SALES
International media group Fremantle has picked up sales rights outside Asia to Korean format “DNA Singer.” The music gameshow was created by specialty firm FormatEast and Kyung Hwangbo for SBS and has not yet gone to air. Family members who are genetically linked with celebrities such as singers and actors perform, while the judges must guess which celebrities they are genetically related to. “Fantastic Family – DNA Singer” launches in Korea next week as Lunar New Year specials on SBS. “It is by no means easy to sell a paper format, before the initial proposal has aired. But recently the preference for Korean content has amplified interest in our shows. We are seeing a trend for major players in the global entertainment industry to acquire our formats in advance to stay ahead of the game,” said Kim Il-Joong, executive director of FormatEast. Fremantle has produced local versions of Korean global hit shows including “The Masked Singer” throughout Europe and “I Can See Your Voice” for BBC One in the U.K. – Patrick Frater
*****
Eccho Rights has licensed hit Swedish YA drama “Threesome” with SBS in Australia, where the show will air on SBS Viceland and be streamable on SBS’s on demand service. One of Sweden’s best-reviewed drama series of 2021, “Threesome” tracks the lives of a young Swedish couple living in London whose once idyllic relationship undergoes a series of major changes. The series is written and directed by Lisa Linnertorp and produced by Yellowbird for Nordic Entertainment Group streamer Viaplay. Previous sales of the series include Channel 4 in the U.K., RTL in Germany, CANAL+ in France and South Korea’s TVing.
FORMAT
“This is Your Life,” Australia’s longest-running TV series, will be back on The Seven Network’s Channel 7 and 7plus service later this year, as announced by the broadcaster today. The series’ continuation was negotiated by All3Media International after the company acquired the DRG/Nent Library, with new episodes to be produced by ITV Studios Australia. Since its debut almost half a century ago, each episode of “This is Your Life” profiles one public personality by offering intimate insights, personal reunions and unseen footage shared by colleagues, friends and family.
APPOINTMENT
Moonriver TV has brought in Lincia Daniel as an executive producer and promoted Casey Herbert senior executive producer as it expands its London-based operations. Herbert will oversee Moonriver’s creative team in London and work with company CEO Xavier Marchand on the label’s slate of British and international dramas. Daniel joins Moonriver from Slim Film and Television, where she was head of production in the U.K. She will team with Herbert and Moonriver head of development Daisy Gilbert to push forward the company’s slate including upcoming titles such as “First Time for Everything,” “Notre Dame” and “A Gentleman in Moscow.”
*****
London-based production-distribution company Noah Media Group, specialists in sports-themed content including “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible” and Federation Entertainment co-produciton “Arsène Wenger: Invincible,” has hired Esther Randall as its new head of business and legal affairs. Randall joins the company after nearly a decade as head of film and TV at iLaw, a tech and corporate law firm specializing in all legal matters regarding production, rights acquisition, sales and distribution.