ITV

Tag: FreemantleMedia

  • Shilpa Shetty makes digital debut with Amazon dating show

    Shilpa Shetty makes digital debut with Amazon dating show

    MUMBAI: In order to build a strong footprint in India, Amazon Prime Video has announced a new show Hear Me. Love Me around the concept of blind dating.  Bollywood actress and fitness guru Shilpa Shetty will host the show marking her debut on a digital platform.

    In search of “perfect recipe for love”, the show combines modern-day technology with the rules of old-world romance. Young women between 21 and 32 years of age, with different aspirations and from different walks of life, make an attempt to find love and companionship. The single woman who will be set up on three dates in a single day won’t be able to see what her dates look like. The theme is geared towards attracting India’s millennial audience.

    “This show is fun and fresh and we believe it will appeal to our current and future Prime members. It is based on the premise of choosing a date, but with a big twist and in a never-seen-before format in India.  I think Shilpa is a great fit for this show and the audience will love the role she plays in this Prime Original. We’re excited to add Hear Me. Love Me. to the slate of innovative shows we’re making for our Prime members,” Amazon Prime Video content director Vijay Subramaniam said.

    The show is being produced by FreemantleMedia India, which uses technology to take virtual dating to the next level. After three dates, the single woman has to choose one from among the dates. During the time of decision-making, Shilpa Shetty will help contestants.

    The bachelors wear a mini camera on their chest sharing their lives, but never revealing their faces, thereby eliminating looks as a deciding factor. This format provides a sneak peek into the day of the life of the date.

    “I am thrilled to make my digital debut with Amazon Prime Video with this unique reality show. I am sure all of us have wondered if looks are everything when it comes to dating.  Hear Me. Love Me. puts this concept to the test! The format of this unusual and edgy reality show revolves around dating through the heart.  The show tries to uncover what each contestant values the most in their date,” Shilpa Shetty said.

    Also Read :

    Amazon strikes the balance between bingeing and episodic with ‘Breathe’

    Amazon India to launch 10 originals in 2018

  • ‘Asia’s Got Talent’ s2 to air on AXN; multi-year deal with FreemantleMedia confirmed

    ‘Asia’s Got Talent’ s2 to air on AXN; multi-year deal with FreemantleMedia confirmed

    MUMBAI: The search for “Asia’s Got Talent” will continue in Season 2 this year after its successful first season in 2015. Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia, has finalised terms with FremantleMedia International for the talent show’s rights.

    Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and FremantleMedia International co-produced the “Got Talent” franchise. It appears in the Guinness World Records as the “Most Successful Reality Television Format” with 70 local versions produced across the Asia Pacific, Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa. The talent show format is telecast in 186 countries around the world, Yibada reported.

    As yet, “Asia’s Got Talent” Season 2 has no local production firm or judges but is anticipated to start talent auditions throughout Asia. Its premiere is scheduled for the second half of the year, and is likely to broadcast on Sony’s AXN network across much of the Asia-Pacific region. It geographically includes the key territories of India, Japan, Korea, and China.

    FremantleMedia International GM – Asia and executive VP Ganesh Rajaram said in a statement that ‘Asia’s Got Talent’ Season 1 had become the benchmark for talent shows in the pan-regional space and that they were thrilled to have had secured the multi-year partnership with Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia.

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  • ‘Asia’s Got Talent’ s2 to air on AXN; multi-year deal with FreemantleMedia confirmed

    ‘Asia’s Got Talent’ s2 to air on AXN; multi-year deal with FreemantleMedia confirmed

    MUMBAI: The search for “Asia’s Got Talent” will continue in Season 2 this year after its successful first season in 2015. Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia, has finalised terms with FremantleMedia International for the talent show’s rights.

    Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and FremantleMedia International co-produced the “Got Talent” franchise. It appears in the Guinness World Records as the “Most Successful Reality Television Format” with 70 local versions produced across the Asia Pacific, Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa. The talent show format is telecast in 186 countries around the world, Yibada reported.

    As yet, “Asia’s Got Talent” Season 2 has no local production firm or judges but is anticipated to start talent auditions throughout Asia. Its premiere is scheduled for the second half of the year, and is likely to broadcast on Sony’s AXN network across much of the Asia-Pacific region. It geographically includes the key territories of India, Japan, Korea, and China.

    FremantleMedia International GM – Asia and executive VP Ganesh Rajaram said in a statement that ‘Asia’s Got Talent’ Season 1 had become the benchmark for talent shows in the pan-regional space and that they were thrilled to have had secured the multi-year partnership with Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia.

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  • FreemantleMedia ups Georgia Brown as EVP – global scripted & factual content

    FreemantleMedia ups Georgia Brown as EVP – global scripted & factual content

    MUMBAI: FremantleMedia has promoted Georgia Brown to the role of executive vice president – global scripted and factual content.

     

    Brown joined FremantleMedia International’s (FMI) global division last year as senior vice president of scripted.

     

    In her new role, Brown will oversee acquisitions for FMI and will provide a pivotal link between FMI and its in-house production teams. The role has been created as the company seeks to further drive its content acquisition strategy and generate strong commercial returns on its in-house scripted output.

     

    Brown will have dual reporting lines, working to both FremantleMedia Group COO & CEO of emerging markets Sangeeta Desai and FMI CEO Jens Richter in order to manage the commercial aspects of its scripted activity on behalf of FremantleMedia Group and third party content acquisition across scripted and non-scripted respectively.

