International entertainment production and distribution company Endemol — best known around the world as the company behind the reality TV phenomenon Big Brother — has struck an exclusive international distribution deal with Jerry Seinfeld and Ellen Rakieten, producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show, for the comedy-panel format The Marriage Ref. The show marks the superstar comedian’s first television series since Seinfeld ended its record-breaking nine-year run in May 1998. With Rakieten, Seinfeld is creator and executive producer of The Marriage Ref, which has been commissioned for a primetime run of six hour-long episodes on NBC in the US, in March 2010.
Married Couples fight, Seinfeld and Celebrities Laugh
The show pitches a panel of celebrities against real-life married couples. Panelists watch clips of marital disputes and then offer their comments, after which the moderator — or Marriage Ref — will decide who is right, husband or wife. Seinfeld said there's humour in a lot of marriage disputes, and the humour will transfer to the show. "There are marriage fights that are boring; there are marriage fights that are too intense to watch; and then there's this vast bracket of very amusing, relatable — some of them quite odd — but funny and entertaining fights to watch," Seinfeld told Julian Newby at the series' international launch in Cannes. "And then watching other people watch them, people that you know ... you want to see the faces of the panelists watching the fight. Having a funny conversation about something real, is really what the show is about."
Comedy-panel shows are common in the UK, but new to Seinfeld and his native US. On his travels he came across the British show QI, hosted by writer/actor Stephen Fry, in which he saw comparisons to The Marriage Ref. "It had an analogous form to it," Seinfeld said, but he saw differences too: "It's quite dry, it's quite British. It's at a British pace, not an American pace. They're in no rush."
Already sold to a number of European countries, The Marriage Ref is exclusively distributed by Endemol outside the US. Endemol will also produce local versions of the show internationally. The show is scheduled for Sundays at 20.00 on NBC in the US, from March 2010.
Reality TV show on Facebook
In another development, Endemol is re-launching its it’s reality series The Gap Year, on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube. Originally on Bebo, the interactive show is the first of its kind to be hosted on Facebook. The Gap Year: Challenge New Zealand follows five finalists on a journey to New Zealand, the target destination for action-seeking gap year students from around the world. Every weekday in November 2009 the travelers are posting short videos and blogs on the sites' Gap Year home pages, documenting their adventures while in New Zealand.
During their stay the travelers take part in a series of high-octane challenges; each week, one traveler is sent home, leaving just two for the final week and one eventual winner. Viewers of The Gap Year also have a chance to win a pair of tickets to New Zealand to experience an adventure of their own.
Branded Content Pioneer
Created by Endemol UK’s Digital Studios, The Gap Year: Challenge New Zealand, is sponsored by the New Zealand Tourist Board in a deal brokered by New State, a division of Endemol UK dedicated to securing partnerships with leading brands. Endemol is among the first television production and distribution companies to engage with brands as a source of production finance. The company recently announced that Ford, the motor company, is the sponsor of a new primetime series, The Best Years Of Our Lives, to be broadcast across Mainland China on Dragon TV.
The Marriage Ref was launched internationally at MIPCOM, Cannes, France, October 2009. It can be seen on NBC in the USA in March 2010 and is now selling worldwide
