London – NBCUniversal International’s MIPCOM line-up features new and highly-anticipated series from NBC, USA Network, Oxygen and Bravo. NBCUniversal’s established formats Baggage, Average Joe, Top Chef and Real Housewives will be joined by NBC’s Stars and Stripes and Ready for Love, USA Network’s The Moment, E!’s Opening Act, and Bravo’s Newlyweds.
Dating formats continue to gain ground with buyers. Baggage, in its fourth season on U.S. network GSN, recently launched in the UK (Channel 4) and has been licensed to Denmark (TV2) for a 2013 launch. The format was also optioned in Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland.
Average Joe, another dating format, was picked up for a second season in France after the programme performed outstandingly for M6 and W9. It is also being optioned in Germany and Spain. NBCUniversal Formats will also be pre-selling Ready for Love, a relationship series from executive producer Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives) to premiere on NBC in Spring 2013.
Quiz-based gameshows also continue to be favourites amongst international broadcasters. Still Standing aired in Brazil (Bandeirantes) and China (Jiangsu Satellite) this year with increasing interest in the format across Asia Pacific territories. In line with this, NBCUniversal is introducing a new gameshow format Danger Zone from Chocolate Media.
NBCUniversal will also introduce a “positive-reality” format, where a message of empowerment and fulfilling one’s dreams serve as a common theme. Three Wishes is having its local production in Norway with an option in the Netherlands. Dance Your Ass Off has also been enjoying recent success with local versions launched in China (ZheJiang Satellite TV), Portugal (SIC) and Finland (FOX). The Moment, a new show marking USA Network’s first entry in unscripted content, meanwhile gives ordinary people a second chance at realising the career of their dreams, which was put on hold when their lives took unexpected turns.
Celebrity-driven formats will also be represented in Stars and Stripes from NBC and Opening Act from E!.
“Our diverse slate of formats reflects the equally diverse portfolio of channels and production brands across the NBCUniversal family. From dating to gameshow to celebrity to documentary, our formats echo many of the trends that we will see at MIPCOM. And as we have proved time and time again with our leading brands, we have the expertise to take a format idea and reimagine the concept for international broadcasters,” said Yvonne Pilkington, SVP Formats & Production, NBCUniversal International.
