Shine Inks Deals for The Magicians

October 5, 2011 World Screen
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CANNES, October 5: Shine International has secured format deals for the entertainment series The Magicians in Russia and Ukraine.

 

Following The Magicians’ success in the U.K. and Sweden, Spintrex in Ukraine has commissioned the format, while WeiT Media in Russia has licensed it. The Magicians launched on SVT1 in Sweden on October 1 and was the highest-rated show across all networks. The BBC has also re-commissioned a second season of the series for BBC One, which will air live when it returns in January 2012. The Magicians is produced by Shine TV, the makers of BBC One hits Merlin and MasterChef. The series features three of the world’s best magicians battling across five weeks in the world of magic’s first competition.
 
Shine International is handling international distribution of the format, which has been picked up in more than 50 territories, including by New Zealand’s Sky TV, Hong Kong’s TVB, MBC in the Middle East, Portugal’s RTP, Australia’s Fox8, Finland’s TV5, Norway’s TV Norge and Thailand’s True Corp. In addition, Fox International Channels (FIC) in Asia has opted for finished episodes in territories including China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam.
 
"The Magicians is a brilliant format that feels fresh, exciting and different from all of the other big entertainment formats currently on air,” said Lisa Higginson, the sales manager for Central and Eastern Europe, Turkey, Greece and Israel at Shine International. “Magic had been absent from U.K. primetime for more than two decades, and that’s exactly why BBC and Shine TV brought it back. Broadcasters love The Magicians because it offers something completely new for the audience, while delivering pure family entertainment with both scale and drama.”