FremantleMedia Adds New Titles, Inks Alliances

LONDON, April 7:
FremantleMedia today announced two new alliances in Asia, with Japan’s TV Man
Union and Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA), and additions to its
MIPTV lineup with two new reality productions.

One of the first steps for
the TV Man Union partnership will be for FremantleMedia Japan to focus on brand
entertainment shows like Project Runway or Idols. In
addition, TV Man Union is also in the process of developing new game shows that
FremantleMedia believes may have international potential. TV Man Union is one
of Japan's largest independent TV production companies. Its credits include Sekai
Fushigi Hakken (Discovery of the World Mystery) and Sekai
Ururun Taizaiki (Homestay in the World).

Yutaka Shigenobu, the
chairman and CEO of TV Man Union, noted, “This alliance now creates
opportunities to combine our creative energies and exchange innovative ideas,
enabling us to begin creating and producing shows, then exploit their format
rights worldwide. I believe there has never been an alliance like this where
producers have had such an opportunity to come together.”

Tony Cohen, the CEO of
FremantleMedia, added: “This is a first of a kind deal for FremantleMedia and
indeed any other Western production company. This alliance will help build
opportunities for us to make our shows really work for Japanese audiences
because in TV Man Union we will be working with such an outstanding and hugely
creative producer. The deal also means we can take more Japanese content across
our global content network.”

The MDA alliance with
FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME), meanwhile, consists of a multi-year production agreement
that commits both partners to investing into multimedia TV projects, which are
set to generate $12 million over the next two years. The deal builds on the
success of the partnership that led to the production of Kylie Kwong: My
China, which
launched at last year’s MIPCOM. MDA and FME will jointly select projects to
invest in from Singapore-based producers and FME will be the distribution
rights holder across all platforms around the world.

Dr.
Christopher Chia, the CEO of the MDA, commented: “With FME’s extensive
distribution reach, Singapore’s award-winning talent and our ability to tell
compelling Asian stories right here from the heart of Asia, there is excellent
synergy to develop strong commercial hits for ‘Made-by-Singapore’ multiplatform
content that will be enjoyed by global audiences.”

Added David
Ellender, FME’s CEO, “I am delighted to confirm the signing of this deal.
It represents a critical part of regional hub strategy that sees us extending
not only our ability to sell seamlessly across multiple platforms around the
world, but also our relationships with local production companies and
organizations that we are confident will come up with innovative and successful
shows.”

In other MIPTV news, FremantleMedia
Enterprises (FME) has scooped up the international distribution rights to She’s
Got The Look, TV Land’s forthcoming reality series
in search of the next new face of the fashion industry—who is 35 or
older, in partnership with Wilhelmina Models. The show premieres on TV Land in
the U.S. on June 4.

"We are
so excited about this series and we're thrilled that FME shares our passion for
the show," stated Larry W. Jones, the president of TV Land. "She's
Got The Look offers a positive and global message—that
beauty is timeless—and is certain to resonate with women worldwide. This deal with FME supports TV Land's
commitment to create original programming for people in their 40s and
50s."

FremantleMedia has also
acquired rights from Simpel Media for the new reality show The Prettiest
Girl in the Class. Launching at MIPTV, the show has already aired on
Ned1 in the Netherlands. Production is also planned in Belgium.

Vasha Wallace, the VP of
acquisitions for FremantleMedia, noted: “The Prettiest Girl in the Class is one
of the shows from FremantleMedia which has the potential to work in many
markets. There is also a potential to develop related spin off shows. This show
helps offer broadcasters more of what they are currently looking for giving
them a proven format with a strong track record in Holland. The show was a huge
success for Ned1 attracting a really impressive audience as you can see from
the ratings. The real-life stories in the show affect almost every member of
the audience, there is so much potential for this format to appeal to a number
of different viewers, across the generations.”

—By Mansha Daswani