Press Releases

HONG KONG (May 8, 2012) - Sony Pictures Television (SPT) announced today it has licensed its hit musical competition format, The Sing-Off, to IPCN in China. SPT will co-produce the local version of the unscripted series with IPCN and Shenzhen Media Group for Shenzhen Satellite TV. The announcement was made by Mary Chan, vice president, production, Asia, SPT and Yi Hua, deputy editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Satellite TV and chief producer of The Sing-Off.

The Chinese version of The Sing-Off will consist of 16 episodes including four one-hour casting shows and 12 80-90-minute studio shows, which will air on Shenzhen Satellite TV.

"We continue to be amazed by the entertaining performances and the level of talent that The Sing-Off has attracted around the world, and are confident it will strike a chord with Chinese audiences," said Chan.

"We have seen many talent shows on TV, but The Sing-Off is not about one person becoming an overnight success or finding fame on stage," said Yi Hua, deputy editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Satellite TV and chief producer of The Sing-Off. "The Sing-Off is about talented individuals who come together to sing as a team, in unison, and grow through an emotional journey of pain and joy."

The Sing-Off is a unique reality competition show in which the best a cappella groups from around the country will perform popular, contemporary songs without background tracks or a band. The weekly series will feature contestants from professional a cappella groups, original Chinese ethnic groups; and new groups formed by beat boxers and lead singers from choirs.

In addition, the format has already attracted Doublemint as a title sponsorship partner. In the US, The Sing-Off recently completed its third season. The recent deal in China places The Sing-Off format in three territories including France (France 2) and the Netherlands (SBS).

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Sony Pictures Television is one of the television industry's leading content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre, including series, telefilms, theatrical releases and family entertainment around the world and for every platform: broadcast and cable television, first-run and off-network syndication and digital distribution. In addition to one of the industry's largest libraries of feature films and television shows, SPT boasts a current program slate that includes the top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark off-network series, original animated series and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. Internationally, SPT produces 6,000+ hours of programming annually in over 70 countries. SPT is a leader in local language productions, some of which are co-produced with local partners, and sells SPE-owned formats around the world. To better serve its clients and partners worldwide, SPT maintains offices throughout the world, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, the People's Republic of China, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Venezuela and the United Kingdom. SPT's worldwide television networks portfolio is a key strategy in SPE's long-range commitment to the global marketplace, with 120 channel feeds, which are available in 159 countries reaching more than 754 million households worldwide. SPT also creates original content for and manages SPE's premium video website, Crackle. Additionally, SPT owns Dutch entertainment company 2waytraffic, production company Embassy Row and Sony Movie Channel, and is a part owner of cable channel GSN, new 3D channel 3net, FEARnet, the premier horror/thriller website and VOD service, and national media sales company ITN Networks, Inc. SPT advertiser sales is one of the premiere national advertising sales companies, handling the commercial inventory in SPT's syndicated series as well as in all of SPE's digital businesses in the United States. SPT (www.sonypicturestelevision.com) is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.