MAM
Reality TV mania grips China with ‘Wedding Race’
HONG KONG: The reality television bug is gradually biting viewers across Asia. In India, Zee’s reality TV channel was launched last month but Indian networks are still wary of reality shows, soaps. Now, China has jumped on to the reality bandwagon with the first overseas produced reality adventure game show.
Shot in November and December in Cairns and the Gold Coast in Australia, The Wedding Race (also known as Love You To Death) puts five romantically-linked couples against each other in a variety of extreme sports and challenges. At stake is a house in China.
The Chinese couples were selected after a search across the country for contestants. The bases for selection were personalities, athleticism and overall romantic chemistry. Real-life drama unfolded once the couples were separated (the male contestants were sent to Cairns while the female contestants went to the Gold Coast) for the duration of the production, having to perform daily challenges against each other.
In a few days, the show will be seen across China on a network of 20 leading terrestrial and city stations covering a potential audience of 750 million viewers.
An official release informs that losing or not completing a competition led to extreme public humiliation or physical penalties being sentenced to their partners, 1,700 kilometers away. The grand finale pit the men against each other in a gruelling, five discipline race in 38 degrees of heat (sand tobogganing, desert running, sea kayaking, ATV quad-bike racing and ocean swimming). Their partners (whom they had not seen for weeks) stood waiting at the finish line. The first to pass the post, into the arms of their partner, would win the house.
The show has been produced by Deansee Entertainment in association with Tourism Queensland and Guangdong Television, which offered their unyielding support to the production, and Branded Limited, which played an essential part in securing the corporate sponsorships.
The show’s concept was created by television producers Ken Lau and David Lee who are partners in Deansee Entertainment . The challenges were designed to take advantage of Queensland’s natural landscapes and dramatic backdrops. The producers also leveraged the extreme sports locales and establishments which have already gained popularity with visiting adventure-seekers.
Another innovation was the fact that the sponsors Coca Cola (China) and Siemens mobile had their products get naturally integrated into the show. In the heat, the need for the beverage conglomerate was made more than apparent. In the night the couples could chat and exchange pictures of the day’s activities via MMS with their new Siemens Mobile S57 phones.
Taking the lead on bringing Coca-Cola and Siemens to the show was Branded Limited, a Hong Kong-based regional Entertainment Marketing Company, who raised the required sponsorship and advised on all commercial issues throughout the production.
Speaking on the logic behind the initiative Executive Director of Branded Limited Jasper Donat said, “Sponsor assisted programming is a rapid growth market in Asia. As television stations tighten their acquisition budgets, it is independent production companies who can lose out. Sourcing funding through commercial partners is, therefore, a very attractive option.
Additionally, advertisers have a great opportunity to influence television content, and can actually enhance the offering to the viewer with relevance in an un-hostile environment.
In this case, The Wedding Race demonstrates the refreshing qualities of Coca-Cola and the new MMS features of the new Siemens S57 phone, says a press release. In many instances, this becomes a much more powerful presentation of the product and/or brand than more traditional advertising techniques. Moreover, commercial breaks are notoriously ‘times to make a cup of tea’ . However, product placement and usage oversteps this problem.”
Coca Cola has said that the association was an excellent fit as the spirit of optimism, confidence and positivity in the show are the same as the image & spirit of Coca- Cola.
In the show competitions included “as many times as you can” nose-touching amidst a skydiving freefall, simulated G-Force windmill parachute spins, swimming with hungry live sharks, bungee jump lake fishing, human target hillside water-sliding, hang-gliding bomb dropping, bungee go-cart dart-throwing, female ice-water barrel dipping, and live tad-pole mouth fishing.
Finally, Chinese viewers will also have the opportunity to be selected as contestants on the show’s second season through the show’s official SMS information service.
Also read
Indian networks still wary of reality TV shows and ‘soaps’!
Brands
Havas reports solid Q1 2026 with 2.5 per cent organic net revenue growth
Advertising group maintains positive momentum and confirms full-year guidance.
MUMBAI: Havas has started 2026 on a strong note proving that even in uncertain times, its converged model continues to deliver. The global advertising and communications group reported net revenue of €638 million for the first quarter of 2026, representing organic growth of +2.5 per cent compared to the same period last year. This performance was driven particularly by a robust +7.4 per cent organic growth in the United States.
Total revenue for the quarter reached €667 million, with organic growth of +2.8 per cent. Recent acquisitions contributed a positive scope impact of +1.7 per cent, while foreign exchange movements had a negative impact of -5.8 per cent, mainly due to the US dollar and British pound.
Europe, which accounts for 50 per cent of net revenue, delivered +1.1 per cent organic growth, supported by a good performance in France. North America (36 per cent of net revenue) led the way with +7.4 per cent growth, thanks to strong contributions from both Havas Creative and Havas Media. APAC & Africa (8 per cent) saw a decline of -6.2 per cent, while Latin America (6 per cent) remained nearly stable at -0.6 per cent.
Havas chairman and CEO Yannick Bolloré said, “Havas has started 2026 on a solid footing, continuing its momentum and delivering organic growth in net revenue of +2.5 per cent. This performance, in line with our full-year 2026 guidance, was driven in particular by continued strength in the US.”
The group also continued its bolt-on acquisition strategy, acquiring majority stakes in four agencies during the quarter: Acento Public Affairs (Spain), Ctrl Digital (Sweden), Styleheads (Germany), and Eyesight (France).
Havas maintained its strong creative reputation, ranking as a top holding company in the WARC Creative 100 for the sixth consecutive year, with three agencies BETC, Havas Paris, and Havas India placing in the Top 50.
Looking ahead, Havas confirmed its 2026 guidance: organic net revenue growth between +2.0 per cent and +3.0 per cent, adjusted EBIT margin between 13.2 per cent and 13.5 per cent, and a dividend payout ratio of around 40 per cent. The group also reiterated its medium-term targets for 2028.
Despite ongoing macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, Havas enters the rest of the year with solid fundamentals and confidence in its ability to deliver sustainable, profitable growth.
In a challenging environment, Havas is proving that its integrated, client-centric model remains resilient delivering steady growth while continuing to invest in creativity and innovation. The first quarter results suggest the group is well-positioned to navigate the year ahead with confidence.
