Advanced Television

Fremantle scales HITSTER format internationally

February 26, 2026

Fremantle has announced a trio of global territory sales for new format HITSTER, a music game show where teams battle to build a timeline of iconic music tracks, based on the #1 bestselling party game from Jumbo Group.

Since launching in 2022, the card game has rapidly grown into a worldwide phenomenon, becoming a top seller across multiple markets, including Northern Europe, Spain and Canada, with strong and accelerating growth in the UK and US.

The new studio-based format is built on the addictive simplicity and instant playability of the original game, which rewards players’ instinct over expertise. Two teams, pairing players from different generations, go head-to-head to build their musical timeline by placing hit songs in chronological order. The first team with ten tracks placed correctly on their timeline progresses to the suspenseful prize money final.

Transforming music trivia and pop culture nostalgia into a high-energy game show, HITSTER is designed to create big, shared reactions and joyful moments that spark personal stories and anecdotes. Viewers are invited to join an irresistibly feel-good, play[1]along party, packed with legendary tracks and lively performances.

The first global territory commissions announced today include The Netherlands where Blue Circle (a Fremantle company) and NewBe will produce eight episodes for RTL4. In Germany, UFA (a Fremantle company) will produce six episodes for RTL Deutschland. In Canada, Attraction and Productions Déferlantes will produce two seasons in collaboration with Quebecor Content.

Fremantle Netherlands and NewBe led the creative development of the TV format together with Jumbo Group, with Fremantle holding international production and distribution rights.

Fremantle Director of Global Entertainment, Andrew Llinares said: “HITSTER has already proven it can spark conversation and bring people together in their living rooms – and that’s exactly what great entertainment does. It’s a brilliantly social, instantly playable format that taps into nostalgia and music passion across generations. Building on our partnership with NewBe and Jumbo Group, with these first broadcast partners on board, there’s real excitement around scaling the format internationally and bringing an instant party into homes around the world.”

CMO at Jumbo Group, Isa Lana, commented: “Seeing HITSTER evolve from a bestselling party game into an international TV format is an incredibly proud moment for us. What started as a simple idea, bringing generations together through music, has grown into a global brand with real cultural impact. The TV adaptation captures the instinctive, feel-good energy that made the game a success, while amplifying the emotion and shared moments that music uniquely creates. We’re excited to deepen our partnership with Fremantle and NewBe as we scale HITSTER to audiences around the world.”

Founder & CEO at NewBe, Jeroen Koopman, added: “With Jumbo Group, HITSTER became a worldwide hit, and that gave us a strong foundation to build from together with Fremantle. From the start, our creative focus was clear: preserve the heart and DNA of the brand, while translating it into a television format that feels true to the original game experience. Seeing the TV version now begin a similar international journey with launches in three territories is a proud moment for all of us.”

 

Categories: Press Releases

Tags: , ,