Merlin Lands Fourth-Season Renewals

LONDON: A fourth season of the hit fantasy drama Merlin is set for France, Germany, Australia, Norway and Denmark.

The renewals come as production gets under way on season four in Cardiff and France. The show will launch in its new run on BBC One this fall. Season three is currently airing in the U.S. RTL in Germany is also finding success with Merlin‘s third run. The third season launches this May on Network Ten in Australia, which has also picked up the show’s fourth installment for 2012.

Merlin‘s fourth season has home-entertainment deals in Europe, including Germany, France, Scandinavia, Benelux, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) holds the exclusive distribution rights, outside the U.K., home-entertainment and licensing rights to The Adventures of Merlin. FME has secured licensing rights to produce numerous multi-territory brand extensions, including a publishing and figurines range, experiential events and consumer promotions. This April, FME will launch the first ever interactive experience inspired by the show: Merlin: The Dragon Tower at Warwick Castle, which will give visitors the opportunity to get up close to the characters and be part of the mystic of Arthurian legend first hand.

A new restaurant promotion in France is scheduled to run in the second quarter of 2011. FME and Shine TV have also launched an official international Merlin website. Within the U.K., Merlin has more than 350,000 official Facebook fans.

David Ellender, the global CEO at FME, said, ‘We are extremely proud of Merlin’s phenomenal international success and continued renewals with some of the world’s leading broadcasters. It is testament to its solid storytelling and universal themes that appeal to such a diverse audience. We look forward to bringing the next chapter of Merlin to audiences across the globe.”

Merlin creators and executive producers Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy added: “We are thrilled at Merlin’s continued renewals and success around the world. It’s exciting to see the story and brand evolve on such a global level and gain popularity and fans series on series. We look forward to continuing to bring this worldwide audience more of the Merlin story.”