Outright Scores Scandinavian Deals

LONDON, February 15: Outright Distribution has shored up a
series of deals in Sweden, Norway and Finland for six of its formats, including
Fat March and Mummy Diaries.

The first deal is for the hit Ricochet original production Fat
March. The British version, titled Too
Big to Walk, aired late last year on TV4
Plus in Sweden, and the channel has now taken on the U.S. version.

Also in Sweden, The Crippendales has been picked up by SVT. The hour-long documentary,
originally produced for Channel 4 in the U.K., shows off what the company bills
as the “disabled Full Monty.” SVT has also acquired the Vision Independent
Productions program Take on the Takeaway. The 11×30-minute series, which originally broadcast in the U.K. on BBC
Two, watches celebrity chefs on a mission to convince takeaway eaters to ditch
their deliveries and make their own versions of classic takeaway meals.

Over in Finland, Nelonen has licensed the 20×30-minute
series Open House, which is a property show
that gives tips on how to get your house sold. The channel has also optioned a
format from Outright, which is yet to be announced, for JIM, its male-skewing
digital channel.

MTV3Ava in Finland, the new basic-cable channel launching in
March, has picked up 17 hours of three series from Screentime in Australia.
This includes Mums and Bubs, which
provides helpful hints and advice to mothers, and From Here to
Maternity, an observational reality series
hosted by Nicole Kidman’s sister.

In Norway, TV Norge’s digital female-skewing FEM channel has
taken on Mummy Diaries, a series that
helps children whose mother’s have an incurable illness come to terms with what
is going on. Also, Norwegian state broadcaster NRK3 has taken on Virgin
Memories, an hour-long film from Touch
Productions. Outright Distribution has pre-sold its drama Rock Rivals
to NRK3 as well, and Nelonen has also
picked up the series.

Leonora Teale, Outright’s sales manager for Scandinavia,
commented: “Scandinavia is proving to have quite an appetite for a whole range
of genres from daytime lifestyle all the way through to prime-time drama. We
are delighted to now be in such a strong position to deliver high-rated, proven
shows in finished programming and formats to satisfy these demands.”

—By Kristin Brzoznowski