All3Media International has announced that Bell Media has acquired Hungary’s "The Traitors" in Canada. Produced by Paprika Studios for RTL, the first season of "The Traitors Hungary" will be available in Canada on Bell Media’s streaming platform, Crave. Bell Media previously commissioned Canadian versions of "The Traitors," both hosted by Karine Vanasse: an English-language version for CTV, which is currently airing its second season, and a French-language version for Noovo, with an upcoming second season.
As the first season traveled to Canada, Hungary’s second season of "The Traitors" achieved impressive ratings success on Hungary’s free-to-air TV channel RTL. Building on the success of the first season, where the average audience share was 23.3% among 18-to 49-year-olds, the average audience share rose to 26.1% for season two and outperformed the slot average by 31%.
"'The Traitors' has been an extraordinary journey for RTL Hungary, achieving tremendous success with its first two seasons here, captivating viewers with its unique and thrilling format. We are delighted to see this momentum extend beyond Hungary, as the first season has now been acquired by Bell Media in Canada, and from now on, international viewers can also enjoy the plots and twists of the Hungarian version. This milestone reinforces the universal appeal of the show and highlights the exceptional creativity and talent behind its production," said Péter Kolosi, Chief Content Officer, RTL Hungary
“'The Traitors' is a fantastic format and idea; it was a wonderful opportunity to be involved in the creative execution. It's not common in our industry for a broadcaster to entrust us with a task with this level of involvement. They took a big leap of faith in us, and we enjoyed every moment of using our creative talents to realize the full potential of this format," says Ákos Erdős, CEO of Paprika Studios," Ben Packwood, VP CEE at All3Media International, commented. "RTL and Paprika Studios have delivered a version of 'The Traitors' that is not only a smash hit in Hungary but also looks set to bring fantastic entertainment across the globe to Canadian viewers. The fantastic ratings of the second series reinforce that RTL and Paprika Studios have a hit on their hands, and we look forward to watching this version go from strength to strength.”
"The Traitors" (Dutch title: De Verraders) was created and developed by Marc Pos and IDTV Creative Director Jasper Hoogendoorn in collaboration with the RTL Creative Unit. Since its launch in the Netherlands on RTL 4 in 2021, the format has proven its international appeal with over 30 versions and numerous recurring seasons worldwide. The multi-award-winning ratings hit "The Traitors" was recently named Format of the Year 2024 by K7. The format was awarded the C21 International Format Award for Best Host of a Television Format. This year, the second season of NBC Universal’s US version won two Emmys for Outstanding Reality Competition and Outstanding Host for a Reality, a great success in Hungary.