Format

At MIPLondon on Tuesday, February 23, Global Agency presented the European premiere of its new entertainment format The Mashup, introduced by CEO Izzet Pinto. Positioned as a next-generation music entertainment property, the format reflects a broader strategic shift in free-to-air television: the urgent need to reconnect with Gen Z and the emerging Gen Alpha audience.While traditional music formats such as The Voice or The Masked Singer defined previous cycles of the genre, Pinto argued that the next phase of entertainment will be driven by mashup culture—a trend already dominant on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

“The Mashup is not really a music format,” Pinto explained. “It is a creativity-based talent show.”
The premise responds to a fundamental behavioral shift: younger audiences consume content at high speed, with limited attention spans, constantly scrolling and seeking novelty. Mashups—short, surprising combinations of familiar songs—mirror this consumption logic and have already generated hundreds of thousands of user-created videos online.

The format leverages this participatory culture. By blending songs from different countries and genres—such as Turkish with English, or French with Arabic—the show is designed to trigger viral circulation and local reinterpretation, turning each adaptation into a potential digital phenomenon.
A key innovation of The Mashup is its performance structure. Unlike traditional talent competitions built around solo acts, contestants participate as pre-existing duos, bringing established artistic chemistry and contrasting styles to the stage.The staging itself is conceived as a visual signature. Performers start on separate moving platforms positioned far apart, which gradually converge as their performance progresses—creating a physical metaphor for musical fusion and a dynamic visual payoff for broadcast and social media clips.

From episode two, the competition intensifies with the introduction of a “Genre Wheel,” forcing contestants to combine unexpected styles—such as hip-hop with country—deliberately introducing creative risk and emotional tension. Pinto emphasized that imperfection and failure are part of the narrative design, reinforcing the format’s dramatic arc.
Two surprise elements further structure each performance: the unexpected second song revealed during the act, and the climactic moment when the platforms merge if the duo reaches the safety threshold.

Global Agency is positioning The Mashup not only as a TV format but as a long-term IP ecosystem. Each performance generates new hybrid tracks, cleared through publishing agreements and exploitable on a revenue-share basis across streaming platforms and digital channels.

The presentation also comes at a symbolic moment for the Istanbul-based distributor, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary later this year.