News round-up: VTM2 gets ‘Stranded On Honeymoon Island’; Viaplay sets US & Canada DTC launch; Cowshed reorganises

Stranded on Honeymoon Island

VTM2 gets ‘Stranded On Honeymoon Island’

VTM2 in Belgium has ordered Stranded On Honeymoon Island, a new adventure dating format from Red Arrow Studios International.

Created by Snowman Productions, the series is being produced by PIT and it will debut in March. Red Arrow Studios International is launching the format at London Screenings and will distribute it internationally.

Stranded on Honeymoon Island sees couples are marooned on a deserted island and left to fend for themselves for two weeks.

In the format, the four couples are matched by experts following a speed dating event, but they don’t know which partner has been chosen for them until they see them at the altar.

Immediately after committing themselves to each other in an intimate ceremony, they are dramatically abandoned on their own deserted tropical islands for the adventure of a lifetime.

In each episode crates wash ashore containing tools crucial to their survival, personal greetings from home, or even a little luxury to sweeten their day. After two weeks the couples are separated and return to civilization, where they must make a life-changing decision. Will they renew their commitment and stay together, or will they go their separate ways?

Viaplay sets US & Canada DTC launch

Nordic-based Viaplay Group will launch its DTC streamer in the US on 22 February and in Canada on 7 March.

Subscribers will have access to more than 1,500 hours of content, including shows such as Trom, Furia and Partisan.

The service will be priced at $5.99 per month in the US and $6.99 per month in Canada. It is also available in the US via Comcast’s Xfinity and Xumo platforms The Roku Channel.

Cowshed reorganises

Cowshed Social has rebranded itself as Cowshed Collective amid as reorganisation that sees the company creating four distinct divisions.

Cowshed Studios will produces content for broadcasters, content creators and publishers, while Cowshed Social “finds cultural moments and trends to put brands at the front of what’s relevant across social ecosystems.”

Cowshed Creators is a new division focused on talent- first opportunities, including  talent-led branded content, IP, channel management and production and brand partnerships, while Cowshed Ventures is a new business-to- business division within Cowshed Collective providing social media and content services to social commerce businesses looking to scale rapidly.

The company has also appointed YMU Group alum Maryam Hamizadeh as chief business officer, with a cross-divisional remit to lead the commercial growth and development of the business, working closely with Managing Director Matt Ford.

Hamizadeh  will also lead the Cowshed Creator and Ventures divisions, developing talent, commercial, talent led branded content and IP.