Television
November 18, 2013
Warner Bros. International Television Production Secures Another Commission of #1 Irish Format “The Hit,” to be Produced in the Netherlands for RTL5
(November 18, 2013 – Burbank, CA) – “The Hit,” RTE Ireland’s hugely successful song writing talent show format from Vision Independent Productions (VIP), and which was the number-one show on RTÉ One this summer, will be produced in The Netherlands, with Warner Bros. International Television Production securing a new commission for a local adaption of the format on RTL5. This follows deals in Russia, Ukraine and China, which were confirmed even before the show launched in Ireland. There are also several other deals for local formats currently in discussion.
BlazHoffski will produce the show in The Netherlands for RTL5. The 8-episode run is scheduled to launch in Spring 2014.
In Ireland, the ground-breaking series aired in the primetime 9:30 p.m. slot on Fridays from July 26 on RTÉ One, delivering time-slot winning ratings success for the channel. The show increased audience numbers week-on-week, with the live finale attracting the biggest number to date.
The series’ on-air success has been matched by phenomenal record sales impact: The songs performed during the series and released for download have been a huge hit on iTunes, with nine out of the ten songs featured in the series reaching the top ten chart. Five of these tracks ranked in the top five and one track made it to the number-one spot.
In Ireland, RTE and VIP are close to finalizing the scheduling of the second season.
The one hour show sees some of the nation’s biggest music stars put themselves on the line to find their next big hit...from the best new unknown songwriters in the country. The stars listen to songs written and performed by six aspiring songwriters before each selecting two songs which they believe have the potential to be a chart topping record. Each artist then works together with their chosen songwriters to develop their tracks – but in the end, they perform only one of the songs in front of a live audience. With that emotional performance, and the simultaneous release of the track to the public for download, the songwriters finally discover if their song has been selected and if their efforts have paid off. Are they about to have their first hit? The stars’ and songwriters’ destiny is now in the hands of the audience, who determine whose track gets the most downloads and becomes the biggest hit.
“Success in terms of both ratings and international sales are only the beginning for this incredible show. I am confident that it will establish itself in primetime schedules across the world,” said Andrew Zein, SVP, Creative, Format Development and Sales WBITVP.
"BlazHoffski is extremely proud to be making a Dutch version of this internationally renowned format for RTL and we're confident that it will also be a hit show in The Netherlands" commented Dan Blazer, CEO, BlazHoffski.
"We really enjoy the collaborative experience that came with the first look deal with Warner Bros. International Television Production. They share our excitement about ideas and support them when it’s needed and this played a crucial role in making ‘The Hit.’ We are also fortunate to have RTÉ One, a national broadcaster open to taking risks on new formats in primetime" said Philip Kampff, Managing Director, Vision Independent Productions.
The pilot episode was initially aired as part of the broadcaster’s new format development initiative, Format Farm, whose objective is to support the production and broadcast of original Irish TV formats for both Irish audiences and for export.
Warner Bros. International Television Production:
Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) aims to establish or acquire production companies in the major television territories around the world in order to become a leading producer of local scripted and non-scripted programming. In those territories where WBITVP establishes a production base, it operates by developing and producing original programming and also producing local versions of formats owned and controlled by the group such as “The Bachelor,” “The World’s Strictest Parents” and “Who Do You Think You Are?” Where WBITVP has no local production capability it licenses Warner Bros. formats to third parties. WBITVP has already taken significant steps by acquiring a majority stake in both U.K. production group Shed Media, one of the U.K.’s largest and most successful independent production companies which operates both in the U.K. and the U.S., and in BlazHoffski Holding B.V., a leading independent television producer in The Netherlands and Belgium. Vision Independent Productions:
Vision Independent Productions (VIP) is an Irish based company that develops unique entertainment and lifestyle formats for Television and the Web. The formats are created and produced by VIP in Ireland and the U.K. and then the formats are licensed into territories across the world through distributors and production partners. Philip Kampff, who had returned to Ireland from London where he was a TV producer, established VIP in 2003. His credits in London included the Situation Comedy “Get Well Soon” by Ray Galton and John Antrobus (BBC), “Noel’s House Party” (BBC) and “Lee Evans Live at Wembley” (Universal/Little Mo). As VIP has grown substantially since 2003 it has built a strong management team and attracts creative talent who share the company vision for quality and originality.###
Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) aims to establish or acquire production companies in the major television territories around the world in order to become a leading producer of local scripted and non-scripted programming. In those territories where WBITVP establishes a production base, it operates by developing and producing original programming and also producing local versions of formats owned and controlled by the group such as “The Bachelor,” “The World’s Strictest Parents” and “Who Do You Think You Are?” Where WBITVP has no local production capability it licenses Warner Bros. formats to third parties. WBITVP has already taken significant steps by acquiring a majority stake in both U.K. production group Shed Media, one of the U.K.’s largest and most successful independent production companies which operates both in the U.K. and the U.S., and in BlazHoffski Holding B.V., a leading independent television producer in The Netherlands and Belgium. Vision Independent Productions:
Vision Independent Productions (VIP) is an Irish based company that develops unique entertainment and lifestyle formats for Television and the Web. The formats are created and produced by VIP in Ireland and the U.K. and then the formats are licensed into territories across the world through distributors and production partners. Philip Kampff, who had returned to Ireland from London where he was a TV producer, established VIP in 2003. His credits in London included the Situation Comedy “Get Well Soon” by Ray Galton and John Antrobus (BBC), “Noel’s House Party” (BBC) and “Lee Evans Live at Wembley” (Universal/Little Mo). As VIP has grown substantially since 2003 it has built a strong management team and attracts creative talent who share the company vision for quality and originality.