Endemol Shine Group Asia and CJ E&M kicked off a new era of co-development in Asia in 2016. Leading the way is the The Society Game, thought to be the first true Asia co-developed format created by Endemol Shine Group Asia and Korean media conglomerate CJ E&M for the international market.

The Korean version of The Society Game, the first original format out of an alliance announced in April this year, premieres on tvN in Korea on 16 October. The format is also one of Endemol Shine’s MIPCOM 2016 headliners, a first for a format out of Asia.

The 12-episode prime-time social experiment reality series explores different political systems, communities and their leadership. Two contrasting ‘societies’, based on democracy and dictatorship models, go head to head on physical and mental challenges, testing the stability of their communities. Only one can win.

The Society Game comes against a backdrop of a new openness to co-developing IP in Asia. Reasons include politics and shifting regulations, market access, knowledge transfer, cost, expansion ambitions, and, as low-tech as it sounds, better relationships on the ground.

The Endemol Shine/CJ E&M partnership is led by DJ Lee, president of CJ E&M’s media contents business, and Fotini Paraskakis, Endemol Shine Group’s managing director of Asian operations. Endemol Shine and CJ E&M share all intellectual property (IP) equally.

The big deal here is less about yet another new format that goes tomarket with high hype and higher hopes than about a working and workable creative relationship forged on the ground in Asia. Plus the ability to execute right here at home. The result is an idea and format able to rise above the usual cultural hurdles; was really, truly and actually co-developed in Asia; and is able to stand up on an international stage with the world’s best. This against an industry-wide backdrop littered with failure and frustration as development teams fromdifferent parts of the world struggle to blend creative cultures. Why does Endemol Shine think The Society Game is worthy of a place in its MIPCOM limelight, good enough to reverse the usual practise of market headliners set by the U.S. and Europe? Because it “couldn’t be timelier,” says Lisa Perrin, Endemol Shine Group’s Creative Networks chief executive. “We’re at a point in history when the world is questioning the political status quo. This show brings the social experiment genre bang up to date and really examines what works best, a dominantleadership or a democracy,” she adds. The bigger plan is to continue to work on global ideas – includingpossibly scripted drama – that rising content powerhouse, CJ E&M, can broadcast for Korea and that can leverage Endemol Shine’s global scale, creative resource and distribution clout.

There’s no crystal ball on how this plays out, but if The Society Game takes off around the world as hoped, Asia’s reputation takes a giant creative leap forward.

Published on 30 September 2016