Netflix announces first Indian dating reality show

NEW DELHI: American streaming platform Netflix has announced its first Indian dating reality show IRL:In Real Love. Produced by content and brand communications studio Monozygotic, IRL:In Real Love will add to titles already available on the platform like Indian Matchmaking, Love is Blind and Too Hot to Handle amongst others that also focus on love, dating and finding the right partner.

Last year, the Reed Hastings-owned platform had produced What the Love! With Karan Johar where the celebrity filmmaker played matchmaker for singletons looking for love. In 2018, rival Amazon Prime Video had brought out Hear Me. Love Me based on the concept of blind dating, hosted by Shilpa Shetty.

“We are excited to expand our offering in the reality genre with a distinctive dating format, IRL:In Real Love. The concept is a true reflection of the times we love and live in. The choices and conundrums we experience everyday will be put to test in the show’s unique social experiment,” Tanya Bami, director, international originals, Netflix India, said in a statement.

Even as fiction properties, both web shows and movies, dominate video-on-demand (VoD) screens, a bunch of streaming platforms and content creators are increasingly laying their bets on non-fiction, local Indian content. Telugu streaming platform aha Video launched a chat show with actor Samantha Akkineni called Sam Jam while production house EndemolShine--which makes Bigg Boss, Khatron Ke Khiladi and Masterchef in India --is looking to adapt some of its international formats for the country. VOOT sees much traction for its TV content including exclusive snippets from reality shows like Bigg Boss, Roadies and Splitsvilla while Amazon Prime Video wants to build on its comedy slate with the Tamil version of Comicstaan besides a sports docu-series Sons of Soil: Jaipur Pink Panthers. Platforms say the level of engagement and interactivity is always deeper for non-fiction especially with younger audiences who are looking for believable figures to connect with.