ITV Studios Entertainment develops interactive dating show with Quibi

Angela Jain

Jeffrey Katzenberg’s premium short-form platform Quibi is developing a dating format from ITV Studios Entertainment (ITVSE).

The Hot Drop, from ITVSE and ITV America’s Sirens Media, will use Quibi’s tech to profile a singleton from the US, with viewers then required to upload videos in a bid to secure a date with the individual.

Three eligible contestants will then be put before the Quibi community, who will decide which person goes on the date. Audiences will be able to watch the pair meeting for the first time, with the show airing in three parts each week.

Sirens Media president Jessica Sebastian said: “We see The Hot Drop as a major step toward modernising the ‘dating’ genre. From the casting to its cinematic style, it will be a fresh and edgy new entry in the space, and we’re excited to enlist the Quibi audience’s help in putting together the perfect match.”

Angela Jain, managing director at ITVSE, added: “We are delighted Quibi saw the potential in The Hot Drop as much as we did, their support throughout has been fantastic.

“This is a major step forward in the growth of ITV Studios Entertainment and we are delighted to be partnering with Sirens Media to produce what we believe will be a distinctive, contemporary and entertaining take on the dating scene.”

Quibi is to launch in April and already has a vast array of programmes on its slate including Steven Spielberg’s horror series After Dark as well as reboots of MTV’s Punk’d and Singled Out.

The service is to operate under a two-tier system. An ad-supported version will be available for $4.99, while an ad-free iteration of the platform will cost $7.99.