HYPE turns twelve reality stars into stocks. Three weeks in a glass trading loft, a share price on the wall – and an audience that doesn't vote, it invests: buy, sell, short. Whoever holds the highest market cap wins.
More than twenty celebrity reality formats are running in Germany in 2026 – almost all on the same mechanic: villa, camp or container, living together, nominations. The audience votes. It doesn't play.
The share price isn't a vote, it's a market. It reacts to likeability, strategy, scandal and boredom – and the cast can see it around the clock.
Every viewer starts with 10,000 virtual coins. Buy, sell, short – supply and demand set the price, second by second.
Every star's price runs visibly on the wall. No nominations behind closed doors: everyone knows where they stand at all times.
Staying visible means rising. Alliances, provocation, honesty, withdrawal – every strategy has a price the market rates instantly.
When something happens in the loft, an alert with a clip hits the app within minutes. Trading spikes – before the episode airs.
10 pm. Closing price, a dividend for the day's winner, a penalty rate for the loser. Sundays: delisting, live.
"The market is tough. The show isn't."Tone rule no. 1 of the format bible
Before move-in, the audience sets the opening prices. Day 1 starts with a public ranking – pride and humiliation before the first scene.
Every star holds shares in three others. If your rival rises, you profit too. Pump only yourself and you lose returns.
Every week on live trading day, the star with the lowest market cap is delisted – unless …
… the others buy them out with 20 % of the jackpot. Openly, on the trading floor. Solidarity has a cost – and only pays off for those holding shares.
Two or three stars link their prices. If a secret cartel is exposed, the audience launches a short attack – with 24 hours to defend.
One star knows the next twist in advance. In week 3, two may merge – irrevocably, jackpot split 50/50.
Twelve stars from a pool of more than 200 active German reality profiles – cast by market logic. Each class has a role and a typical price curve.
Established all-stars with their own fan base. High opening price – and the most to lose.
Stars from the past who want back into the conversation. The emotional core, with fan-favourite potential.
Newcomers from dating formats. Lowest start, biggest jumps – the hungriest in the loft.
Creators and streamers who bring their community along as traders. Unpredictable, viral.
The HYPE app isn't a voting tool but a trading venue with a virtual currency – no deposits, no withdrawals. There are still real prizes: the season's top 100 traders share a prize pool, and the best one sits live next to the cast in the finale.
Daily episodes on demand for retention, three live trading days and a finale for reach. The core – app and loft – stays the same; distribution scales. Target platforms: RTL+, Joyn, Prime Video.
A neobroker or fintech as the app's naming partner. Sponsors visibly buy shares in stars – product placement becomes part of the game instead of an interruption.
The mechanic is independent of culture and language; every territory has its own reality pool. The app is multi-tenant and stays centrally with the rights holder – the export engine.
Fixed-rig camera setup as in established container formats, a short season, at most two per year. Cost level comparable to Promi Big Brother, well below formats shot abroad.
Virtual currency with no deposits and no cash-out; prizes awarded as a competition with a skill element. Legal opinion included in the format bible. Trading 18+.
On-set psychological support, trading halts in a crisis, short caps against hate bets, no ad-hoc alerts about health or family. Part of every contract.
Ticker, closing bell, bailout, dividend: HYPE's mechanics create sponsor moments no villa format has. Add the app – used daily, measurable, with a direct bridge to the advertising partner.
€m net. Green: rights holder's share. Blue: broadcaster/sales house share (special TV ad formats, placement).
"HYPE powered by …": naming rights, presenting, a fully branded app, loft branding, category exclusivity. One contract funds the app and large parts of the production.
€1.5–4.0m per season
Ticker, prices, bell, bailout, app title and placement sold separately – one exclusive partner per category. Higher total revenue, more sales effort.
€1.45–7.3m per season
Price ticker in the loft and on screen, visible in every scene
€250–600kPrice charts and top/flop graphics only, no ticker
€120–300kOpener, closer, trailer sponsorship
€400k–1.2m"The … Trading Floor" as the loft's name
€150–400kMarket open and close as a daily ritual
€100–250kSponsor of the buy-out – ideal for insurers
€100–250kPartner funds the dividend and trader prizes
€150–400kExclusive sponsorship of the final show
€150–350k"HYPE Trading App by …" – funds app build and operation
€600k–1.5mThe virtual currency carries the partner's name
€100–250kPortfolio view in the partner's look, a bridge to a real account
€80–200kViewer opens a real brokerage account with the partner
€40–150 per accountRound-the-clock live cam from the loft with sponsor overlay
€100–300kDaily recaps on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube
€80–250kDrinks, tech, beauty, fashion, food delivery
€20–150k per brandCollection, star cards, board game
8–15 % royalty| Revenue stream | Conservative | Realistic | Hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV sponsorship (presenting, ticker, segments, finale) | 0.70 | 1.60 | 2.80 |
| Product placement and challenges | 0.15 | 0.35 | 0.60 |
| App fixed fees (title, ticker, coins, wallet) | 0.25 | 0.60 | 1.00 |
| App advertising (CPM) and premium subscription | 0.05 | 0.15 | 0.40 |
| Performance (accounts, leads, installs) | 0.10 | 0.40 | 1.20 |
| Digital, social, podcast | 0.10 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| Events, merchandising, licensing | 0.10 | 0.25 | 0.80 |
| Format fee (5–8 % of production budget) | 0.30 | 0.40 | 0.50 |
| App licence to the platform | 0.15 | 0.25 | 0.40 |
| Total value per season (€m) | 1.90 | 4.25 | 8.20 |
All figures are benchmarks and estimates for the German market (net, as of 2026), not commitments. Special TV ad formats are usually sold by the broadcaster's sales house; the rights holder's share (here 20 %) is subject to negotiation. Assumptions: 15 episodes plus live finale, 1.0–1.8m viewers per episode, 300,000–1m app downloads. Detailed rate card with more than 60 ad formats available on request.
HYPE is developed, protected and ready to demo. What's on the table:
"HYPE – Die Promi-Börse" as a word/figurative mark with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA), classes 9, 35, 38, 41.
Complete rulebook, 21-day plan, rundowns, roadshow catalogue, set, duty of care, escalation, budget logic.
Working prototype of the mechanic; requirements specification for the production build including the price-engine spec.
Second-screen test run alongside a current reality season with real usage data; sizzle reel; letters of intent from reality stars.
A development partnership for stage 1 and the pitch to platforms. We bring the format, trademark, bible, app prototype and requirements spec – you bring production, access and a creative producer with a reality track record.
Funding for the proof phase: production-grade app prototype, test run with data, sizzle reel, legal opinion, creative producer. Equity in the rights company that holds the format, trademark and app technology.
Format bible, requirements spec, business case and sponsorship rate card are available under a non-disclosure agreement.
Kunzinger · Grünwald near Munich · Format creator and rights holder