‘The Circle’: Channel 4 Lining Up Third Season Of Studio Lambert Format Ahead Of Netflix Remakes

EXCLUSIVE: Channel 4 is lining up a third season of Studio Lambert format The Circle.

This comes ahead of the launch of a slew of international remakes including a U.S. adaptation for the Studio Lambert-produced format via Netflix.

Deadline understands that the British broadcaster is keen to bring the reality show, which is described as Big Brother-meets-Catfish for a social media-obsessed audience, back for a third run. Content chief Ian Katz is hot on the show and has been telling execs in the UK that he is minded to “double down” on the format as its second season heads into its final week. Channel 4 has noted that the series hasn’t been officially greenlit for a third season but sources say that Katz’ enthusiasm is a good sign for the show.

The second season of the show began airing at the end of September and it launched with its biggest audience of 1.3M, up from the first season’s launch of 1M. It drew around a quarter of 16-34 viewers on its launch. Although ratings have gone down since its launch, Channel 4 is understood to be pleased with its youth share and catch-up numbers have been solid. The Circle’s ratings are one of the most talked about issues in British telly circles with execs on all sides vigorously debating.

The Circle, now hosted by Big Brother’s Emma Willis, features a range of individuals from all walks of life competing in a popularity contest to win a prize of around £50,000 (US$65,000). They will all live in one modern block but separately in individual apartments, interacting with one another exclusively through a bespoke voice-activated social media platform called The Circle. In the show, the contestants will chat, make friends, argue and maybe even fall in love, while building their own profiles as well as forming cliques and private allegiances. They must avoid being judged least popular by the rest of The Circle.