CANNES, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MTV Studios, a unit of Viacom’s (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA) MTV, announced today a partnership with Facebook Watch to reimagine the groundbreaking series MTV’s The Real World for three all new seasons debuting Spring 2019. Drawing on Facebook’s global platform, the new seasons will be native productions in Mexico, Thailand and the United States, respectively, to explore friendship, and the cultural and social environment in each. Available exclusively on Facebook Watch, the new seasons will introduce interactive social and community features that empower fans to shape the action and connect across mobile, desktop and Facebook's TV app.
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The news was unveiled during Facebook Watch’s presentation at MIPCOM 2018 by Matthew Henick, Facebook’s Head of Content Planning and Strategy for Facebook, Paresh Rajwat, Director of Product Management for Facebook and Chris McCarthy, President of MTV. Creators Bunim/Murray Productions is co-producing the new seasons with MTV Studios and pre-production is underway in each location.
“MTV’s The Real World helped to define a generation and created a new genre of television with a simple yet powerful idea of connecting people from wildly divergent backgrounds to find common ground on the issues that often divided them,” said McCarthy. “By partnering with Facebook Watch and BMP, we have the opportunity to impact culture and create a new genre of television all over again, while engaging the next generation of content consumers around the world.”
The social conversation on Facebook Watch will power the audience experience in the new seasons of MTV’s The Real World. The Facebook community will have the ability to vote one housemate onto the show prior to air, and there will be unique opportunities for fans to connect with the cast through Facebook Live, Premieres, and Watch Party. Facebook Watch will also release daily drops of scenes from forthcoming episodes leading into the weekly half-hour premiere. Additional social elements will be introduced prior to launch and throughout the seasons.
Created for MTV by Jonathan Murray and the late Mary-Ellis Bunim of Bunim/Murray Productions, MTV’s The Real World was a trailblazing social experiment. It was the first original reality series on TV and the first to tackle never before seen, culturally resonant stories about HIV/AIDS, race, mental health, homophobia, addiction, and more — including the first bisexual man on a TV series, the first televised same-sex commitment ceremony, and its unforgettable portrayal of Pedro Zamora’s battle with HIV. Celebrated for its diverse casting and honest portrayal of contemporary young adulthood, The Real World generated conversations that reverberated loudly though media and youth culture. These re-imagined versions will continue to live up to the revolutionary promise of offering “the true story of seven strangers, picked to live in a house, work together and have their lives taped, to find out what happens when people stop being polite... and start getting real.”
About Facebook Watch
Facebook Watch is a place to discover and enjoy shows on Facebook. Home to a wide range of shows – from scripted comedy and drama, to competition and reality series, to individual creators and live sports – Facebook Watch is a video platform where episodic content, community and conversation come together. This is a personalized viewing experience, where you can discover new series based on what your friends are watching, and catch up on the shows you follow. Facebook Watch is available for free on mobile apps across Apple and Android, on desktop, laptop and on TV apps listed here: https://videoapp.fb.com/.
About MTV
MTV is the leading global youth media brand in 180 countries, reaching 450 million households in more than 30 different languages across every platform. A unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), MTV operations span cable and mobile networks, live events, theatrical films and MTV Studios, a unit that produces new and reimagined content for SVOD and linear platforms based on MTV’s library of over 200+ youth titles and franchises.
About Bunim/Murray Productions
Bunim/Murray Productions (BMP) is the leading producer of innovative entertainment content. The Emmy Award-winning company is widely credited with creating the reality television genre with its hit series The Real World (32 seasons on MTV). BMP continued to innovate with the first reality game show, Road Rules (MTV), in 1995; the first reality sitcom, The Simple Life (E!), in 2003; and the first reality soap opera, Starting Over, in 2003. BMP’s current programming includes Keeping up with the Kardashians, Life of Kylie, Total Divas, Total Bellas and Citizen Rose (E!), The Real World, The Challenge and The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars and Lohan Beach Club (MTV), Valerie’s Home Cooking (Food Network), Born This Way (A&E), Earth Live (National Geographic), Bill Nye Saves the World (Netflix), The Selection: Special Operations Experiment (History), The Healer (TLC), GloBugz (YouTube), Ball in the Family (Facebook Watch) and Miz and Mrs. (USA Network). BMP has also produced They Call Us Monsters (PBS), Valentine Road (HBO), Pedro (MTV) and the Emmy Award-winning Autism: The Musical (HBO) for BMP Films. Based in Glendale, CA, the company was founded in 1987 by Jonathan Murray and the late Mary-Ellis Bunim, who were inducted into the Television Academy’s Hall of Fame in 2012. The company joined Banijay Group in 2010.
