Independent distributor DRG has launched DRG Formats – a stand-alone division to handle its entire global unscripted and scripted formats business.

Led by Managing Director of Acquisitions & Formats, Andrea Jackson, DRG Formats will represent format brands such as The Farm, Catch Phrase, The Bar, 15 to 1, This Is Your Life, Don’t Tell the Bride, Slow TV and Doc Martin.

It will be the sole distribution division for all unscripted and scripted formats originating from Strix, Monster, Gong, Baluba, Rakett and Paprika Latino, all belonging to parent company Nice Entertainment Group.

It will also be the exclusive representative of Norwegian public broadcaster NRK’s scripted and unscripted formats (including international hit Never Ever Do This At Home and Teenage Boss), Channel 5’s in-house production and Ireland’s commercial network, TV3.

Albertina Marfil has been appointed as Formats Manager of Sales & Acquisitions and will look after the Nordic region and Ireland within the division. Ex BBC Worldwide, Shine Intl. and ITV Global executive Jennifer Harrington has also been appointed as Senior Formats Manager to consult on format sales into the CEE region. DRG is also in final stage negotiations with another senior executive to join the new division’s team.

Andrea Jackson, Managing Director of Acquisitions & Formats, said, “We are delighted to launch DRG Formats. We have seen this area of the business perform strongly in recent years and now with the strength of our catalogue from parent company Nice and third party producers, it made sense to launch a stand-alone business division.

“Drawing on the newly established team’s expertise, we expect to see dramatic growth and look forward to taking the division to international markets.”

DRG Formats will be launching a raft of new content at MIPFormats and MIPTV including:

· Newly acquired factual entertainment titles It Happened Here and The Angry Doctor, from Swedish public broadcaster SVT

· Stripped format Best Couple Ever! From Terminal 9 Studios/Studio 89 for M6, France

· Social history format Born On from Monster for NRK1, Norway

· Factual entertainment format Whose Holiday Is It Anyway? from Coco Television for RTE, Ireland

· Dating format Adam And The Eves for TV3, Denmark and primetime quiz show Crossfire for TV3, Ireland both from Gong

· Comedy panel show We Know What You’re Searching For also from Gong for DR3, Denmark

· Studio-based comedy entertainment format Long Live! from Dedsit for VTM, Belgium