[28.11.22] PRESS RELEASE
“DANSE AVEC LES STARS” STEPS INTO THE METAVERSE WITH THE NEXT DANCER VIDEO GAME
Dance fans can step into the metaverse with Next Dancer, a dance-off platform embedded into an ecosystem around the iconic “Danse avec les stars” licence.
This freemium video game, devised in collaboration with “Danse avec les stars” brand agent TF1 Licensing and with rights-holder BBC Studios France, uses 3D motion capture technology from Kinetix, one of the start-ups boosted by TF1 Media Lab. Next Dancer offers a unique Web3 dance experience, with users able to craft their own dance routines and compete with other players by collecting dance steps from the TF1 show and buying exclusive dance moves as NFTs.
THE “DANSE AVEC LES STARS” COLLECTION
This video game, a joint Next Dancer/Kinetix production, sees TF1 Licensing venturing into NFTs for the first time with a tie-in to the ecosystem around the flagship “Danse avec les stars” show, which is screened in more than 42 territories and has just finished its 12th season on TF1. An innovative move into the metaverse, it takes interaction with the “Danse avec les stars” community to the next level. Users enter a virtual world where they can collect and swap dance moves taken from the show’s iconic routines, as seen on TF1. The first dance steps will be accessible free of charge, and can be supplemented by buying dance moves in the form of NFTs at prices from €1 upwards. The aim is for users to craft the best dance routines so they can meet the challenges they are set, and go on to compete in dance-offs.
THREE-STAGE ROLLOUT FOR THE “DANSE AVEC LES STARS” DIGITAL EXPERIENCE
- Pre-registration: open now, to access a preview of the experience at www.experiencedals.frand collect three free iconic dance moves.
- Launch of the NFT collection in December: users will be able to accumulate dance steps from the DALS collection in the form of NFTs – some free of charge, others for an initial value ranging from around €1 to €50 (prices converted into Matic cryptocurrency.)
- The game opens: at the start of 2023, players will be able to launch dance-offs, using the dance steps they’ve collected as they compete to become the best dancer.
KINETIX – A START-UP BOOSTED BY TF1 MEDIA LAB
Next Dancer is the first-ever 3D real-time, open and social dance game. It uses Kinetix technology to capture dance moves, and then uses artificial intelligence and deep learning algorithms to transcribe them onto a 3D avatar. The collaboration is a new milestone for the start-up, which was incubated in 2020 by TF1 Media Lab, the TF1 group’s accelerator programme based at the Station F campus in Paris.
This collaboration brings the “Danse avec les stars” ecosystem to life in the metaverse, taking the experience to the next level and giving everyone the opportunity to get in step with the iconic TF1 show.
Legal information: Télévision Française 1 – TF1 société anonyme with capital of €42,097,127.
RCS Nanterre 326 300 159 – 1 quai du Point du Jour 92656 Boulogne-Billancourt Cedex, France. This document is certified by Wiztrust.
Yassine Tahi, co-founderde Kinetix: “At Kinetix, we use technology to capture the reality and emotion of human movement, so that we can enhance virtual worlds with new experiences. Thanks to the continuing support of the TF1 group, we are now able to deploy our tech infrastructure to serve the entertainment industry by working with “Danse avec les stars” and BBC Studios France to create the first-ever NFT dance collection, which users can access in the Next Dancer virtual world.”
Yann Geneste, head of TF1 Business Solutions and TF1 Licensing: “We’re really proud to launch this all- new “Danse avec les stars” digital experience in the metaverse. It’s an innovative, immersive offer built around unique technology, allied with an iconic TV brand from TF1. It will enhance engagement and interaction with the show’s community, and pull in new fans. This new project is the latest in a whole raft of brand exposure initiatives, as well as being a promising first step by TF1 Licensing into this emerging market.”
Damien Daube, co-founderof Next Dancer: “As a former professional dancer, I’m delighted that the Next Dancer experience is linking up with “Danse avec les stars”, a must-see show for dance fans. Our game world has everything it takes to appeal to the public: a flagship TV show, plus an immersive 3D concept that invites players to take their creativity to the limit as they compete.”
