‘Kids Got Talent’ Launched on China’s Tencent Video

By Patrick Frater

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – FremantleMedia’s reality TV show “Kids Got Talent” began broadcasting in China last week on online streaming platform Tencent Video.

The show focuses on children aged under 11 and removes any competitive element in order to focus on standout performances. It will mix past participants and newcomers.

The show is based on Syco Entertainment and FremantleMedia’s well-established format and is produced by Yuheng Film Group. The season runs for eight 60-minutes episodes, and is sponsored by multinational pharmaceuticals company Wyeth.

In the past year, as part of an anti-Westernization drive, Chinese authorities have actively moved to discourage foreign formats. FremantleMedia told Variety that the policy does not apply to digital platforms.

“As a family-friendly variety show hand-picked for our platform, this program is bound to be filled with outstanding performances from the kids. I believe this collaboration is just the beginning. I hope that we can continue to join forces in the future,” said Zheng Xianglin, the VP of Tencent.

The “Got Talent” format was created by Simon Cowell and is the world’s most successful reality TV format, with 70 local versions watched by an estimated 900 million people worldwide. “China’s Got Talent” ran on Shanghai Media Group’s Dragon TV for five seasons between 2010 and 2013.