Format Sales for MTVNI

CANNES/LONDON/NEW YORK: Formats from the MTV Networks International (MTVNI) catalogue have made their way to broadcasters in Europe, the Asia Pacific and Africa through a new round of deals.

Spike’s Pros v Joes, a reality competition series featuring ordinary men competing against their sporting heroes, is set to air in on Norway’s TV2 with a local production from Mediacircus. The format has also been optioned by Freehand Productions in Australia. Italy’s Mediaset opted for the VH1 reality hit Bridal Bootcamp, in which brides-to-be are on a path to weight loss.

The BET game show Pay It Off, which features debt-laden contestants who are trying to gain money by answering pop-culture quiz questions, scored a pickup from Nigerian brand management company Linam Concept, which will partner with a local sponsor to package the format.

“This recent raft of format deals perfectly demonstrates that our original content continues to go from strength to strength. We are extremely fortunate in having such a strong content pipeline, from iconic MTV shows to hip comedy and kids formats; whether it’s MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon or another Viacom brand, what unites our formats is their outstanding track record,” commented Caroline Beaton. “Our latest format deals are across a wide range of markets, in keeping with the fact that our shows are culturally unlimiting and resonate with buyers and audiences all around the world.”

There are four new formats launching from MTVNI at MIPTV, including Slips, an original MTV U.K. commission. The street-racing show features two aspiring champs that will bet their cars that they can beat each other around the track. VH1’s Dance Cam Slam is a weekly dance competition that features members of the at-home audience submitting audition videos via webcam. I Used to be Fat is a formatted documentary series originally conceived by MTV’s News and Documentary team. Adding to a slate of dating formats such as Room Raiders and Singled Out is Moving In, a format in which parents cast their votes about potential suitors after spending a weekend with them. Further highlights include MTV’s Real World and Room 401, Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues and GUTS, Comedy Central’s Crank Yankers and The Joe Schmo Show from Spike.