SevenOne Inks TF1 Deal on Hit Format

MUNICH, September 10: Beat
Your Host!, which just premiered
in Sweden with a 39.5-percent market share, is headed to France in a format
deal between SevenOne International and TF1.

The market-leading French
broadcaster is slated to air its own version of Beat Your Host!—which originated as Schlag den Raab on ProSieben in 2006—this year. The local
title will be Qui peut battre Benjamin Castaldi? Castaldi is one of France’s most well known
broadcasting personalities.

This is the third local
edition of Beat Your Host! to
roll out this year, following ITV in the U.K. and Kanal 5 in Sweden. The
Swedish premiere yesterday delivered a 39.5-percent share. For Kanal 5, whose
average share in the year to date has been 12.6 percent, the show, named Vem
kan slå Filip och Frederik, is its
most successful in-house production ever.

Jens Richter, the managing director of SevenOne International, said: “France is one of Europe’s most important markets,
and we’re excited Beat Your Host!
will be appearing on the market leader TF1. Benjamin
Castaldi’s popularity makes him an outstanding celebrity challenger—he
and the French audience will have a lot of fun with what is one of the most
innovative programming concepts on TV today. We are also delighted that Beat
Your Host! debuted so strongly in
Sweden yesterday.”

SevenOne International has
sold Beat Your Host! into 12
countries so far.

—By Mansha Daswani