Zodiak’s Fort Boyard Notches Up Further Deals

PARIS: A number of new agreements have been firmed up by Zodiak Entertainment for the game show Fort Boyard, which is gearing up for its 20th anniversary.

TV3 in Denmark, which aired 117 shows under the local name Fangerne På Fortet, has signed a new deal for the show. Mastiff Denmark and Adventure Line Productions will be co-producing ten new episodes, with shooting to begin in July. Fort Boyard has aired or will air in seven further countries in 2009, including a fifth season for Star Channel in Greece, third cycle for BTV in Bulgaria and a sophomore season for TVP2 in Poland, Fox in Turkey, Fox in Serbia and ENTV in Algeria. A first season is set for Armenia TV in Armenia.

Shooting is now under way on a 20th season of Fort Boyard for France 2. The season will consist of ten prime-time episodes, airing on Saturday evenings; 52 short episodes to be aired four days a week; and 15 one-hour best-of shows in access prime time, as well as one special best of episode celebrating the history of the show and it’s success around the world.

With 1,345 episodes produced for 42 countries, including 237 for France, 100 episodes for the U.K. and 11 seasons for Sweden, Fort Boyard is the most-exported French format in history.

Matthieu Porte, the head of format sales at Zodiak Entertainment, commented, “Fort Boyard broke new ground when it launched in 1990, offering a totally fresh adventure game-show experience for viewers and a unique production concept for international broadcasters. Twenty years on, the fact that we continue to sign up new channels throughout the world, is a testament to its relevance and timeless adaptability for a global audience.”

Porte continued, “In many cases we can shoot up to three episodes per day. Shooting back-to-back throughout the European summer allows us to offer the most affordable and cost effective adventure game show. Our aim is to build on the success it continuously enjoys and launch Fort Boyard in the U.S., one of the rare territories where they have not even heard of the format!”