Whether because of the absence of Jennifer Kim as coach or other reasons, The Voice Thailand 5, aired on Channel 3, ended on a rather quiet note earlier this month. AP&J Production, however, has not confirmed another season of the reality singing show, originally The Voice Of Holland, created by John de Mol.
The hottest singing competition on air at the moment features an array of mysterious contestants in masks and crazy costumes. The Mask Singer, a South Korean show adapted by Workpoint Entertainment, commands a phenomenal rating and addicted fans.
Its success is another case study of how foreign formats often become TV blockbusters wherever localised. The best known case was Thailand's Got Talent, a sensation on Channel 3 that Workpoint Entertainment adapted from FremantleMedia. (Simon Cowell's reality show has actually been adapted into 69 local versions, a Guinness World Record).
Altogether, six foreign formats have been adapted by the Thai entertainment giant, and it has been balanced by last year's export of six original formats to the international market -- two-way traffic that testifies to the creative quality of Thai shows. This corresponds to the vision of the company's founders, Phanya Nirunkul and Prapas Cholsaranon, in creating world-class TV programmes.
Now Workpoint Entertainment is riding high with The Mask Singer, which is on everyone's lips; no show has inspired this kind of following and positive response in years. The mystery music show is currently the highest-rated programme on Workpoint Creative TV (Channel 23) and its digital platforms, in reach, engagement and views.
Pritsana Fah Laep (Lightning Quiz Show).
Broadcast on Thursday nights, the show is tweaked for the Thai market, which prefers something more flamboyant. It features celebrities disguised under fanciful costumes whereas in the original format the contestants wear only a mask to hide their identities.
"Contestants are transformed from head to toe based on a character that relates to them, often an unknown side of the celebrities. The mysterious masked singers arouse curiosity, which makes people want to follow the show," said Dararai Srichitchaem, the show producer, who previously handled Thailand's Got Talent.
The Mask Singer is the most difficult programme that she has ever worked on because she has strictly followed the production process in keeping everything hush-hush about the contestants' identities.
While the character gives a clue, the creative team works hard on misleading the audience, such as by making contestants look slimmer or plumper through extravagant costumes, and using a voice changer when they present themselves and answer questions from the panel of judges.
With the first season ending in March, each episode features two pairs of masked singers. They are scored by the judges and studio audience, with the losers eliminated and having to reveal themselves by removing the mask. Surprising losers have included actresses Ratchawin Wongviriya as the Wild Boar and Nida Patcharaveerapong as the Nurse, as well as Nok Air's CEO Patee Sarasin as the Eagle.
At the moment, audiences are bending over backward trying to guess the identity of the singer in a durian mask and costume. Besides politics, this is the talk of the town.
Fan Pan Tae.
"The success of The Mask Singer has exceeded expectations in attracting a mass audience, with the Thai adaptation more spectacular and amusing, whereas the original South Korean show is more serious and dramatic," said Chalakorn Panyashom, Workpoint Entertainment's managing director for digital TV.
Another foreign format licensed from FreemantleMedia, Hear Me Love Me See Me, has aired on Saturday nights since Feb 4. Utilising 3G/4G technology, the virtual dating show has a single girl picking a date from three men without seeing their faces, but she gets to know them through live feeds from a camera on their chest.
"We look for novel formats by attending international content markets, where a staggering number of programmes make it difficult to isolate ones that would appeal to Thai audiences. But when we finally purchase a programme, we already have in mind how to adapt it,'' said Chalakorn.
At the same time, Workpoint Entertainment participates in the trade fairs to sell its formats and finished programmes. Twenty of them have been licensed to 10 foreign broadcasters, showing that Thai creativity has earned a certain reputation in the international marketplace.
The company has been known for years as a game- and quiz-show producer. Featuring hardcore fans of a certain subject -- from football clubs to the Oscars -- Fan Pan Tae has been adapted by a Swedish broadcaster and aired in 2013 under the local title Fantasterna. Two years later, another adaptation, named The Fanatics, aired on the UK's Sky One.
"Our executives like to play games, and we have a strong DNA for producing game and quiz shows, many of which have been named Best Game Show from the Asian Television Awards," said Chalakorn. "They are more of a variety show in offering engaging edutainment, and this makes us strong in this category."
The production house is also good at producing comedy, ingrained in variety game shows such as Ching Roi Ching Larn, a long-running programme since 1990. The Ching Roi Ching Larn Wow Wow Wow format along with four other TV shows have been licensed to Vietnamese broadcasters.
A 2010 International Emmy nominee in the comedy category, Talok Hok Chak combines six short sitcoms in one show, with the finished programme having been sold to Singaporean and Japanese TV stations.
The challenge, however, was to penetrate the US, a major entertainment exporter with a big TV industry. A small yet good start, Drive Me Home (Rajaroth Ma Koey) and Lightning Quiz (Pritsana Fah Laep) formats have been licensed to American networks, but not yet produced for broadcasting.
Thailand's first drive-in TV show, Drive Me Home has a player bringing his or her old and rusty car along with passengers to help the owner correctly answer a question to win a new Toyota.
Lightning Quiz was named Highly Commended Best Game or Quiz Programme at the Asian Television Awards 2016. The first round has two competing teams send a member to play a quiz game seated on a lightning chair that moves up and down depending on whether a right or wrong answer is given. The player who gets 10 questions right takes home a cash prize. The jackpot round has the players answering another series of questions to win a car.
This year, Workpoint Entertainment plans to take its creative formats and finished programmes to five international content markets, starting with its participation in the NATPE Miami Market & Conference in mid-January.
"They may know of China and South Korea," Chalakorn said. "It's a pity that Thailand is not yet recognised for our creative content in the global TV industry. In addition, there is no government support in exporting our TV programmes compared to South Korea, whose government is keen on promoting its culture and entertainment."
