BBC Worldwide Sets Up Nordics Production Outfit

LONDON: BBC Worldwide has set up a new production base in Denmark and announced a partnership with Nordisk Film TV as it looks to expand its format business in the Nordic territories.

BBC Worldwide Productions Nordics will be run by Anders Fuchs as head of content and operations. Fuchs, who previously held positions at Nordisk Film TV and DR, is tasked with overseeing a catalogue of 150 non-scripted formats. He will work closely with Banijay Group’s Nordisk Film TV, which will produce and facilitate future productions of non-scripted BBC Worldwide formats. (Existing local BBC Worldwide format productions will be unaffected by the new partnership.)

Paul Dempsey, the president of global markets at BBC Worldwide, said, “Audiences in the Nordics love our programming and by teaming up with Nordisk, a company whose heritage, vision and values closely match our own, we’ll be able to bring even more premium content, in the shape of our world class non-scripted formats, to viewers across the region.”

Jacob Houlind, Nordic Group CEO of Nordisk Film TV, commented: “The BBC is known for its top-quality productions and has one of the strongest format catalogues in the world. As someone who works in the Nordics TV industry, it is a brand you aspire to and so we are extremely proud to partner with BBC Worldwide. We look forward to supporting BBC Worldwide Productions Nordics in making some fantastic new programs for broadcasters in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.”

The Great British Bake Off, The Week the Women Went, Honey We’re Killing the Kids and The Weakest Link are among the BBC Worldwide formats previously sold into the Nordics.

The new base in Denmark adds to fully owned production outposts in France, India and the U.S.; a joint venture with All3Media in Germany with Tower Productions; and an entertainment format production partnership with FremantleMedia in Australia.