Denmark’s TV2 Lands Local Adaptation of Match Fit

Fremantle’s sports-reality format Match Fit is heading to Denmark per a deal with broadcaster TV2 and the company’s Danish production arm, Blu.

The series will be produced locally by Blu. Created by Fremantle’s U.K. label Talkback, the show was originally commissioned by ITV in the U.K. and features British soccer legend Harry Redknapp.

Match Fit sees a team of former professional soccer players try to get back into shape in a bid to recapture their glory days and face-off against a team of past rivals. Throughout the journey, they rediscover old friendships and learn about themselves.

Harry’s Heroes: The Full English, as the show is known in the U.K., attracted over 5 million viewers at its launch and rated exceptionally strong amongst young viewers, winning the timeslot for 16- to 34-year-olds, which was 42 percent above the slot average.

Anne Brostrøm, director of Blu, said: “Following the winning performance of the U.K. version of Match Fit, we’re incredibly excited to bring Fremantle’s format to Denmark with our partners TV2. Watching these former professionals come together again is funny, warm and nostalgic to watch, with inspiring and sometimes life-changing results. We can’t wait to see these Danish football legends take on the challenge!”

Jes Schrøder, commissioning editor at TV2, added: “For us, it was love at first sight with Match Fit; nostalgia meets modern-day reality television. Taking old heroes and giving them one last chance on the pitch is such a brilliant concept; audiences will love the show’s humor and energy, but they will also see the stories showing the downside of fame, as well as the reality of middle age and slipping away from the limelight. Ultimately, Match Fit is a bittersweet tale of football, fun, families and friendship. As the Germans put it: ‘Alles ist Fussball.’”