     

    Working with Richter, Brown will oversee the existing teams on the acquisition of third party content for FMI to distribute, building and complementing FremantleMedia’s existing catalogue. She will work with FremantleMedia’s in-house producers on all co-production and co-financing arrangements in order to maximise returns on behalf of the overall FremantleMedia Group.

     

    Brown will also work with the M&A team to identify potential future acquisitions or creative partnerships, and will be involved in the integration of these companies post acquisition.

     

    Richter said, “Georgia’s talent and passion for content together with her fantastic relationships with the best writing and production talent in the industry makes her the perfect person to lead our acquisition and development business with our brilliant teams in the US and the UK.  She’s already secured some great primetime scripted content for FMI since joining FremantleMedia earlier this year and I’m really excited about what the team will deliver in the future.”

     

    Desai added, “As we continue to grow our content pipeline and creative partnerships around the world, Georgia’s industry knowledge and expertise of funding and international co-financing together with her strong track record in deal making will be instrumental.”

     

    Brown said, “It’s such an exciting time to be working at FremantleMedia, as the business continues to grow and diversify at an incredible pace, and I’m thrilled to be working so closely with Sangeeta, Jens and the wider FremantleMedia teams. Our ambition is to make FremantleMedia the first port of call for any creatives wanting to showcase their work to audiences all over the world, and to recognise our talented in-house teams and the very best third party producers by creating tailored commercial deals that generate the best possible returns for their content.”

     

    At Shine International she was SVP of acquisitions overseeing a range of projects. Before Shine, Brown was previously a commercial manager, at BBC Worldwide.

  • “I don’t have many artists on the panel because artists don’t like finding another artist”: Simon Cowell

    “I don’t have many artists on the panel because artists don’t like finding another artist”: Simon Cowell

    CANNES: MIPCOM 2014 has kickstarted with some great content from across the globe and some great sessions. The biggest content market on day one saw an interesting question and answer session between producer and talent scout Simon Cowell, who has been named the ‘personality of the year’ and a former Got Talent judge Piers Morgan.

     

    Excerpts…

     

    Was it in your blood to be in the entertainment industry?

     

    I loved entertainment since childhood. My dad was a very loyal guy, he told me one thing, whatever you do, remember that in every person, there is an invisible sign which says, “make me feel important.” And that’s how I started making my TV shows.

     

    What was the key moment for you in the business? When you started work and then everything fell, everything you dreamed of, crashed, what did all that tell you?

     

    If you work in TV, film, music business, only two things matter, stars and hits. I had nothing. When there is no training, you make more mistakes. I owned the bank half a million pounds. But in a way, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Although I don’t want to do it again!

     

    You made the genius move of fusing the power of TV to power of music. You did it at a time when no one had thought of it…

     

     The truth is it was always there. Right from Elvis to Beetles, TV played a massive part in spreading their fame worldwide and for me I was very concerned about the stranglehold that radio companies had on record artists, and then I thought TV was the medium that I could use to connect with music.

     

    You have been critical of the participants who come on X Factor and Got Talent, will you sober down with age?

     

    In my business you have to become the audience permanently. So when I am editing and noting one of my shows, it has to be what I like and find emotional or funny. You can’t treat the audience like idiots. If somebody comes on stage and is literally tone-deaf, and if I say take a couple of singing lessons and you’ll be a star, they’ll think I’m mad. I am a perfectionist. The day you just let go without looking at it, that’s the day you lose it.

     

    What about stars as judge on the show?  

     

    I never wanted to put too many artists in the panel, because artists don’t want to find another artist.

     

    About partnership with FremantleMedia…

     

    Without FremantleMedia, I would not have been sitting here now. What I really liked about Fremantle was that it understood that the combination of a music company making a TV show was better than a TV company making a music show.

      

    You created One Direction, through your show…

     

    I don’t like the word ‘create’. I didn’t create them, I gave five people the opportunity to be in a group because I felt as a whole they would have a better chance of being successful because they were so young and inexperienced.

     

    The groups, I have to admit, were terrible that year, but I felt these guys could work together. What I did was because that’s what I needed to do, I gave them the opportunity and the boys ran with the opportunity. It was a fantastic collaboration.

     

    What happened to X Factor America?

     

    I haven’t given up on the format in America. We just gave up on it too early.

     

    How important are the broadcasters in each territory?

     

    The broadcaster is one thing; it is the people in the channel who are important. They have trusted us and our partnership has been great.

     

    What do you look in people when you look for partnerships?

     

    Trust in both ways. If we didn’t have them trusting us in the first place, I wouldn’t have been here. They look after the shows and make it their own. That’s what I love.

     

    Are you moving into movies?

     

    Yes, but slowly. So we will do what we did in TV. My thought process is that with so many artists, I am looking at something like a High School Musical.

     

    Why have you done so few shows?

     

    Because it is difficult to come up with hit shows like X Factor or Got Talent. Too many shows will kill the market. The show these days are more about gimmick.

     

    Do you see a problem with multi-screen viewing?

     

    I don’t see a problem with it. If there are new ways of watching our shows, it is only to our advantage.

     

    When you relook, what’s that one moment you look to?

     

    The second week’s ratings of X Factor UK. The numbers had gone up by millions, as compared to the first week. So I felt really good.