Endemol's Big Brother format has chalked up its 33rd territory this week, as Central European Media Enterprises-owned TV Nova okayed production on a Czech series.
The series launch date has yet to be confirmed but is expected to air in either autumn 2005 or in spring 2006 and will run for the usual 100 days.
Ed Louwerse, Endemol's director of international sales, said the deal underscored the fact that despite being one of the first batch of reality formats, the Big Brother phenomena was not over yet, by a long way.
“Big Brother just goes from strength to strength. In 2005 alone, it’ll be launching in seven new countries," he said, pointing to the imminent multi-territory launch in Peru, Chile and Ecuador as a coproduction under the name of BB Pacifico.
Various Big Brother series have also been renewed including Brazil (TV Globo's series six, seven and eight), Croatia (RTL's series two) and Bulgaria (NTV's series two). Big Brother has recently launched in Thailand and Russia.
Regarding the latest incarnation of Big Brother, TV Nova's general director Petr Dvorák said: "We wanted to give our viewers the best in reality television and that could only be Big Brother, the benchmark for other reality formats. It has worked all around the world and I’m sure it will be a massive success in the Czech Republic as well." TV Nova has previously licensed Endemol's gameshow format 1 Versus 100.
Ed Waller
19 May 2005
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C21 Media 2005
