NBC to launch dating show this year

MUMBAI: US broadcaster NBC has announced that its new relationship show, "Ready for Love", a series that brings the age old art of matchmaking to the modern age, will premiere later this year.

The series, from executive producer actress Eva Longoria ?Desperate Housewives?, UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, Renegade 83 and Universal Television, will give three successful and handsome men who are committed to finding the right woman the chance of finding their soul mate.

Giuliana and Bill Rancic will host the series where three matchmakers will help the men find their perfect mates.

Women looking for love can submit their info using the new Facebook timeline app. This app, which is available at Facebook.com/NBCReadyForLove, allows them to apply or share the opportunity with friends and family members that might be perfect potential love interests.

The app will also connect people to the eligible guys via the ?Ready for Love? Facebook Page and the guys? Facebook timelines which will feature profile videos and provide a window into their lives, families, careers and passions. As the show progresses, fans will be able to discover and engage with new content from "Ready for Love," immersing viewers in 24-hour storytelling through the Facebook Pages for Longoria, the eligible guys, the matchmakers, and the women looking for love.

NBC Entertainment president, alternative and late night programming Paul Telegdy said, "We are thrilled to have Eva leading the charge creatively. She has enlisted the help of the three best matchmakers in the world, each with their own philosophies and approaches to guiding singles towards love,?" said Telegdy. "The show?s innovative format that uses online profiles and proven matchmakers will provide a better chance for our suitors to realize connections that will last long beyond the season finale.

Longoria has hand-selected three men who are committed to finding the right women with whom to share their lives. They are Ben Patton, an international financier from Dallas; Tim Lopez a member of the popular music group Plain White T?s and Ernesto Arguello an entrepreneur with a social vision from Miami, who will all vie for the chance to find true love. These three successful and family-oriented men have full and busy lives, but the only thing missing is someone to share their lives with -- and they are ready and willing to open their hearts to America and embark on a life changing process.

In order to find their ideal partners, Longoria has enlisted the help of the three best matchmakers in the world. The series begins with the matchmakers? search across the US for the potential perfect mate for each man. The three matchmakers will each select their team of 12 girls, four per guy. To be selected as part of a matchmaker?s team, the women will have to convince one of the three matchmakers that they?re a true fit and feel a real connection with one of the men. Once selected, each matchmaker team will live in a different house where they will receive personalized advice and mentoring.

At the end of each week everyone will convene on a state of the art stage in front of a live audience to watch the dates and receive feedback from the matchmakers. The women who fail to make a connection with the men will be sent home. In an intense finale, the quest for love culminates when the three men choose their final three women, who together, must decide if they?ll get engaged, married, or simply live happily ever after. No matter what happens -- they will all discover if they are really ?Ready for Love?.

?This show is about making real connections and the ongoing search for love, something that both men and women can relate to,? said Longoria. ?I am excited to be a part of such an innovative and promising format that will help these great guys find true love.?