MBC’s South Korean format ‘The Masked Singer’ reaches 50 country milestone

The Masked Singer (UK)

South Korean broadcaster MBC has said its hit singing format The King Of Mask Singer (aka The Masked Singer) has now sold into more than 50 countries.

The show premiered on MBC in 2015 and has already aired in Thailand, Mexico, Australia, France, Germany and Portugal, with its UK version debuting earlier this month.

The show has also become a hit for US broadcaster Fox, which premiered its version in January, with the series becoming the highest rated programme on US network TV in 2019. A third season is set to debut next month.

Aidan Lee, format sales chief at MBC, said he continued to be “deluged with continuous offers” for The Masked Singer rights and added that deals had been been struck in over 50 countries to date.

Hyun-Ho Park, managing director of business at MBC, said producers had been “drawn not only to the musical authenticity which the show creates, but also to the fact that the format of this show stimulates curiosity and derives suspense.”

Late last year, The Masked Singer creator Park Won Woo struck a first-look deal with NBCUniversal-owned Universal Television Alternative Studio.