Television
March 30, 2011
Warner Bros. International Television Production Acquires International Distribution Rights To Future Programming From The U.K.’S Outline Productions
(March 30, 2011 – London, U.K. and Burbank, CA) – Warner Bros. International Television Production has signed a two year deal to acquire the international distribution rights to upcoming television product from the U.K.’s Outline Productions, it was announced today by Andrew Zein, Senior Vice President, Creative, Format Development and Sales, Warner Bros. International Television Production, and Laura Mansfield, Joint Managing Director, Outline Productions.
WBITVP will have the exclusive right to sell the format rights to Outline’s newly commissioned product, as well as the international distribution rights to new finished programs. The first projects to be offered as part of this new deal will be “Great British Food Revival” (BBC2, 10x30’) which debuted on 9 March this year and marks Outline’s second foray into food related programming. A companion book, published by Weidenfeld and Nicholson, is also available and is already rising fast on the U.K. bestseller charts. Additionally, “Medics On Call” (10 x 60’) is debuting on Sky1 under the title “Emergency With Angela Griffin”: The series uses the latest camera technology to capture the life-or-death medical care that the emergency services providers give to those in need.
WBITVP is in the process of establishing or acquiring operating production companies in major territories around the world with the mandate to create locally produced versions of programs owned by Warner Bros. and to develop original local programming on a market by market basis. Local versions of Outline’s programs will be developed by production companies affiliated with WBITVP in selected countries and licensed to broadcasters and independent producers to create local versions in countries where WBITVP does not yet operate.
“Outline has been responsible for a number of successful and groundbreaking series in the U.K.,” said Chris Bonney, Senior Vice President, Sales & Acquisitions, Warner Bros. International Television Production, who brokered the deal on behalf of WBITVP. “Outline Productions has long been on our radar as a very talented team delivering breakthrough reality formats as well as high-performing entertainment and factual series. We very much look forward to working with them.”
“Outline are delighted to be entering into a distribution deal with WBITVP,” said Mansfield. “We’ve long been fans of Chris Bonney’s considered approach and expertise in international format distribution, and we’re all really looking forward to working with him and his enthusiastic, knowledgeable team. Bring into the mix Andrew Zein’s positivity and insight into working with indies and formats, and for us it was a winning combination. I think that our shows and our blend of popular and purposeful factual entertainment should fit really well with their catalogue and expertise.”
Outline Productions was established in 1999 by joint MDs Laura Mansfield and Helen Veale and joins a collection of leading producers who have successful third party representation agreements in place with companies such as KEO films, Title Role, Touch Productions, Screentime Pty and Catherine Bailey Ltd. Regarded as specialists in combining entertaining concepts with practical factual content, Outline has created series and formats for broadcasters including BBC, BSkyB, ITV, Channel 4, Five, Discovery, TLC and UKTV and licensed worldwide. RECENT TITLES include: “The Secret Tourist” (BBC 1 4 x 60), “Fat Families” (6x 60, 5 x60, 8 x 60 Sky 1), “The House of Tiny Tearaways” (BBC3, 25 X 60, 42 X 60, 25 X 60, 20x60’), “Dumped” (Channel 4, 4x60’), and “Jo Frost’s Extreme Parental Guidance” (Channel 4, 6x60).
About Warner Bros. International Television Production:
In 2009, Warner Bros. International Television Distribution announced the formation of Warner Bros. International Television Production. During the next 12 months, WBITVP has been steadily increasing the amount of formats it has been licensing, such as “The Bachelor,” and has been aligning with high-profile producers such as John de Mol and his Talpa Media. In 2010, WBITVP acquired a majority stake in Shed Media, one of the UK’s largest and most successful independent production and distribution companies, with operations in both the UK and the U.S. This marked a significant step in the Company’s goal to establish or acquire operating production companies in major territories around the world with the mandate to create locally produced versions of programs owned by the Studio and to develop original local programming on a market by market basis.###