Format development outfit Signal.Stream is bringing third-party outfits into its audience-first IP-development creator network The Outsiders, with Talpa Studios on board as a founding partner.
The initiative aims to address the challenge of speeding up development cycles amid rapid shifts in audience tastes and the industry’s overall risk aversion. Signal.Stream has built up expertise in audience-first IP testing on social, refining propositions before they are introduced to traditional commissioners. That model has resulted in concepts like Most Wanted, Catch Us If You Can, Let’s Play Ball, The Heist, and Know Where To Hide.
Building on the success of its STUKTV platform, Signal.Stream has unveiled The Outsiders, which is being followed by nearly 850,000 subscribers. New formats and ideas are introduced weekly to gauge audience interest and refine ideas as needed.
Wouter van der Pauw, founder of Signal.Stream, commented, “The next global hit will probably look nothing like the last one. The industry doesn’t have an ideas problem. It has a validation problem. Audience-first IP testing allows us to put ideas in front of real audiences earlier, learn faster and make better creative decisions before major production investments are made. The future of entertainment development won’t be built behind closed doors. It will be built together with audiences from day one.”
Jasper Hoogendoorn, chief creative officer of Talpa Studios, added, “We have already seen first-hand how testing bold ideas with real audiences, before they reach premium platforms, helps build stronger entertainment IP. We’re excited to see Signal.Stream now open this proven approach, helping to test, validate and scale ideas with global potential. The international success of formats such as Most Wanted, Catch Us If You Can, and Let’s Play Ball proves the value of this approach. It is also a great example of our open network approach: collaborating with the best partners to build stronger IP and bring the best ideas to audiences worldwide.”