About Kinetix: Kinetix is a platform that uses artificial intelligence to make 3D design accessible to millions of creatives around the globe. Founded in 2020 by Yassine Tahi and Henri Mirande, Kinetix has raised $11m from leading VR players such as Sandbox and Zepeto (Naver Z). Kinetix infrastructure enables creatives to express themselves in the metaverse with Emotes NFTs, which they can use with any avatar in any virtual world.
About Next Dancer: Next Dancer is the first-ever 3D real-time, open and social dance game. Designed for the metaverse, it’s a dance platform that anyone can use to express themselves to the full. Dancers can collect and devise their own routines, using Kinetix artificial intelligence technology to transform their videos into 3D models. Brands can use the platform to roll out collections and one-off events. Created by former break-dance champion Damien Daube, the main objective in the game is to become the best possible dancer by taking part in a variety of challenges and dance-offs. Next Dancer is launching its Beta version at the end of 2022, and has already announced tie-ups with dancers and major dance events. www.nextdancer.game
About TF1 Licensing: TF1 Licensing develops and monetises a portfolio of high-visibility brands. With over 300 active license agreements and more than 40 million licensed products sold every year, we are a leading player in licensing in France, and a force to be reckoned with in Europe. Our portfolio covers a broad range of genres, and includes brands such as Ushuaïa, Barbapapa, The Voice, the Smurfs, Miraculous, and Petits Plats en équilibre.
About BBC Studios France: BBC Studios France is a French audiovisual company 100% owned by BBC Studios Ltd, the production and commercial distribution arm of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Ever since the company was founded in 1987, it has handled the sale and distribution of programmes in the French-speaking market (TV, digital and multi-device), alongside international co-productions. Our production business, set up in 2008, currently focuses on three growth areas: creating original formats adapting existing entertainment shows (such as “Danse avec les Stars”, “Le Meilleur Pâtissier”, “Top Gear France” and “La Vie Secrète des Chats”; creating original documentaries and factual-entertainment formats for the French and international markets; and developing new drama, whether original or adapted from foreign shows. BBC Studios France also creates and produces branded content, and 100% online content.
Legal information: Télévision Française 1 – TF1 société anonyme with capital of €42,097,127.
RCS Nanterre 326 300 159 – 1 quai du Point du Jour 92656 Boulogne-Billancourt Cedex, France. This document is certified by Wiztrust.
About the TF1 group
TF1 group is a major player in the production, publication and distribution of content.
Our raison d’être: to positively inspire society.
Our operations are split between two divisions:
The Media division is home to our free-to-air channels (TF1, TMC, TFX, TF1 Séries Films, LCI), our theme channels (Ushuaia TV, Histoire TV, TV Breizh, Série Club), our on-demand content platforms (MYTF1, TFOU MAX and Salto), and the TF1 PUB advertising airtime sales house. We also operate in music production and live shows with Muzeek One.
The Production division, with Newen Studios, is home to 40 creative companies and labels in France and abroad. The division creates and distributes programmes across all genres and for all media industry players, from public-service and private-sector broadcasters to online platforms.
TF1 group has operations in some 10 countries, and employed 3,380 people as of 31 December 2021. In 2021, the Group generated revenue of €2,427m (Euronext Paris, compartment A: ISIN FR0000054900).
CONTACTS:
TF1 GROUP
Jonathan Moysan – jmoysant@tf1.fr– +33 (0)6 78 01 23 72
Lucile Baudrier – lbaudrier@tf1.fr– +33 (0)6 64 33 23 41
Kinetix – Arthur Jacq – arthur@kinetix.tech
Next Dancer – Damien Daube – damien@nextdancer.game
BBC Studios France – Stéphanie Chérond – s.cherond@la-brune.fr
Legal information: Télévision Française 1 – TF1 société anonyme with capital of €42,097,127.
RCS Nanterre 326 300 159 – 1 quai du Point du Jour 92656 Boulogne-Billancourt Cedex, France. This document is certified by Wiztrust.