Newly integrated Fred Media/Radar has announced a major new partnership with the Seven Network, in which it has acquired over 150 hours of primetime content for international distribution.
The Seven Network slate, which comprises 12 premium titles from in-demand genres such as Reality, Home & Design and Food, and many with format rights available, will be officially presented to global buyers at MIPCOM next month.
Instant Hotel (18 x 60) is a fascinating look inside the highly competitive world of home accommodation rentals and features big characters, outrageous properties and brutal critiques as hosts swap properties for a night to judge their rivals. Australia’s Cheapest Weddings (6 x 60) is a charming look at love on a budget, while Extreme Weddings (8 x 60) follows couples looking to say ‘I do’ in a variety of big and bold ways.
Entrepreneur Mark Bouris is The Mentor (8 x 60), helping to turn around small businesses on the brink of collapse. Yummy Mummies (10 x 60 + 10 x 30) is an aspirational and funny reality series that follows four stunning young mums with model good looks and an enviable lifestyle throughout their pregnancies and into the chaotic world of newborn babies. Dr Harry’s Animal Encounters (18 x 60) tracks Aussie icon Dr Harry Cooper as he travels around the world and across Australia to bring viewers experiences with some truly spectacular animals.
In Australia’s Amazing Homes (9 x 60), home renovator Johanna Griggs and architect Pete Colquhoun take us into some extraordinary properties and provide insights into some incredible design innovations. The Aussie Property Flippers (8 x 60) follows 12 couples betting everything on purchasing, renovating and then – hopefully – selling homes for a profit, while Australia’s Big Backyard (10 x 60), hosted by gardening gurus Jason Hodges and Graham Ross, is an accessible, hands-on series, providing simple tips and advice, plus project suggestions, for anyone interested in making the most of their green spaces.
Hosted by two of Australia’s best-loved TV chefs and food writers, Ed ‘Fast Ed’ Halmagyi and Karen Martini, Ed and Karen’s Recipes for Success (20 x 60) features inspiring recipes for all occasions. Zumbo’s Just Desserts (22 x 60) sees Australia’s most celebrated pâtissier, Adriano Zumbo, together with British chef Rachel Khoo, putting passionate dessert makes to the test, while Plate of Origin (10 x 60), with food superstars Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan, plus Manu Feildel, challenges teams of home cooks, each representing their cultural heritage, to see whose cuisine is the best.
Roger Vanderspikken, Head of Operations and Acquisitions at Fred Media/Radar, says: “I first called Richard Henson at Seven a few years back to start a discussion about content distribution, and I’m delighted that we have now concluded this package that includes 150+ hours of premium Australian content.
“Our sales team is really excited by this timely addition of so many premium titles to the growing Fred Media/Radar catalogue. Seven Network has a long-standing reputation for producing brilliant, ratings-winning primetime programming with big-name presenters, and we are now honoured to represent these 12 titles, showcasing the very best of Australian content, to international buyers in Cannes. Having format rights for many of these titles is a real bonus too. Strong, simple and compelling formats are much in demand, and we can readily see the huge potential for localised versions of shows such as Instant Hotel and Yummy Mummies.”
Richard Henson, Director, Distribution & Content Partnerships at Seven Network, adds: “The Fred Media/Radar team has been licensing great Australian content around the world for a number of years and is particularly successful in many of the genres featured in this package. MIPCOM represents a great opportunity to present these titles to the market and I am excited to see the response. Much of Fred Media/Radar’s activity aligns with our strategic vision and I’m confident this new partnership will encourage a strong relationship into the future.”
This new collaboration follows a growing relationship between Seven Network and WTFN, Fred Media/Radar’s parent company. In the past few years, WTFN has produced several series for the broadcaster, which Fred Media/Radar also distributes. These include true crime series The Hunters (6 x 90) and Australia’s Most Dangerous Prisoners (8 x 60), Strike Force (6 x 60), an obs-doc cop show filmed by cops and two seasons of Code 1: Minute By Minute (15 x 60 + 1 x 90), which dramatically breaks down the some of the biggest and most tragic news events of recent years.
