EXCLUSIVE: A local I Kissed A Girl will play in the Netherlands after RTL greenlit a version of the LGBTQ+ dating format for its streaming service Videoland.
The show, from South Shore, originated in the UK as I Kissed a Boy. It was the first British dating series with only gay men competing. It is hosted by Australian singer and presenter Dannii Minogue and gave rise to spin-off show I Kissed a Girl.
The finished UK series play on Videoland in the Netherlands and RTL has now stepped up and ordered a local version for its OTT service. Casting for the Dutch series is underway, and it will shoot and premiere next year on Videoland.
It will be set in an unspecified exotic location and follow a group of single queer women as they search for their perfect match. The twist is that before any conversation, each girl is paired with their most compatible match, and their first interaction is a kiss and sparks either fly or the chemistry fizzles out.
The finished version of ITV Studios-distributed I Kissed a Girl has travelled well, with sales to Brazil, Denmark, and Hulu in the U.S. among others. The Videoland deal is the first for a local version of the show. It will be made by ITV Studios Netherlands.
"This bold and groundbreaking format offers not only great entertainment but also an important platform for increasing LGBTQ+ representation on Dutch television," said Laurens Woldberg, MD ITV Studios Netherlands. "It's a significant step forward in showcasing love and relationships in all their diversity, and we can't wait to see the impact it will have with audiences here."
ITV Studios is at MIPCOM this week looking for more deals on the show and other formats including Shark! Celebrity Infested Water, which was one of Deadline's Hot Ones, a roster of red-hot shows launching in Cannes.
The I Kissed a Girl deal is one of several for ITV Studios' formats team as MIPCOM kicks off. A local version of The Perfect Picture, in which celebs with a passion for photography compete to show off their behind the camera skills, has been ordered by Swedish pubcaster SVT. It is the seventh deal for the France-originated format. ITV Studios Sweden will produce the SVT version.
Elsewhere, a deal with THR in Croatia for The Voice Kids, means the format has now been commissioned in 50 territories.