FME Clinches Merlin Deals

CANNES, October 13: FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME)
announced several sales on its new drama Merlin at MIPCOM this morning, including German broadcaster RTL, which also
scooped up the rights to the new Australian production The Strip.

The Strip is a
13×1-hour production from Nine Network that is set against the backdrop of
Australia’s Gold Coast. Produced by New Wave Entertainment, the sale of The
Strip is part of a package deal with RTL
that was concluded by Veronika Gracher, FME’s VP of sales for German-speaking
and Eastern Europe, and Dr. Dirk Schwietzer, the executive VP of program
acquisitions and sales at RTL. Rounding out the package is Merlin, created and produced by Shine Television’s Johnny
Capps and Julian Murphy for BBC One. FME represents the licensing, home
entertainment (excluding the U.K.) and distribution rights to the show.

At MIPCOM this morning, FME also announced deals for Merlin
with Mediaset in Italy (for a 2009 launch),
SVT in Sweden and NED in the Netherlands. These follow earlier pre-sales to NBC
in the U.S., CTV in Canada and Network Ten in Australia. Mediaset, the largest
broadcaster in Italy, is set to air the show in 2009.

“It’s great to
see this level of enthusiasm for a show ahead of its launch,” said David
Ellender, FME’s CEO. “We feel Merlin is worthy of the hype which has preceded its
debut at MIPCOM and are very much looking forward to introducing the brand to
more buyers during the market.”

—By Mansha
Daswani