John de Mol’s Talpa has sold its adventure game show “Hunting Season” to Lithuanian streaming platform Telia. After The Netherlands and Poland, Lithuania is the third country to pick up the format. Ten 35-minute episodes will be produced by Talpa Entertainment Productions in cooperation with Talpa’s partner in the region Elitaz Group.
“Hunting Season” is based on the most successful and most awarded YouTube series in the Netherlands. A second season is currently on air in the Netherlands on SBS6 and is turning out to be an even bigger success than the first one, with an average market share of over 30% in the key demo 20-49 which is three times the slot average. The show will be launched on Telia in October this year.
In each episode of “Hunting Season,” a duo of celebrities must flee from a team of three prison guards. These guards have one goal: to catch the fugitives within four hours. The fugitives get a 20-minute head start and must wear a transmitter that sends a GPS coordinate to the hunters every ten minutes. They have been given the opportunity to arrange an escape vehicle from prison and one means of transportation for the road. They win the game if they stay out of the hunters' reach for exactly four hours. However, if the guards catch them before the time is up, it is game over.
"Partnering on this project with two major international media players, Talpa and Telia, is a testament to Elitaz's continuous efforts to build the best content brands in the region with the best parties," commented Gediminas Jaunius, Founder of Elitaz Group.
Vitalija Kibilde, Head of TV Business Lithuania, stated: "Telia TV is further developing its strategy for original content with, as a next step, the acquisition of a well appreciated and successful Talpa franchise. We strive for the best quality and engaging content, and we hope that ‘Hunting Season’ will be the key product in the launch of our OTT service. We are happy to start a new partnership with Talpa and continue our successful collaboration with Elitaz."
Lastly, Sebastian van Barneveld, Director of International Sales at Talpa, declared: "Elitaz is a highly skilled frontrunner in the region and the ideal partner to make this show a huge success on Telia's unique platform."