Mediawan Rights Ramps Up Unscripted Division With New Senior Hire, Slate of International Formats (EXCLUSIVE)

Elsa Keslassy
·4 min read
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Mediawan Rights has expanded its unscripted division with the appointment of former Shine France top executive Jeremy Klif, and is opening up to formats from third-party producers.

Klif has been tapped deputy director of international sales for the unscripted unit which was launched by Mediawan Rights’ managing director Valérie Vleeschhouwer, in April. Klif began his career in the U.S. at Mark Burnett Productions, and later worked as head of sales and acquisitions for Shine France (“The Voice,” “MasterChef”) upon his return to Paris. He went on to launch Borderline Media, a production and distribution banner specialized in formats, in 2017. At Mediawan Rights, Klif will work alongside Estelle Bodén, the co-founder of Sweden’s Elk Entertainment, who serves as head of distribution for the division. Like Klif, Bodén has a track record as an entrepreneur and also worked for indies and big groups such as Strix Television.

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With Bodén and Klif on board, Mediawan Rights is now set to distribute “ambitious and innovative formats from third-party producers, along with formats produced by in-house labels, ” says Vleeschhouwer.

In the run-up to Mipcom, the unit has kicked off its first factual acquisition from a third-party producer, “Slice of Life” (SLOL AB), a Swedish show (pictured) created by Björn Ulvaeus, one of the members of the iconic pop band ABBA. The first two seasons of “Slice of Life” scored high ratings in Sweden on TV4 and a third order is in production. Klif described “Slice of Life” as a “time-traveling journey through food.” Each episode sees a famous person tasting dishes with their eyes covered, bringing back memories illustrated by archives, photos and songs.

“It shows how your biggest memories in life are often tied to special dishes,” says Klif, who points out that a number of formats now have celebrities attached which gives them a marketing hook.

Mediawan Rights also boasts a lineup of 10 formats produced in-house, including “Time Hotel.” Produced by Ardimages and 3e Œil Productions, the format sees famed French TV journalist Thierry Ardisson interviewing late iconic figures, including Princess Diana and French actor Jean Gabin, thanks to an artificial intelligence-generated tool called FaceRetriever. Each interview is based on archives and investigative work.

Format rights for “Time Hotel” have been sold to BlueEngine for the Middle East. Deals for the U.S. and Canada are also in advanced negotiations. “Time Hotel” has also been optioned by Mediawan-owned banners in Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland and Germany.

Besides “Time Hotel” and “Slice of Life,” the other highlights on Mediawan Group’s unscripted roster for Mipcom include “Kids Buy a House,” from Skyhigh TV; and “Last Family Standing” which is in its second season, from Skyhigh TV. “It’s telling that it’s been renewed for a second season, because very often formats don’t go beyond one order,” says Bodén. “Last Family Standing” is a reality competition series in which four families are separately taking on a survival challenge in the wild.

“Kids Buy a House” is a factual entertainment show in which children set out to find a dream home for their whole family. The executive said remake options for “Kids Buy a House” have already been sold to Germany and Belgium.

Other hit shows on Mediawan Rights’ slate include “Euforia,” a Spanish singing competition format which was created to find the best voices in Catalonia – solo voice and backup vocals.

“Euforia” broke a 20-year ratings record on the Spanish broadcaster TV3 and nabbed a 25.8-percent market share. A spin-off of “Euforia” is currently in production at Veranda. Mediawan Rights’ Mipcom slate also includes “Stars at Home,” produced by Réservoir Prod.

“We’re seeing more and more interest on formats; there’s a big demand, not just from broadcasters but also from streamers now,” Vleeschhouwer continues. She says she’s noted a “new breed of non-fiction formats that are hybrid, such as ‘Time Hotel,’ which reinvents the interview format and is scripted.”  Vleeschhouwer also says that formats that work best in this market are fun, uplifting.”

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