The European production group Fremantle has acquired the format rights outside Asia to a new Korean TV game show even before the show started airing in Korea itself.

The show, DNA Singer, premiered on Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) on 1 and 2 February as a Lunar New Year special.

Family members who share DNA with celebrities such as singers and actors become ‘DNA Singers’ and perform, while the judges have to guess which celebrities they are genetically related to.

“It is by no means easy to sell a paper format, before the initial proposal has aired,” said IlJoong-Kim, Executive Director of FormatEast, which created the show for SBS.

“But recently the preference for Korean content has amplified interest in our shows. We are seeing a trend for major players in the global entertainment industry to acquire our formats in advance to stay ahead of the game.”