İzzet Pinto, founder and CEO of the distributor, revealed to ttv at Mipcom that his new music competition format, unveiled on Sunday in Cannes, will have its first international adaptation in Italy.
*with reporting by Carolina Mussio and Ana Paula Carreira from Cannes, France.
Just two days after its world premiere at Cannes’ Olympia Cinema, The Greatest Duo, Global Agency’s new entertainment format, has already secured its first international adaptation in Italy, with a launch planned for March 2027.
“Two days ago, we had the world premiere of our newest project, The Greatest Duo. This time, we’ve brought a music competition format that combines reality and relationships through music. It’s something completely new for the genre. Our first edition will launch in Italy in March and then, hopefully, the US will follow. It’s a great start, and I’m very happy to share this breaking news with you,” İzzet Pinto, founder and CEO of Global Agency, told ttv at Mipcom.
Unveiled on Sunday, October 11, before an audience of international buyers, the format brings together singing duos competing in front of a four-member jury. Each contestant is evaluated individually, meaning that both members of a pair do not necessarily advance together.
One of the central moments comes when one contestant reaches the Golden Stage while their partner fails to qualify. In a segment called The Choice, the successful contestant must decide whether to remain loyal to their original partner, risking elimination, or select a stronger singer.
“Singing shows can sometimes feel a little cold, and people may find it difficult to connect with them. But in this format, because it’s based on family values and personal relationships, that connection is much stronger. The excitement and synergy between contestants create a completely new dimension,” Pinto explained.
“In today’s world, for a format to be successful, it has to go viral on social media. We call this format a social media engine,” he said.
“There’s a section where two contestants are voted on separately, and they’re trying to get enough votes from the jury and the audience to reach the Golden Stage. When one gets there and the other doesn’t, that’s the viral moment, because the singer who’s behind needs to earn enough points to reach their partner. And when they both finally reach the stage and meet there, that’s what we call the Big Bang Moment,” he explained.
The choice between staying with an original partner and switching to another singer creates another layer of tension.
“We tell the contestant: here are three other successful singers whose partners have also failed. Pick one of them and try to become the nation’s greatest duo, or choose your original partner. But if your partner fails again the following week, you’ll both be eliminated,” Pinto said. “So the contestant has to be very careful. It’s a choice between loyalty to their partner and ambition: trying to become very successful with a new partner. That becomes a viral moment. It’s something people will want to watch and share on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.”
Pinto to Executive Produce the Italian Adaptation
The executive confirmed that he will be directly involved in the first adaptation of the format, although Global Agency will not serve as the local production partner.
“What we do is get involved as consultants and also as executive producers. Global Agency doesn’t become the production partner, but I, as the creator, will be executive producing it. I can’t wait to see it,” he said.
According to Pinto, the Italian production could be ready by the end of March 2027. The executive also highlighted the particular significance of the agreement for Global Agency, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. “When Global Agency was founded twenty years ago, our first sale was to Italy with one of my formats. And now, twenty years later, we’re starting again with Italy. It’s come full circle. To me, it’s almost a miracle,” he said.
“I’ve been creating formats for the last twenty years, and I can easily say this is the best one I’ve created so far. I have huge expectations,” Pinto concluded.
