PRESS RELEASE
EXCITING ORIGINAL FORMATS JOIN ICONIC FAVOURITES IN FREMANTLEMEDIA'S MIPCOM SLATE
CANNES, 8 October 2012: (Virtual Press Office) -- FremantleMedia, one of the largest creators and producers of entertainment brands in the world, brings a diverse and exciting slate to MIPCOM 2012 featuring the very best in original programming and some of the world's most renowned and loved brands, from outrageous comedy game shows, to blockbuster entertainment and fresh new reality formats. Unzipped lifts the lid on what the nation really thinks, while entertainment meets sport in Let's Get Gold and fashion disasters are averted in Help! I Have Nothing To Wear. Couples compete in Six In The City while singles are unwittingly thrown together in Uptown Girls And Downtown Boys and egos are put in check in 10 Minute Box. Extreme comedy is provided by live action videogame Bang! Bang! along with extreme frights for famous faces in Celebrity Horror Night. Rounding off this year's packed slate is iconic musical game show Name That Tune, revamped with a modern twist, while the next generation of talent enters the spotlight on Idols Kids.
Rob Clark, Director, Global Entertainment Development, said: "FremantleMedia has an exciting slate of formats for MIPCOM this year and we're anticipating another busy market for us, as buyers continue to look for inspiring shows to entice their audiences. We're bringing a diverse mix of entertainment for every part of the schedule, with innovative new internally developed formats like Unzipped and Bang! Bang! joining fresh takes on well renowned and established brands like the iconic Name That Tune and Idols Kids, and the latest in our 'Help!' family of formats, Help! I Have Nothing To Wear. With our strong line-up of fantastic original programmes and audience favourites from all over the world, FremantleMedia's slate will be a big hit with broadcasters and viewers alike this MIPCOM."
Unzipped is the irreverent and witty studio based entertainment show that lifts the lid on what a nation really thinks and gets up to, developed by FremantleMedia UK label Talkback. Delivering an alternative social census of the country and catering for the nation's number one obsession – themselves – no stone is left unturned with questions ranging from the serious to the very light-hearted, from the eye-opening to the downright daft. Answers to questions like 'Who's more likely to have a favourite child – mums or dads?' and 'Where in the country are people most likely to have slept with a friend's partner?' are explored with the help of celebrity guests, audience surprises and hidden camera stunts. Already a huge success for BBC Three in the UK and recently re-commissioned for a second season, Unzipped has proved particularly popular with young adults, outperforming the broadcaster's slot average by 50% for young adults, and engaging an impressive 81% of viewers to interact with the show online.
From FremantleMedia North America's Henrik Nielsen comes a hysterical live action video game format that is sure to have you in stitches. Shot in a green screen studio, Bang! Bang! places real contestants in a virtual reality cartoon world and takes comedy to extremes, as contestants traverse animated worlds with the aid of a paint-balling partner, with hilarious results!
Get set as sport and entertainment collide on Let's Get Gold, with teams competing to turn their sporting passion into the most spectacular on-stage entertainment routine. In each episode a selection of sports teams, from local football squads to neighbourhood karate schools, perform in front of a panel of celebrity pundits from the worlds of show-business and sport. Teams will be putting their skills to the test, showcasing breath-taking choreographed routines to demonstrate their sporting prowess. The show seeks to identify amateur and professional groups displaying not only the best technique, skill and athleticism, but also those with creativity, style and flair. Viewers vote for the best on the night helped along in their decision by the judges' comments as they rate each performance and award each act Bronze, Silver or Gold. The winners of each episode go on to compete in the grand final where the audience's favourite wins Gold and prize money for the club or community supporting their sports. Let's Get Gold is a Superhero/Thames co-production devised by Sebastian Scott of Predictable Media and developed by Superhero TV.
Uptown Girls And Downtown Boys is a reality game show series with a comedic twist, as boys and girls from opposite sides of the track are paired together and head off on a four week trip of a lifetime. While away, they compete with other newly formed pairs in a series of challenges to stay in the game – but there's a catch – they're electronically tagged to each other! All day, every day and all through the night, the mismatched couples must stay within a metre of each other or see the group's daily fund for living expenses depleted before their eyes, face the ire of the rest of the group, and risk elimination. Only by working and pulling together will couples have a chance to win the cash prize – if they can stand it! Uptown Girls And Downtown Boys is from Artza Productions in Israel.
FremantleMedia is thrilled to have acquired Name That Tune, one of the most iconic brands in television history. The established international household favourite has been revised for the digital age, and features game rounds including 'Decade Download', 'Song Shuffle', 'Playlist Round', and 'Bid-A-Note'. The modern take is perfect for every part of the schedule and will engage a whole new generation of viewers, as two contestants go head-to-head in challenges to test their knowledge of songs, and Name That Tune.
