ITV

Tag: ITV Studios

  • Avi Armoza buys back Armoza Formats from ITV

    Avi Armoza buys back Armoza Formats from ITV

    MUMBAI: Avi Armoza made big news when he announced in 2019 that  he was selling lock stock and barrell the production and formats company that bears his name to ITV Studios. Now, the spotlight is once again on him with his new announcement that he was buying back Armoza Formats from the UK production major. 

    The only difference is that the latter will own the catalogue it had acquired while Armoza will have ownership over all future formats it develops as well the exclusive right to produce ITV Studios formats in Israel. So around 100 titles including Still Standing, Marry Me Now and The Four will be the property of ITV, while ongoing productions between the two will have the status quo maintained. Among these are: the Israeli version of the ITV format Love Island which is about to begin airing on Free TV, three seasons of Come Dine With Me, and two seasons of the game show The 1% Club for Kan 11.  Additionally, a new Arabic language version of Come Dine With Me is in production and The Chase in Arabic is being developed, as well as the original Armoza production, Cooking Up Memories, which is now on air for Makaan.

    “Adapting to the changing needs of the market – exploring and finding new ways to do business has always been at the heart of Armoza Formats. I’m excited for the next chapter,” says the feisty Israeli creator Avi. 

    “I’m really pleased to continue to work with Avi as he represents our catalogue of award-winning formats, ” says ITV Studios managing director international production Lisa Perrin.

  • Something Special & ITV Studios sign multi-territory option deal for ‘Battle in the Box’

    Something Special & ITV Studios sign multi-territory option deal for ‘Battle in the Box’

    Mumbai: Something Special, the Seoul-based international format agency founded by format specialists Jin Woo Hwang (president & executive producer) and InSoon Kim (EVP & head of content) have announced that global production powerhouse ITV Studios has optioned the hit Korean celebrity format Battle in the Box for France, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel.

    Battle in the Box, created by Korea’s NMedia and represented globally by Something Special, has traveled around the world in recent months including previously announced deals with Fremantle (for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Portugal) and UKTV which commissioned the groundbreaking game show for Dave and UKTV Play, hosted by comedian Jimmy Carr.    

    Battle in the Box is a comedic competition and reality game show hybrid in which two celebrity pairs live in an empty box specially designed with movable walls. With no home comforts, celebrities must conquer physical and mental challenges in order to win special prizes and ever-coveted floorspace. Winning these challenges expands their living area while shrinking the losing team’s. Round-the-clock challenges with cameras watching their every move means each pair must strategize to expand their space and win!

    Something Special VP & head of sales Praise ChanMi Shin stated: “It’s extraordinary to see the huge international response to Battle in the Box which we instantly loved and couldn’t wait to take globally. And now our partners at ITV Studios are taking this exciting show further and building on its success. We look forward to seeing how each country adds its own touch to this hilarious series.”

    ITV Studios VP format acquisitions Ella Umansky stated: “We’re excited to be taking out such a fun, creative format alongside Something Special. It’s a simple but hilarious concept that translates everywhere. Celebrities are used to taking up space but Battle In The Box takes things right back to basics – they’ll have to earn every home comfort, including the floorspace.”

  • Colors doubles down on weekend programming with ‘The Big Picture’

    Colors doubles down on weekend programming with ‘The Big Picture’

    Mumbai: With few days left for the launch of its new show, ‘The Big Picture’, Colors TV is gearing up to cement its position as one of the most preferred weekend destination for TV viewers. The new launch builds on the success of its previous unscripted shows – ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi’, ‘Dance Deewane’ and ‘Bigg Boss’.

    All set to launch this Saturday, 16 October, ‘The Big Picture’ will also mark the Television debut of Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh, who will host the quiz show based on general knowledge and visual memory. According to the channel, the new show will air between 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekends followed by ‘Bigg Boss 15’ hosted by Salman Khan. With these two big entertainers, the channel hopes to see record viewership on the weekends.

    According to Viacom18 – head of Hindi and Kids TV network Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Colors TV currently occupies 24 per cent market share in terms of viewership on weekends. “The pandemic has led to a trend where families are coming together to watch on TV. So, we are doubling down on the weekends with two big properties,” said Jaipuria. “There was a clear white space that we wanted to address for our viewers. Audiences have missed theatres for 18 months, so we brought Ranveer Singh, one of the most versatile actors in Bollywood, to drawing rooms.”

