All the latest news from the global content industry on Monday, 9 June

 

Lithuania lands on Jokers

Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) has sold a local remake of Impractical Jokers into Lithuania.

TV3 Group has commissioned a 24 x 30-minute local version of the hidden camera prank show format, making Lithuania the 14th territory to adapt the title. Production will begin later this year.

The show was originally created by the US comedy troupe The Tenderloins and has now run to 11 seasons and more than 300 episodes, produced for truTV. Internationally, the format has been adapted in the UK, the Netherlands, Greece, Mexico, Sweden and Australia, where The Inspired Unemployed (Impractical) Jokers, produced locally by WBITVP Australia, returns for its third season on Paramount+ today.

The format sees four comedian friends competing to embarrass each other in public with a series of outrageous, funny and entertaining dares. TV3 has previously adapted WBITVP’s competitive diving format, Celebrity Splash, for local audiences.

Today’s deal was brokered by Reema Patel, Director of Formats at WBITVP. 

 

Cineflix strikes CEE deals 

Canal+, Antenna Entertainment and Tanweer in Greece are among companies to have picked up lifestyle shows from Cineflix Rights ahead of NEM Dubrovnik.

Poland’s Canal+ Kuchnia has acquired Ainsley’s Taste of Malta and Ainsley’s Fantastic Flavours, while Château DIY S2 is heading to Canal+ Domo.

Antenna has bought A New Life in the Sun S1 and S2 for its AXA Spin channels across Poland, Romania, and the Adriatic, while Tanweer has added Ainsley’s Taste of Malta and Dermot’s Taste of Ireland, among numerous others.

Czech TV has also added Commando Missions, with the deals struck by Lucy Rawson, vice president of sales, Benelux, CEE, and Southern Mediterranean at Cineflix Rights.

 

BBC, France TV link on Vanishing Point

UK’s CBBC and France Télévisions have ordered Vanishing Point, a 26 x 22-minute animated series for kids aged 8+.

The show, which has been created by Tom Gran and Martin Woolley, follows a group of four teens whose world is turned upside-down when their town is overrun by ordinary-looking objects with bizarre, unpredictable powers.

The series is coproduced by BBC Children’s & Education for CBBC in the UK and France Télévisions, with BBC Studios Kids & Family as lead producer and global distributor. France-based Watch Next Media and Irish animation coproducer Kavaleer Productions are also attached, alongside support from Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and CNC, France. 

 

WedoTV channels land on Eutelsat 

Free ad-supported streaming TV operator Wedotv has launched three of its FAST channels on Eutelsat.

The deal means WedoTV’s German-language channels wedotv movies, wedotv BIG stories and wedotv sports are now available across Europe, following a similar agreement struck in Italy two years ago. 

Wedotv movies offers international and German-language films, while wedotv BIG stories is focused on nonfiction lifestyle and documentary content. Wedotv sports features German live coverage of such sports events as German Sailing Bundesliga, SailGP, MotoGP, and Breeder’s Cup, as well as weekly highlights programs from football, Formula 1, e-sports and more.