SINGAPORE, 22 JUNE 2015 – Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Asia, a division of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), today announced its original series smash and social media sensation, Lip Sync Battle is set to make a big entry into Asia. VIMN Asia has signed a landmark production deal with online media giant, Sohu.com Inc. (NASDAQ:SOHU) in China, enabling Sohu to produce the Chinese format adaptation of Spike TV’s sensation, Lip Sync Battle. The Chinese format, will be made available on tv.sohu.com, 56.com and other Sohu-owned digital platforms, which will reach over 600 million users in China. The highly anticipated Viacom original series is set to also debut in Asia on weekdays on Comedy Central starting 28 July.
Sohu.com will be producing 13 episodes of Lip Sync Battle China, which is based on the pop culture phenomenon of lip sync battling. Resulting from the incredible success of the debut season of the Spike US show, which launched in March 2015 and averaged an audience of 3+million viewers a week across its 18 episode run, Viacom’s biggest unscripted launch ever is now preparing for local production in several international markets.
Caroline Beaton, SVP International Programme Sales, VIMN said, “We couldn’t be more excited to work with Sohu to bring Lip Sync Battle to its 600 million subscribers. With China’s formidable pool of top music and entertainment talent, we are in no doubt the show will thrive in the market and become a firm favourite on Sohu’s digital platforms.”
The original series is set to also debut in Asia on weekdays on Comedy Central starting Tuesday, 28 July at 7:30pm (TH/WIB), 8:30pm (HK/PH/SG/TW) and 9:30pm (MY). The first season comprises 10 episodes with an extended eight episodes. The first three episodes in Asia will feature Jimmy Fallon vs. Dwayne Johnson, Anna Kendrick vs. John Krasinski, and Anne Hathaway vs. Emily Blunt.
Based on the pop culture phenomenon of lip sync battling, the Spike original series features celebrities going head to head – lip-syncing the song of their choice – battling for the coolest bragging rights on the planet. Among the talent who appeared in Season 1 included Dwayne Johnson, John Legend, Anne Hathaway, Justin Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, Emily Blunt, Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Anna Kendrick, Mike Tyson, and Queen Latifah. The series is a ratings and multiplatform superstar for Spike and is the most-watched original series in network history, averaging 3 million viewers. Lip Sync Battle also has delivered a staggering 177 million cross-platform streams across Spike’s owned and operated properties as well as Facebook and YouTube, with Anne Hathaway’s “wrecking ball” clip alone garnering 15 million. Lip Sync Battle is hosted by LL COOL J and executive produced by Casey Patterson, Jay Peterson of Matador Content, John Krasinski, Stephen Merchant, and Eight Million Plus Productions.
It was announced in April that the show has been renewed for a second season of 20 episodes which will premiere in the U.S. in 2016.
Hi res images of the U.S. version of the show may be downloaded from HERE.
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About Sohu.com
Sohu.com Inc. (NASDAQ: SOHU) is China’s premier online brand and indispensable to the daily life of millions of Chinese, providing a network of Web properties and community based/Web 2.0 products which offer the vast Sohu user community a broad array of choices regarding information, entertainment and communication. Sohu has built one of the most comprehensive matrices of Chinese language Web properties and proprietary search engines, consisting of the mass portal and leading online media destination www.sohu.com; the interactive search engine www.sogou.com; the developer and operator of online games www.changyou.com/en/ and the leading online video Website tv.sohu.com .
Sohu corporate services consist of online brand advertising on its matrix of websites as well as bid listing and home page on its in-house developed search directory and engine. Sohu also provides multiple news and information service on mobile platforms, including Sohu News App and mobile news portal WAP.Sohu.com. Sohu’s online game subsidiary, Changyou.com (NASDAQ: CYOU) has a diverse portfolio of popular online games , such as Tian Long Ba Bu (“TLBB”), one of the most popular massively multi-player online (“MMO”) games in China, as well as a number of mobile games and Web games. Changyou also owns and operates the 17173.com Website, a leading game information portal in China, and various game platforms. Sohu.com, established by Dr. Charles Zhang, one of China’s internet pioneers, is in its nineteenth year of operation.
About Comedy Central
Comedy Central, the world’s biggest comedy network, has been making audiences laugh since it first launched in the United States in 1991. Renowned for exclusively featuring a stable of exclusive and tailor-made local and international comedy, the brand has become the ultimate destination for all kinds of humor, from traditional to satire to sketches to popular sitcoms. Outside of the United States, Comedy Central, seen in over 70 territories via more than 12 locally programmed and operated TV channels, is part of Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), a division of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. For more information about Comedy Central in Asia, visit www.comedycentralasia.com.
About Viacom International Media Networks
The Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Programme Sales (IPS) group is responsible for all international programme syndication, format and co-production activities for the company’s diverse portfolio of entertainment brands, as well as strategic acquisition of original content in VIMN’s core competency areas of kids, youth and adults, for sale to third parties around the world. For more information about their programming library, please visit www.b2b.viacom.com.
Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), is comprised of many of the world’s most popular multimedia entertainment brands, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Channel and more. Viacom brands are seen globally in more than 3.2 billion households in approximately 170 territories and 37 languages via more than 200 locally programmed and operated TV channels and more than 550 digital media and mobile TV properties. Keep up with VIMN news by visiting the VIMN PR Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/VIMN_PR. For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com, blog.viacom.com and the Viacom Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/Viacom.
Contact:
Viacom International Media Networks
Adeline Ong, Senior Director, Corporate Communications, Asia
t: (65) 6420 7240 m: (65) 9366 7323
e: adeline.ong@vimn.com