    The 26-episode show will air over 13 weeks and feature multiple contestants vying to win the grand prize of Rs five crore. The show format is owned by ITV Studios Global Entertainment B.V and is produced by Banijay Asia and SKTV. “Everybody has been bogged down by the pandemic. So, when there was a programming opportunity at Colors, we took the show to them because the format encouraged audiences to play along,” said Banijay Asia – founder and chief executive officer Deepak Dhar. “And, there was a tremendous response for the digital auditions of the show that began in July.”

    Viacom18 believes in a TV+ strategy and ‘The Big Picture’ format definitely has an interactive element, where viewers can ‘Play Along’ via the OTT app Voot. Apart from fixed commercial time (FCT) inventory, the channel is keen to take away a bigger share of the advertising wallet as the festive season spends grow bigger.

    “It’s a win for advertisers because they won’t just engage with the audience via regular inventory on the channel but have the opportunity to customise and communicate their brand messaging and reach their customers in a clutter-breaking manner,” said Jaipuria ahead of the show’s launch. The show’s sponsors include BYJU’S, Bikaji, LIC, and Haier refrigerator.

    The channel has cleverly incentivised audiences to engage with the show by adding monetary rewards for viewers. For example, there is an element called ‘India wale lifeline’, where a contestant may choose to ask a friend for help with a question. The show has made it such that the person who helps with the correct answer will also share in the prize money. “If I win Rs 100 by getting the correct answer, the person who helped me will get Rs 25” explained Jaipuria.

    The channel has gone live with a multi-media campaign on 8 October across TV, digital, print, and a high decibel OOH campaign covering billboards, bus shelters, auto-rickshaws, and kiosks across cities like Bombay and Delhi and states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.

    “We have the largest reach on TV with 121 viewers and a solid fanbase of 110 million on digital,” said Jaipuria. The show will be also promoted across Jio platforms which has a reach of 300 million. Viacom18 has also engaged with fans by sending them a personalised invitation from Ranveer Singh to catch the show premiere.

  • ITV Studios names Pat Younge as non-executive director

    ITV Studios names Pat Younge as non-executive director

    MUMBAI: ITV Studios has appointed Pat Younge, as the new non-executive director. Younge is an award-winning journalist and creative leader with 30 years’ experience working at major broadcasters in the UK and abroad, he takes up the role with immediate effect.

    Younge will share his knowledge on International experience and insight to support the ITV Studios executive team. He will assist with the ongoing implementation of the Studios strategy, offer specialist advice and help develop the business. Younge replaces Denise O’Donoghue who previously held the role.

    He is currently the co-managing director of Cardiff Productions after recently leaving the Sky-backed production outfit Sugar Films.

    Pat Younge said, “It’s good to be coming back to ITV where I started my career. Julian has built a great team and ITV Studios has some fantastic labels, and I hope to help them build on their successes.”

    ITV Studios MD Julian Bellamy added, “Pat is a renowned leader in our industry with extensive experience across programme making, running Studios and TV channels.  His contribution to the ITV Studios Board will be invaluable and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

    Previously, Younge led the BBC Television Production studio, responsible for over 2500 hours of TV programming overseeing shows including Strictly Come Dancing, Doctor Who and Top Gear. Prior to that, he was a president at Travel Channel Media, during which time shows including Man v Food were launched.
     

  • ITV Studios acquires Israeli formats specialist Armoza Formats

    ITV Studios acquires Israeli formats specialist Armoza Formats

    MUMBAI: Television production company ITV Studios has acquired Israeli formats specialist Armoza Formats. Under the acquisition deal, ITV Studios has taken full ownership of Armoza.

    Armoza will become part of ITV Studios’ global creative network, headed by Mike Beale. However, financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed.

    The television developers and distributor Armoza’s catalogue contains more than 100 formats  including primetime singing show The Four and gameshow Still Standing, as well as primetime studio entertainment format I Can Do That!.

    “Armoza Formats has rapidly grown to be one of the top independent creators and distributors of global entertainment hits. This is a unique opportunity to work with Avi and his team and combine his expertise with ITV’s presence and reach to undoubtedly create many more hits of the future,” ITV Studios International president Maria Kyriacou said.

    “Armoza always strives to be at the forefront of creativity and stay ahead of the challenges in our industry, and we are therefore thrilled to be joining ITV Studios. We both share the same values and passion for success through creativity and strongly believe that ITV Studios are the perfect partner for the next stage of the company’s evolution,” said Amoza founder Avi Armoza.

