Tving’s ‘Zero Sum Game’ expands reach to Vietnam

Poster image of "Zero Sum Game" (Tving)

Tving, the South Korean online streaming service provider run by entertainment giant CJ ENM, on Wednesday announced that Vietnamese content production company Red Carpet and TV channel HTV7 acquired the Vietnamese rights for its variety show “Zero Sum Game,” which marks the beginning of their partnership with the streamer.

The 12-part unscripted show presents 10 participants who seek the highest prize money possible by maintaining their first total body weight, measured in the first episode.

The contestants spend a week together, with a twice-a-day weigh-in.

The show begins with 300 million won ($228,000), in which 1 million won is taken away for every 100 grams that the participants gain or lose. The 10 contestants split up the prize money at the end of the show.

The cast’s individual weights are kept secret, and only their combined body weight is revealed every hour.

“Zero Sum Game” ranked at Tving’s live top 10 chart after its premiere in July 2022.

The show’s unique setting and thrilling psychological warfare among the contestants caught many foreign content creators, leading to a successful media content export to Vietnam, according to the local streamer.

Tving added that the service is in talks with other countries about acquiring the show’s rights, hoping to expand its reach to more countries.

“As many countries showed their interest to a universal subject, like body weight, Tving will put its utmost effort to find creative content that can mesmerize the viewers. We seek to develop our own original series to strengthen the competitiveness of Korean content in the global entertainment market,” a Tving official said in a press release.

By Lee Si-jin(sj_lee@heraldcorp.com)