BBC Studios Euro Hires; Guinness World Record Studios Launch; NBCU & Fremantle Formats Land Remakes; Nippon’s ‘Baby Shower’; Mediapro Studios Deal; Zee-Talesmith Co-Pro; Beta’s ‘Wall’ Sales – Mipcom Briefs

Jesse Whittock
·4 min read

BBC Studios Makes Pair Of European Hires

BBC Studios has appointed Fiona Wassenberg as the Head of BBC Studios Benelux Production and Isabel Durán as Format Sales Director for Iberia and Latin America. Based in Amsterdam, Wassenberg oversee BBC Studios’ formats and production business across Benelux. She’ll work closely with BBC Studios’ local unscripted format partner Fremantle, and commissioners and producers in the region. She previously spent 16 years with Dutch public broadcaster Omroep MAX, most recently as Commissioning Editor and Content Acquisitions. Durán has 20 years’ experience in international TV for the likes of Eyeworks (now part of Warner Bros Discovery), Atresmedia and Buendia Estudios.

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Guinness World Records Launches Production Arm

Guinness World Records (GWR) is preparing to launch a content production arm, GWR Studios. The unit will oversee creative development, production and content output for the global records brand. It sit within the TV and digital division of GWR, aiming to make shows for external broadcast and brand partners, and digital platforms, including GWR’s owned channels. Karen Gilchrist, who is GWR’s VP of Television and Digital, will lead the division alongside Kathryn Hubbard, who is Head of Content Licensing for GWR, which over the years has made shows for U.S. and UK broadcasters among others.

NBCU’s ‘Big Show’ Format Remade In Netherlands

NBCUniversal Formats, part of Universal International Studios, has sold The Big Show format to RTL4 in the Netherlands, where the show will be known as The Big Show met Ruben Nicolai. The variety format has already launched in France on France 2 and secured a third on Canale 5 in Italy this year, along with landing an option with Spanish producer Secuoya Studios for a remake there. The Rose d-Or Award-winning show began life on BBC One in the UK, where is it from Hungry Bear Media and known as Michael McIntyre’s Big Show.

Nippon TV throws ‘Baby Shower’ with Turkey’s Sera Film

Earlier this year, Japan’s Nippon TV and Turkey’s Sera Film unveiled a co-development partnership and they’ve now revealed the first fruits of the pact.

Baby Shower is billed a “hilarious and heart-warming studio game show format targeting family viewers” in which two groups of expectant parents, family, and friends join forces to tackle games to win prizes of baby items. Set in a playhouse-themed studio with gigantic baby items, games include catching balls in giant-size swinging baby cradles, running through obstacle courses while wearing oversized milk bottle costumes and quickly changing diapers on teddy bears passing along on a rotating conveyor belt.

The Mediapro Studio strikes exclusive formats deal with Belgium’s Be-Entertainment

The Mediapro Studio in Spain has signed an agreement with Be-Entertainment to become the exclusive producer of the Belgian company’s formats in Spain and Latin America. Already in development are weekly entertainment show The Musical of Your Life and Job Switch, in which five individuals embark on a life-changing social experiment that involves a radical shift in their professional careers.

India’s Zee Plus And UK Indie Talesmith Team For ‘The Lion’s Last Roar’

TVF International is launching The Lion’s Last Roar, a doc from India’s Zee Plus and the UK’s Talesmith, at Mipcom this morning. The show, from the co-production and development arm of Zee Entertainment Enterprises and The Life of Earth producer Talesmith, explores lion conservation as the population of the ‘king of the jungle’ falls dangerously near zero. It’s currently in production and will be made available in March 2023, with TVFI pre-selling it in Cannes.

French-Canadian drama ‘The Wall’ lands Walter’s Choice distribution through PBS

Seasons 2 and 3 of The Wall, a murder mystery series set against the imposing backdrop of Quebec’s famous and imposing Hotel Château Frontenac, are headed to PBS in the U.S. They will be part of the Walter’s Choice franchise, which is the local distribution avenue of UK streaming service Walter Presents, which is available through streamer PBS Passport. Beta Films sells the Pixcom-made show and prior to Mipcom announced Season 2 sales to Australia’s SBS, Cosmopolitan TV for Spain, and MBC for its streaming service Shahid in the Middle East, with France’s NBCUniversal taking Season 2 and 3, deals Deadline reported first. Germany’s Beta has a 25-strong line-up of dramas for the market this week.

Atresmedia Television To Unlock Local Adaptation of Fremantle’e ‘Password’

Spain’s Atresmedia Televisión is getting into the guessing game space. It has acquired rights to adapt Fremantle’s gameshow Password, with Fremantle Spain producing locally. Passwordwas revived in the U.S. by NBC this year, featuring Jimmy Fallon and hosted by Keke Palmer and celebrity guests including Yvette Nicole Brown, Jon Hamm, Chelsea Handler and Martin Short, and was the most-watched new unscripted series premiere of the summer. The format sees celebrities team up with contestants, giving just one single word clue to help them guess each pre-defined password and win a cash prize.

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