Published:
19-Jun-08
Twentieth Century Fox Television and ITV plc have entered into an 'international production partnership' which will allow each company to develop local versions of scripted programmes from each others' libraries. The first product of the agreement, a UK version of Fox sitcom
Dharma and Greg, is already in development at ITV Productions. As part of the partnership, Fox and ITV will establish a Shared Development Group to create new programming which they will develop and produce either separately or together for exploitation internationally. The deal covers comedy and drama but not entertainment formats. In addition, each company will be able to use each others' production facilities on either side of the Atlantic. The agreement follows soon after the appointment of Lee Bartlett, a former Fox executive, as the managing director for ITV Global Content, the broadcaster's production and distribution division.
Our take...
The deal comes as the US television market becomes increasingly open to international formats and producers are looking for ways of cutting extravagant development costs for scripted programmes. Buying in tried and trusted successes from other markets is often attempted, with ITV's US version of its crime drama Cracker a critical though not a huge commercial success. Indeed, Fox is already producing a US version of a UK drama, Life on Mars, though this happens to be a BBC series.
Although the UK television market is much smaller than the US, it is still fairly unusual for a broadcaster to reformat a US series, largely because US series air in their original versions in the UK. However, ITV's recent track record with scripted comedy is undistinguished, so a local version of Dharma and Greg – which ran for five seasons in the US – may prove to be a good bet.
One of the largest programme producers in Europe, ITV has set itself the task of doubling revenues from content to £1.2bn by 2012. The co-development part of the Fox deal could help with that end, although it remains to be seen how rights to any jointly developed programmes will be shared out.
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