MIPCOM 2012: TF1 acquires Eyeworks’ Celebrity Splash

Pascale Paoli-Lebailly | 10-10-2012

TF1 has announced in Cannes three format acquisitions as part of its plan to base its entertainment and light shows strategy upon strong worldwide brands with added visibility to its programming grid.

The French network will thus run the French version of Nordisk’s dating show Babes in the Bus, entitled Coup de foudre au prochain village, produced by affiliate subsidiary TF1 Productions. ITV Studios will also deliver the adaptation of its format The Audience while TF1 Production will also produce Celebrity Splash. This Eyeworks’s format is under threat of a lawsuit from Banijay over concerns that Celebrity Splash is too similar to its own show Stars in Danger.

“Like for fiction, viewers are getting passioned with entertainment series and people in them, both in prime-time as in second evening part, TF1 Deputy Programming Head Fabrice Bailly, revealed at a press conference in Cannes. “Today, TF1 produces 50 prime-time shows a year and has successfully set up four recurring strong brands which are MasterChef (Shine), Koh Lanta (Zodiak), The Voice (Shine) and Danse avec les stars (BBC, Strictly Come Dancing).”

Bailly also revealed that Shine France‘s adaptation of format One Born every Minute (Baby Boom 2) has been selected to be the international format version available for worldwide distribution.