EXCLUSIVE: Before the start of The Golden Bachelorette on ABC tomorrow evening, four European channels are on The Golden Bachelor and ordered local versions.
Warner Bros. International Television Production has secured the format, a spin-off of the long-running dating series. The Bachelorto France, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. In the US, the series was ABC’s biggest unscripted series in nearly four years and was consistently the most-played network show on air nights.
The French version will be broadcast tomorrow evening on M6 and is produced by Warner Bros International Television Production (WBITVP) France. In Italy, Discovery Real Time, a Warner Bros Discovery company, has commissioned Fremantle to produce a local version, while in Germany on RTL and in the Netherlands on streamer Videoland, the production companies of WBITVP are relaunching the format.
WBITVP said “numerous” additional deals were in the works.
The Golden Bachelor is a senior-oriented version of the original Bachelor and is part of a franchise that also includes The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, The Bachelor Games And The Bachelor: Listen to your heart. The format is about a handsome, single man of advanced age who seeks a second chance at love later in life with a woman who shares his dreams. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon.
Andrew Zein, SVP of Creativity, Format Development and Sales at WBITVP, said: “The Golden Bachelor has proven to be a huge success, putting the entire franchise in the spotlight and reinvigorating the 20-year-old brand with its halo effect. By focusing on mature singles with fascinating life experiences, the series successfully brings something fresh and unexpected to the world of reality dating and relationship formats and has thereby attracted new viewers and older demographics to these shows, while maintaining its core audience.
“The Golden Bachelor is heartwarming and life-affirming. We are delighted that it has been adapted by leading international broadcasters and look forward to many more such “perfect couples”, and of course The Golden Bachelorette.”
The Golden Bachelorettewill play the 61-year-old Joan Vassos in the lead role, who in The Golden Bacheloras a woman looking for love in a group of men celebrating their golden years. The show was announced at the Disney Upfronts earlier this year.
