Island continues to be a solid seller, with Amazon ordering a trio of Latin American versions earlier this year. The format ended a revamped run in the U.S. in 2022 after four seasons on USA Network. It first played in the States back in 2001 on Fox.
For JioCinema, signing the format is latest in a line of major content plays aimed at gobbling up subscribers in India buoyant streaming market. This year, it has snapped up streaming rights to the mega-popular Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket and programming from Warner Bros Discovery and NBCUniversal, and also folded in Viacom18’s streaming channels.
The service has been supercharged after Bodhi Tree Systems — a company which former Fox CEO James Murdoch launched with ex-Star and Disney India Chairman Uday Shankar — joined forces with Mukesh Ambani’s conglom Reliance Industries and Paramount Global to create a new shareholder consortium.
NBCU parent Comcast recently invested in Bodhi Tree, which used part of that cash to finance a minority shareholding in JioCinema parent Viacom18.
Bodhi Tree’s Shankar used the recent Asian content conference APOS to say: “We think the time is right in India to create an alternative [to TV] through an app – and that is JioCinema.”
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