Fremantle takes ‘Masked Dancer’ production rights for Europe, Middle East & Africa

The Masked Dancer UK

Fremantle has acquired production rights to entertainment format The Masked Dancer in 29 territories across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Fremantle will produce in those countries where it has a production office on the ground and license to local broadcasters to produce in those that it does not. The company also holds the production rights to The Masked Singer in the same 29 territories, with multiple local adaptions of the format, which the company says are “performing strongly across the board.”

The Masked Dancer format was originally commissioned for US broadcaster Fox and is a spin-off to global hit The Masked Singer, which originated on MBC in South Korea. It was devised for the Ellen DeGeneres’ talkshow and sees celebrities dressed in elaborate costumes performing dance routines, with guests guessing their identity. It is being produced for Fox by DeGeneres, Fox Alternative Entertainment and Warner Bros. Unscripted and Alternative Television.

A recent report by K7 Media highlighted Fremantle’s format distribution success over the past 12 months, with the media giant claiming four of the top 10 best-selling formats of last year. The Masked Singer topped the list with 23 sales.

The Masked Dancer format was also recently acquired for local adaptation by ITV in the UK, with Abacus Media Rights taking international distribution rights (excluding the UK) for the UK version of the show earlier this month.

“Hot off the success we’ve had globally with The Masked Singer, we are delighted to now be representing The Masked Dancer,” said Vasha Wallace, EVP of global acquisitions and development at Fremantle. “We are already in active discussions with many broadcasters around the world who are excited about a dance companion to The Masked Singer.”

Park Jeong-Kyu, chief producer of The Masked Singer for MBC, added: “The Masked Singer has now become a strong brand internationally, having been distributed to more than 50 countries worldwide.

“We are very thankful that the show has touched the hearts of global audiences, during what has been a very difficult time. We hope that the great success of The Masked Singer be inherited to its spinoff format, The Masked Dancer.”