16-06-2009

SLOVENIA RSVP’S 120 EPISODES OF ITV GLOBAL’S ‘COME DINE WITH ME’ & HOLLYWOOD MOVIES

    DISCOP East, Tuesday 16 June 2009 - ITV Global Entertainment Ltd and PRO PLUS announced today the major production commission of international hit format ‘Come Dine with Me', together with the significant renewal of its entertainment and Hollywood movies output deal. PRO PLUS operates the two most watched commercial TV channels in Slovenia, POP TV and Kanal A and it is owned by CME.

    ‘Come Dine with Me' is the award winning unscripted entertainment show which follows amateur chefs competing against each other in hosting a dinner party for the other contestants. Established as one of the UK's biggest television exports, the PRO PLUS commission is the fourteenth country to produce the ITV owned format locally. Production will begin on the 120 x 30 minute series July 2009, premiering access primetime autumn 2009.

    The agreement was brokered by Jennifer Ebell, Sales Executive, Central & Eastern Europe and The Baltics at ITV Global Entertainment, who said: "We're delighted to be announcing the renewal of the PRO PLUS output deal, together with the major commission of ‘Come Dine with Me'. We're confident that the new production will delight viewers and quickly establish itself as one of Slovenia's biggest shows, similar to its unrivalled success in Turkey, Germany, France and the UK."

    As part of the new output deal PRO PLUS has acquired an extensive portfolio of ITV Global Entertainment's Hollywood television movies, including the Spring 2009 arrivals ‘Mrs Washington Goes to Smith' starring Cybil Shepherd, ‘Never Surrender', ‘Christmas Hope', and ‘Crimes of Fashion: Hostile Makeover'.

    Branko Čakarmiš, Programme Director at PRO PLUS adds, "It is important these days to have shows that really resonate with an audience; have high production values and are affordable to produce. ‘Come Dine with Me' is a proven success story - and certainly fits the bill on all counts. We're looking forward to producing this hit show locally for Slovenian viewers."

    Tobi de Graaff, Director Global TV Distribution at ITV Global Entertainment said "Eastern Europe is a dynamic and fast evolving television market, a region which is core to ITV Global's ongoing distribution strategy. In the past year local broadcasters have been acquiring thousands of hours of original, high-quality drama and entertainment from us. It's certainly a very exciting time for all of us and we're looking forward to announcing even more news from the region very soon."

    For further media information contact:

    David Reiss

    ITV Global Entertainment

    Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7157 6186

    Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Debbie Lawrence

    The Lippin Company Ltd

    Telephone: +44 (0) 203 008 5408

    Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    About ITV Global Entertainment

    ITV Global Entertainment Ltd is one of the world's leading international TV distribution, home-entertainment, publishing, merchandising and licensing businesses. Based in London, Cologne, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney, ITV Global Entertainment is an integrated part of ITV Global Content, led by Lee