After tremendous success in Latin America, Idols Kids is set to light up screens around the world as it uncovers the next generation of talent. Young hopefuls now have the opportunity to participate in the world's most successful singing competition and compete for television's most sought after music prize under the guidance of a superstar judging panel featuring music industry icons and experts. The auditions are packed with the same compelling mix of talent, drama, laughs and tears viewers know and love. We follow the youngsters as they step into the spotlight to audition for the judges and share in the parents' anxieties, as backstage they anxiously await their children's fate. The very best contenders will be given the chance to perform songs that demonstrate their versatility and talent, with a public vote determining who progresses to the final stage. Eventually only two talented young stars remain, who have just one week to win the public's affection and their votes. The young performer who is crowned the country's Kids Idol will record a professionally produced track and be awarded a fantastic music scholarship – helping them on their way to becoming a major star of the future.
Help! I Have Nothing to Wear will be the saving grace to the majority of women who claim they have nothing to wear – despite having a closet full of clothes! In each episode a style-guru is recruited by a frustrated partner to help sort out and revive the overflowing wardrobe that supposedly has nothing of interest or value to the love in his life. Together with the female contestant, the stylist goes about reorganising, re-styling, recycling and repairing the out-of-date wardrobe into a stylish new collection of clothes. While the wardrobe is given a total revamp, the woman will also enjoy a makeover to help complete her new look. Created by FremantleMedia Belgium, Help! I Have Nothing to Wear will launch in primetime on VTM in October 2012. Whether you're looking for creative inspiration on how to revive your favourite worn-out jeans or simply want to see how stylish celebrities work their magic to create an array of sensational outfits – then this show is not to be missed!
Six In The City is the new reality format that brings three wildly incompatible couples together to "triple date" as they compete to show each other the ultimate night out. Each couple takes on the challenge of hosting the best night on the town whether it be a cocktail and a dance around a handbag, or a beer and a hot dog or anything in between! Politeness quickly takes a back seat as these hilariously mismatched social agendas fuel conflict and rivalry as each couple tries to outdo each other in an attempt to win the vote and bag their dream 'Big Night Out' abroad. Airing with enormous success on Ireland's RTE, Six In The City is created by Waka Television with the support of RTÉ and FremantleMedia.
Ever wonder what other people really think of you? Enter the 10 Minute Box and you can find out! From Fuji in Japan comes this top ranking show where contestants are put on display for the world to see…and judge! Centre stage is a glass box containing five contestants with big personalities and even bigger egos. The audience is the judge, ranking the box's inhabitants on various factors including beauty, sex appeal and style. The only way the contestants can get their hands on the big cash prize is if they can put their egos aside and work out how they ranked. Can the contestants swallow their pride for the sake of the big money prize?
Finally, get ready for a night of thrills, spills and chills on Celebrity Horror Night, as two celebrities spend the night in a 'Psychic Hot Spot' (Haunted House). The beliefs of the two celebrities – one who is a firm sceptic of the supernatural and one who truly believes – will be shaken and stirred as they undertake a night of ghostly high jinks. Will the doubter believe, or the believer doubt – only time will tell! Full of non-stop shock, horror and ensuing hilarity, the celebrities will be guided through the night by a psychic expert, and each will have to perform challenges and missions that will push them to the limit and challenge their polar-opposite beliefs. Celebrity Horror Night is from FremantleMedia's Danish production arm Blu and will launch in primetime on Denmark's TV3 Plus. Will they say Ghosts or no Ghosts as dawn rescues them?
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About FremantleMedia
FremantleMedia is one of the leading creators and producers of television entertainment brands in the world. FremantleMedia is part of RTL Group, the leading European entertainment network, which is in turn 92 percent owned by the international media company Bertelsmann. FremantleMedia's worldwide production arm is responsible for many of the world's highest rated prime time entertainment, drama, serial drama and factual entertainment programmes. FremantleMedia Enterprises is the brand extension arm of FremantleMedia, offering a one-stop-shop for all Licensing, Distribution and Home Entertainment around the world. The FremantleMedia Group (which includes FremantleMedia North America, UFA, FremantleMedia UK, FremantleMedia Australia, Ludia, @radical.media and Original Productions, amongst others) has operations in 22 countries, one of the most comprehensive global networks, creating over 9,200 hours of programming a year, rolling out more than 60 formats and managing over 300 individual titles. FremantleMedia has some of the world's most sought after and long running formats in its catalogue, and globally produces such programmes as: Idols (co-produced with 19 Productions in the US), Hole In The Wall, Got Talent (co-produced with Syco in the UK and the US), The X Factor (co-produced with Syco in the UK and the US), Take Me Out, Family Feud, The Price is Right, Farmer Wants A Wife, Gute Zeiten Schlechte Zeiten, and Neighbours.
www.fremantlemedia.com
For further information:
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