Local Versions of Law & Order Premiere on NTV in Russia

LOS ANGELES, March 16:
Local format versions of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Criminal Intent premiered in prime time this week in Russia on NTV,
with the SVU premiere episode
winning its timeslot and the night overall in Moscow.

The
prime-time premiere of the Russian version of Law & Order: Special
Victims Unit on Monday, March 12,
at 7:45 p.m. marks the first scripted procedural format of a U.S. series ever
to air overseas. In Moscow, the premiere netted a 20.5 share and an 8.1 rating,
ranking number-one in its timeslot and winning the night overall. A second
original episode aired Tuesday, March 13, scoring a 23.2 share and a 8.9
rating, also winning its timeslot and the night overall. The Russian version of
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
premiered Wednesday, March 14 on NTV in the same time slot, scoring a 23.1
audience share and a 9 rating.

The
local versions were produced by Russian-based 2V and Global American Television
(GATV) for NTV, in association with NBC Universal and Wolf Films. In order to
adapt the series for a Russian audience, 2V’s Pavel Korchagin and GATV’s Ed
Wierzbowski consulted with the Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: SVU creative teams, including creator Dick Wolf, the
shows’ writers and producers, along with Leslie Jones, the VP of international
sales and format production for NBC Universal International Television
Distribution.

The
deal for the Russian versions of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Law & Order: Criminal Intent were unveiled in May 2006 by NBC Universal
International Television Distribution, Wolf Films, and NTV, making these the
second and third international format deals for the Law & Order brand. A
French version of Law & Order: Criminal Intent is scheduled to premiere on France's TF1 later this
year.

“We’re thrilled that our
first Law & Order formats
to premiere have performed so well out of the gate and we look forward to
seeing Law & Order become
as much of a household name in Russia as it is here in the States,” Jones said.
“The fact that audiences have quickly embraced these series is testament to the
quality of the productions, as well as the global appeal of the Law &
Order brand and its stories."