'Come Dine With Me' Whets Appetite Of International Broadcasters

Granada International has sold hot international format 'Come Dine With Me' to Spain and the Netherlands, Peter Iacono, President and Managing Director of ITV Worldwide has announced.
The hit format has just been picked up by Antenna 3 in Spain and has recently been acquired by SBS Broadcasting's Net 5 in The Netherlands - and is currently entertaining a great deal of attention from international broadcasters. Local versions of the series are on air in France (M6), the UK (Channel 4) in Hungary and Croatia (RTL) and in Germany (VOX). In addition to sales of the format, ITV production entitles it to produce the series in the UK and in Germany.
The growing success of 'Come Dine With Me' is illustrated in the UK by its move to primetime schedules when the fourth series of the show, made by Granada, part of ITV productions, began last month. The entertainment format is a phenomenal ratings success on M6, demonstrating a growth of 148% from launch to its ninth week on air, peaking with a 46.1% share of the target audience (housewives <50).
In Germany, 'Come Dine With Me', produced by Granada Germany, is the highest rating original commission for VOX ever. The series, which has just celebrated its 500th episode on VOX, outperformed the channel average by an incredible 113% in 2007, peaking to date with a 21% share of target audience adults 14-49. In Hungary, on RTL Klub, the format has just rated a 50% share for all individuals.
Tobias de Graaff, SVP Europe at Granada International commented: "Our universal obsession with food and entertaining continues to make 'Come Dine With Me' a true winner. It's a very engaging format, with just the right amount of schadenfreude for both its competitors and viewers, which broadcasters are able to really make work in their schedules. We're delighted by its performance on air to date and very pleased to see other networks acquiring the format for local productions."
In this stripped, location-based show, five total strangers are competing for the title of the ultimate dinner party host. Each night for a week they will take it in turns to cook up their idea of the perfect evening. As well as cooking, there's also a large helping of reality on the menu as the rival hosts snoop around each others' houses and go to bizarre lengths to win the competition. At the end of the evening, the host is judged by their guests and scored out of ten. The contestant with the most points at the end of the week wins a cash prize.
Led by Peter Iacono, ITV Worldwide is the newly formed division of ITV combining the soon to be merged Granada International and Granada Ventures businesses. ITV Worldwide is the global distribution arm for ITV's theatrical, video, TV publishing, consumer products and international networks.
Further information is available at: www.itvplc.com .
(KMcA/JM)