FremantleMedia Enterprises Announce Major Deals Across Asia

David Ellender, CEO, FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME), has announced a series of major deals concluded across Asia in the lead up to the 2007 China International Film and TV Programmes Exhibition in Beijing next month. Ganesh Rajaram, recently promoted to Vice President, Sales, Asia, has brokered deals with six broadcasters in Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore and India which total over 400 hours of programming.
Malaysia’s Media Prima has acquired 142 hours of comedy, drama, lifestyle and factual programming from FME’s extensive portfolio that includes the two new US drama series from Blueprint Entertainment, the smart and sexy The Best Years and the dark, funny and unique scripted series, Love You To Death, in which John Waters (director of Pink Flamingos, Hairspray, Cry-Baby), in his television series debut, tells the twisted, inspired-by-reality tales of spouses who have killed their loved, or not-so-loved ones. Other titles picked up include the live action series of Mr Bean, Martha and season two of the entertainment hit series American Inventor and The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency.
UBC in Thailand has picked up a package of programming totalling more than 120 hours including FME comedies, the Emmy-nominated British sitcom, The IT Crowd, and Crackerjack’s Comedy Inc. as well as a raft of outstanding UK factual programming including Penguin Adventure with Nigel Marven, Silver River’s 638 Ways to Kill Castro and Death In Santaland, talkbackTHAMES’ Buildings That Shaped Britain and Atlantic Productions’ Secrets of the Great Plague, Apollo 13: The Inside Story and Jack the Ripper: The First Serial Killer as well as the US dramas, The Best Years and Love You To Death.
FME has also secured major TV distribution deals with two broadcasters in the Philippines. ABS-CBN has acquired both BLUEPRINT ENTERTAINMENT drama series along with Kudos Film and Television’s Wide Sargasso Sea as part of a 76 hour package along with comedies, The IT Crowd, and the subversive new cartoon sketch show, Modern Toss. Solar, has acquired nearly 50 hours of programming which includes the latest seasons of US entertainment hits, Project Runway and America’s Got Talent.
Mediacorp TV in Singapore picked up a raft of FME’s iconic talent-led brands including America’s Got Talent and the second season of both The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency and Jamie Oliver’s Jamie At Home.
Meanwhile, India’s Zee TV, the largest media franchise serving South Asia, has also acquired Blueprint Entertainment’s 'The Best Years' in a deal that will see the US drama at home in an otherwise predominantly Indian programming environment.
David Ellender commented: “The Asian market continues to grow and I am delighted to see how well our latest drama, comedy, entertainment and factual offerings have been received. The strength of our international programming slate is evident from how well our shows have travelled and I’m especially pleased with the interest and take up we’ve seen of some of our UK and US scripted programmes across Asia. The breadth and diversity of our portfolio has really allowed us to reinforce our position as a leading one-stop-shop offering quality brands that are relevant to the region and we look forward to announcing an equally abundant raft of sales at Beijing and beyond.”
(DS)