MTV, Facebook Watch reimagine The Real World
October 17, 2018
Colin Mann @ MIPCOM
MTV Studios has unveiled a partnership with Facebook Watch to reimagine the ground-breaking series MTV’s The Real World for three all new seasons debuting Spring 2019. Drawing on Facebook’s global platform, the new seasons will be native productions in Mexico, Thailand and the United States, respectively, to explore friendship, and the cultural and social environment in each. Available exclusively on Facebook Watch, the new seasons will introduce interactive social and community features that empower fans to shape the action and connect across mobile, desktop and Facebook’s TV app.
The news was unveiled during Facebook Watch’s Media Mastermind Keynote at MIPCOM 2018 by Matthew Henick, Facebook’s Head of Content Planning and Strategy for Facebook, Paresh Rajwat, Director of Product Management for Facebook and Chris McCarthy, President of MTV. Creator Bunim/Murray Productions is co-producing the new seasons with MTV Studios and pre-production is underway in each location.
“MTV’s The Real World helped to define a generation and created a new genre of television with a simple yet powerful idea of connecting people from wildly divergent backgrounds to find common ground on the issues that often divided them,” said McCarthy. “By partnering with Facebook Watch and BMP, we have the opportunity to impact culture and create a new genre of television all over again, while engaging the next generation of content consumers around the world.”
The social conversation on Facebook Watch will power the audience experience in the new seasons of MTV’s The Real World. The Facebook community will have the ability to vote one housemate onto the show prior to air, and there will be unique opportunities for fans to connect with the cast through Facebook Live, Premieres, and Watch Party. Facebook Watch will also release daily drops of scenes from forthcoming episodes leading into the weekly half-hour premiere. Additional social elements will be introduced prior to launch and throughout the seasons.