  • Hungama Play partners UK’ ITV Studios, to foray into original content

    MUMBAI: Video-on-demand (VOD) player Hungama Play has partnered with ITV Studios, a commercial production company in the United Kingdom. With this association, subscribers can now stream popular titles like Jekyll and Hyde, Mr Selfridge, Jericho, Agatha Christie’s Poirot as well as Beowulf to name a few on Hungama Play.

    Hungama.com CEO Siddhartha Roy said, “This content acquisition is in line with the overall consumption on our platform and we are getting in more and more premium content to our users in order to driven joyable experiences.”

    Catering to genres like action, drama, comedy and mystery, this association will provide Hungama Play users across the Indian subcontinent access to the best of ITV Studio’s rich and vast international content range.

    ITV Studios Global Entertainment Asia SVP Hyeonza Hong added, “ITV Studios has a long and rich history producing world class content with a wide appeal.”

    Hungama Play aims to enhance consumer experiences with over 23000 hours of video content along with exciting features such as download manager, Gamification, gesture controlling and download scheduler among others.

    Besides the vast movie library of over 8000 titles, Hungama Play has also launched content categories including television, music videos, kids, short films as well as live events across genres and languages, with over 45000 video pieces to choose from. It will soon foray into original content with the addition of four new series.

  • FRAPA appoints four format heavyweights to its general board

    FRAPA appoints four format heavyweights to its general board

    MUMBAI: The Management Board of FRAPA has announced the appointment of four new general board members: Mike Beale, ITV Studios’ executive vice-president of global development and formats; Lisette van Diepen, Sony Pictures Television’s vice-president of acquisitions; Grant Ross, Zodiak Media’s executive vice-president of global creative development and format acquisition; and Michael Schmidt, Red Arrow Entertainment Group’s chief creative officer.

     

    UFA Show & Factual CEO Ute Biernat has also been named as a lifetime FRAPA Ambassador in recognition of her 15-year contribution to the Association, which included a seven-year stint as FRAPA chair.

     

    Under Biernat’s tenure, FRAPA underwent a successful rebranding and restructuring programming, launching several new initiatives and expanding its suite of services to reflect the format industry’s rapidly evolving needs.

     

    The expansion of the general board follows last week’s announcement that Phil Gurin, president and CEO of The Gurin Company, and Jan Salling, chief operating officer and managing director of sales and acquisitions for Nordic World, have been named the new co-chairs of FRAPA. The appointment of four high-profile format executives signals Gurin and Salling’s determination to transition FRAPA into a dynamic new era, while intensifying its efforts to build a global community for, and serve as the mouthpiece of, today’s billion-dollar formats industry.

     

    Phil Gurin added: “Mike, Lisette, Grant and Michael bring to FRAPA a depth of experience and a knowledge of the global formats business that will be invaluable to us as we move into the next phase of our development. Not only are all four at the top of their game professionally, but they are also deeply committed to helping us build a fairer, safer, better regulated environment for the creation and trade of formats. Jan and I would also like to thank Ute for her tireless work on behalf of FRAPA. She has been a quiet inspiration to us all and we are delighted she will continue to fly the flag for FRAPA as a lifetime Ambassador.”

     

    Commenting on her appointment as FRAPA Ambassador, Ute Biernat said: “FRAPA is a unique organisation that has played a pivotal role in growing the formats business from a small sideshow to the main event of television into a billion-dollar global industry. I am delighted to have been a part of that journey and will continue to protect and promote our vibrant yet still vulnerable industry in my new role as FRAPA Ambassador.”

     

    Other board changes to have taken place in the recent restructuring include the appointment of Keri Lewis Brown, K7 Media’s managing director, to the FRAPA management board, where she takes over from Biernat. The FRAPA management board now consists of Gurin, Salling, Lewis Brown and FRAPA co-founder David Lyle, whose television career spans 30 years, 20 countries and top executive positions for National Geographic Channels, Fox and FremantleMedia.

     

    Beale, Van Diepen, Ross and Schmidt join existing FRAPA general board members Nicolas Smirnoff, director of Prensario Internacional, and Vivian Yin, chief representative and deputy general manager of Star China International Media.

     

    Biernat is the second FRAPA ambassador to have been appointed by the general board. The honour, which was first conferred on Robert Chua, CEO of The Interactive Channel, is awarded to leading industry figures whose time, knowledge and dedication has resulted in significant progress, projects or initiatives to the benefit of the global business.