Mideast Format Sales for Everybody Loves Raymond

LONDON/DUBAI: Sony Pictures Television Arabia has licensed its locally produced version of the American series Everybody Loves Raymond to Dream TV in Egypt, Murr Television in Lebanon and the Saudi Arabian IPTV service Intigral.

The 30-episode sitcom produced in Egypt is the first scripted format to be licensed by SPT Arabia in the region. The cast will include Sherif Salamah, Layla Taher, Ahmed Khalil and Caroline Khalil.

SPT will co-produce 30 episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond for TVN in Poland and 33 episodes to Reshet in Israel. It is the number one comedy in Russia, with 250 episodes on CTC. SPT has also produced local formats for series such as Rules of Engagement, Married…with Children and The Nanny, among others.

“Everybody Loves Raymond is a hugely successful comedy with universal appeal," said Ziad Kebbi, the president of SPT Arabia. "These deals reflect our local production’s high quality and relevance in the Middle East and we are extremely proud to be launching the show with these partners. As SPT Arabia’s first scripted format licensing deals in the region, this marks a major milestone in our growing Middle East business."

Everybody Loves Raymond originally aired on CBS from 1996-2005.