Ex on the Beach Set for Russian Adaptation

LONDON: Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) has licensed three of MTV’s hit shows for new local versions, including a Russian deal on the dating series Ex on the Beach.

Marking the first MTV format to be locally adapted by a third party in Russia, a deal has been signed with Friday TV for Ex on the Beach. The local series, consisting of 16 90-minute episodes, will be produced by Friends Productions.

The experimental dating show Are You the One? landed a pickup from Adventure Line Productions in France, to produce the French series for broadcaster NT1. The 50×40-minute local series, set to air in 2017, is the first time that the format has been adapted to air five nights a week. VIMN will also be locally adapting the series for MTV Latin America. The 10×1-hour series will air on MTV across Mexico, Colombia and Argentina and is confirmed to also air on Televisa’s Canal 5 in Mexico from November.

Also, a first-ever local adaptation of the ‘how-to’ comedy reality format Guy Code in Canada is in the works. The 21×30-minute version, titled Code G, will be produced by Zone 3 and air in early 2017 on French-language broadcaster VRAK. As part of the deal, Zone 3 will also be producing a third season of MTV sister show Girl Code (Code F).

Laura Burrell, the head of formats for international program sales at VIMN, commented, “We’re thrilled that MTV formats are continuing to find new homes around the world with a range of broadcasters looking to utilize MTV’s renowned expertise in reality and entertainment programming. We look forward to seeing Russia’s take on the super-charged, super sexy Ex on the Beach, as well as the forthcoming French version of Are You the One for NT1, which follows NRJ12’s adaptation of Ex on the Beach, demonstrating the on-going appetite for high-quality reality content in France.”