Giovanca Ostiana is causing quite a stir with the announcement of her new TV show ‘Zing!’. According to Henny Huisman, this is just ordinary format theft. “This is curious.”
Fifteen years ago, Henny Huisman successfully presented two seasons of the program Korenslag. In this EO show, devised by Bert van der Veer, choirs competed with each other for the title of ‘the best choir in the Netherlands’. And now the same broadcaster comes with another program that is very similar.
Format theft
Giovanca Ostiana, known from Op1, and another EO lady will perform the show ‘Zing!’ present, in which they look for ‘the best singing group in our country’. “All genres, ages and formations are welcome. From pop to gospel, from fishermen’s choirs to student choirs, from rap to heartthrob,” said the broadcaster.
huh? Is this Korenslag under another name? No, this is format theft, Henny yells. “Boyfriend, ITV is producing ‘Zing’ for the EO. That is one hundred percent your grain. I would dive into it”, he says to Bert.
Curious
Bert has been in contact with Henny about it, he writes in a post on Instagram. “It is – Henny notes – also remarkable that the word ‘choir’ is avoided in a call on the site and only ‘singing group’ is spoken of.”
Yet Bert is not going to make it work. “How hopeless and depressing is it to fight against possible plagiarism? There is a constant bit of nicking. You just don’t expect it from the EO. See Leviticus 19:11: ‘You must not steal, lie, or deceive one another.’”
