Fremantle has picked up global distribution rights to Wingman, a Singapore-created dating format owned by Mediacorp and Beach House Pictures, and is introducing it to buyers at Mipcom this week.
Under the arrangement, Fremantle will market, license and produce the format across most international markets. Mediacorp, which originated and commissioned Wingman, keeps the show in its home market and selected Asian territories.
What the format is
In Wingman, singles hand over their dating choices to close friends, who act as wingmen. Friendship, loyalty and attraction are tested while the search for love unfolds. The premise gives buyers a simple, repeatable mechanic rather than a cast-led story, which matters when a format has to travel.
From a local pitch to a global sales title
Wingman began at Mediacorp’s Creatives Assembly Unscripted Formats Pitch in 2023. Mediacorp and Beach House Pictures then co-developed it, and season one is now streaming on MeWatch and the Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube channel.
Beach House Pictures, a Singapore-based Fremantle company, produced the first season and co-owns the format. That puts the global distributor inside the project from an early stage, reducing the friction of taking a local format to market.
Why the numbers matter
Fremantle is using local performance as the international sales story. Ben Crompton, head of global entertainment at Fremantle, said:
“It’s launched well for Mediacorp – their most-viewed dating format of the year – and we think it has real international potential.”
Mediacorp is positioning the deal as a pathway for original Singapore IP. Angeline Poh, chief customer and corporate development officer, said such partnerships “create meaningful pathways for Singapore creativity to reach new markets and audiences.”
For format owners and buyers, the key points are:
- Wingman is Mediacorp’s most-viewed dating format of the year, per Fremantle.
- Fremantle takes most of the world; Mediacorp keeps Singapore and selected Asian markets.
- Season one is available on MeWatch and YouTube, giving buyers a real performance record to evaluate.
What to watch
The first test will be how quickly Wingman lands international commissions. A fast conversion would strengthen the case that a clean mechanic and local platform data are enough to sell unscripted formats from smaller Asian markets. A slow conversion would suggest the friendship-driven dating premise still needs stronger adaptation for each territory.
For format owners, the takeaway is to pair a local performance metric with a clean format mechanic before pitching international buyers. For buyers, don’t assume a domestic hit transfers unchanged; test whether the friendship mechanic fits local dating culture.
Source: C21media
