Mediawan Rights, Studiocanal Sell Novel Sports Commentating Contest

In an alliance of two of the most powerful TV companies in Europe, and signalling Canal+-owned Studiocanal’s new drive into unscripted, Mediawan Rights and Studiocanal are bringing to market at Mipcom “Hit the Mic! – A New Voice for Sports,” a format which achieves the big ask of breaking new ground in talent contests. 

As produced by Canal+ and Black Dynamite Production, a Mediawan label, the sports TV talent contest turns on soccer match commentating. The strength of its concept, however, “lies in its ability to adapt to all sports, promising to reveal exceptional commentators capable of transforming each discipline into an unforgettable experience,” Mediawan Rights and Studiocanal observed in a written statement Wednesday. 

The first format in the world entirely dedicated to the art of sports commentary, ‘Hit the Mic’ aired from April 2024, as the UEFA European Champions League soccer tourney began its crunch matches, averaging 400,000 viewers per episode, including catchup. Rolling off an enthusiastic response, it was renewed by Canal+ for a second season in May. 

Underscoring the format’s international potential, major markets such as the U.S., U.K., Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, and several African countries have optioned the format. 

“Hit the Mic!” sees 30 contestants from Paris, Lens and Marseilles compete against one another delivering a studio commentary of a 50-second excerpt from a Champions League classic climaxing in a goal. 

In the case of the original nine-episode French format, Canal+ issued a real call for applications: It has 564 European Cup matches to be broadcast on its channels next season, it explains in an intertitle in Ep. 1. of “Hit the Mic!” It received 10,000 applications, 30 wannabe commentators being called for interview.

The series explains the basic values of sports commentary: An ability to convey the emotion of the moment, the personality of the commentator and their voice, and the danger of overwhelming viewers by an unvarying intensity of commentary. 

“Hit the Mic” also says much about the culture of Canal+, one of Europe’s most upscale pay TV players, and Black Dynamite Production. Contestants are grilled about their general knowledge of soccer and broader appreciation of the context of each game, such as why the UEFA Champions League Final between Real Madrid and Liverpool was held in Paris’ Stade de France. (Answer: It was transferred from St. Petersburg after Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine).

The format also allow viewers to relive memorable moments from Champions League classics, such as Karim Benzama’s power header first goal against Chelsea in Real Madrid’s 3-1 away win which furthered the French striker on the path to winning the 2022 Ballon d’Or.

Jury members in the Canal+ first season original were Laure Boulleau, a former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) player and Canal+ sports consultant, David Ginola, a charismatic former PSG winger and Premier League Player of the Year in 1999, and Hervé Mathoux, editor-in-chief and legendary voice of soccer on Canal+.

“We’re extremely excited to be continuing our strategic development around unscripted distribution with programs of this quality,” said Mediawan Rights’ Managing Director Valérie Vleeschhouwer.

 “’Hit The Mic! – A New Voice for Sports’ is a creative gem that brings together all soccer fans and beyond, combining real entertainment with a deep sport culture. The intelligence of this format also lies in its ability to adapt to a wide variety of disciplines and thus reach the widest possible audience,” she added. 

“We are thrilled to bring our expertise in international sales to support this innovative and ambitious program,” said Studiocanal Chief Commercial Officer Anne Chérel. “By partnering with Mediawan Rights for its distribution, we are confident in offering ‘Hit the Mic! – A New Voice for Sports’ a wide variety of adaptations worldwide, also marking Studiocanal’s new ambitions for formats and unscripted content.”