Izzet Pinto, CEO of Global Agency, is among other things also the creator of the company’s brand new hit in France – Good Singers. The show based on Is That Really Your Voice launched to stellar ratings last Friday on TF1, as TVBIZZ reported first. In this interview with Yako Molhov, Pinto talks about how Good Singers was developed in partnership with TF1 Productions and what makes the format so attractive to broadcasters around the world who are already showing huge interest in the show.


Izzet, talent shows continue to dominate the international TV market, even in times of crisis like the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Why do you think they retain their popularity and why do broadcasters prefer them to other easier-to-produce shows?

Talent shows are still popular because first of all they are all related to real life and contain reality. In these shows the most unexpected abilities can come out of the most unexpected people. This surprises the audience. Also, the life stories behind the unexpected real abilities also attract the viewers and surprise them. That’s why these kinds of formats still achieve high ratings.

In addition, usually these talent shows are easy to follow for viewers. Since these kinds of competitions do not require follow-up, if the viewers miss a part of the competition, they can easily continue later. This makes it easy to follow.

These shows have a proven track record of success. That’s why buyers prefer these kinds of shows, which include all elements to achieve ratings.


You have just launched another talent show in France entitled Good Singers. What are your expectations?

TF1 did an amazing job and produced an extremely high-quality show. This will be the biggest highlight for this summer. We worked with the TF1 team for three months, we worked on everything in detail. The jury consists of top names from the TV industry. The contestants are extremely talented. The graphic designers and sound designers are all brilliant. The host Jarry is one of the most loved TV personalities in France. Considering all the above, our expectations are very high. The launch of the show has achieved huge success and broke viewing records on TF1 on Friday, July 17.


More than 5 years ago you created Is That Really Your Voice? Tell us a bit more about this format and how did you come up with the idea?

I created this format in November 2013. The idea for the show came from watching the singer Susan Boyle, who rose to fame on a talent show. That inspired me to create this format. Her voice did not match her look and created big surprising moments for the audience. This feeling led me to create this idea. Even the title is based on that reaction. “Wowww, is that really your voice?”

Is That Really Your Voice? is the first known format which is based on guessing contestants’ singing talent by their appearance and hearing them talk, but without hearing their singing voice. Among the contestants some of them have unbearable voices. It’s a comedy mystery game show which combines entertainment and talent.


What are the main elements of the show that make it so attractive compared to other formats? What are the differences between Good Singers and Is That Really Your Voice?

This show is not a typical music talent show where we are trying to create talent. It includes more humor and curiosity compared to other talent shows. We help the viewers try to guess who has good voices and who has awful voices. In our show the participants either have amazing voices or terrible voices, nothing in the middle.

In the very first version, it was a big shiny floor entertainment show with 50 contestants and 3 celebrity judges, who represent 3 different teams.

In the new version, the number of contestants is reduced to 12 instead of 50 and there are 2 teams and they are still competing against each other to distinguish the candidates. they have to use all their powers of perception to succeed!

It became an "easy to produce" format without losing its spirit... especially the main idea and team spirit. The main idea is: “The talented and the untalented voices are going to try to impress our celebrities without actually singing in the first place!


Who is producing the French adaptation and how did you convince TF1 to commit to the show in competition with similar formats?

We are working with TF1 Productions. They are producing in-house. They believe that in difficult times having a good music game show would be the right timing. And they were looking for a summer time special which made the show perfect for their acquisitions.

The format is centered around the concept of guessing good singers just by looking at the contestants before they begin to sing. It is the first known format which is based on guessing contestants’ singing talent without hearing their singing voice.


Has there been interest for the show from other countries?

After the announcement of Good Singers, there has been huge interest in this format even before the launch. Until now we have received interest from 10 territories. It looks like audiences around the world are showing interest in comedy formats these days. We believe that this show can be the next big thing in the next 2 years. It will be a perfect show for worldwide TV channels. Until now I have created almost 10 formats. This one seems to be the most successful one.


How are you going to market the show internationally given that almost all industry events are getting postponed or canceled?

We are all in a very difficult period. Covid-19 spread to many regions of the world, causing a very serious health crisis. Due to these conditions all the industry events are getting postponed or canceled. That’s why we do all our marketing activities on digital platforms. We use lots of online opportunities to meet our clients.