Optomen Secures Post-MIPCOM Sales

LONDON: Optomen International has scored sales for more than 60 hours of Optomen and One Potato Two Potato programming to English-speaking territories following MIPCOM.

The fifth season of Great British Menu was sold to Food Network in the U.K. The series follows top chefs from across the country battling to create food fit for celebrities, politicians and even royalty. Food Network U.K. also picked up the seasonal spin-off, Great British Christmas Menu.

The Irish free-to-air commercial network TV3 picked up three top-selling titles from the ALL3MEDIA-owned distribution arm of Optomen Television. Mary Queen of Shops, Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and Police, Camera, Action! were chosen by TV3.

XYZNetworks in Australia licensed the one-off special Gordon Ramsay’s Shark Bait, in which the U.K. chef exposes the practices that are threatening shark existence; Mary Portas Secret Shopper, featuring Portas tackling shoddy customer service in fast-fashion outlets, furniture superstores, mobile-phone shops and estate agents; Ramsay’s Best Restaurant, chronicling the chef’s quest to find the best restaurant in the country; and Perfect…, which sees 26 top chefs competing against each other. ABC Australia picked up Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Christmas, a two-part show that has sold to broadcasters in more than 50 territories.

Caroline Stephenson, the director of sales at Optomen, said: “English-speaking TV territories are famously competitive, and never more so than in today’s challenging economic environment. Our buoyant sales performance in the U.K., Australia and Ireland demonstrates that the appetite for top-quality entertainment continues to be very strong.”