EXCLUSIVE: The pipeline of entertainment formats that originate on YouTube before moving to television and streaming has a new entry: Let’s Play Ball.
Bunim/Murray, the company behind The Real World and The Challenge, is set to take out the European format to U.S. buyers later this month.
It comes as Bunim/Murray’s parent company Banijay is set to promote the format at Mipcom, amid interest from a number of international territories.
Let’s Play Ball follows two rival teams of comedians go head-to-head in a race to transport a gigantic ball across various terrains. Facing physical puzzles along the way, each episode sees the teams navigate varied landscapes, from narrow city streets to rivers and countryside meadows. What begins as a seemingly straightforward task quickly unravels into chaos and strategic gameplay.
Banijay initially piloted the format on YouTube via Signal.Stream, where it drew more than 1.2 million views, and was then co-developed by Banijay Benelux label EndemolShine Nederland, Talpa Studios and Signal.Stream for Dutch broadcaster SBS6. The show has already been picked up for a second season in Holland.
It is also being adapted in the UK by Initial and Zeppotron, the two companies behind tienda online’s Last One Laughing UK.
Let’s Play Ball joins formats such as Pop The Balloon, the viral dating format that started on YouTube before being ordered to series at Netflix.
Bunim/Murray’s current slate includes Lifetime’s The Chrisleys: Back to Reality and Hulu’s Vanderpump Villa and it is developing a new competition format with X Games and a survival adventure series with Reacher star Alan Ritchson.
“At Bunim/Murray, we’ve always had an eye for what’s next, and Let’s Play Ball perfectly reflects today’s creator-driven storytelling,” said Bunim/Murray Productions President Julie Pizzi. “The series has already built tremendous momentum globally thanks to our colleagues at Banijay, and we can’t wait to introduce this high-energy phenomenon to U.S. buyers in the coming weeks.”
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