FremantleMedia signs with de Rijk

MIPTV: FremantleMedia has struck an exclusive multi-year co-development deal with Dick de Rijk, the creative mastermind behind such iconic formats as Deal or No Deal.

Dick de Rijk

The alliance will see FremantleMedia’s global entertainment development team form a strategic partnership with de Rijk to create a new generation of globally adaptable game and entertainment formats, the company said.

Specialising in entertainment programming, de Rijk has developed numerous global successes during his previous partnerships with John de Mol, Endemol and Red Arrow International.

Deal or No Deal, claimed to be the most distributed gameshow format ever, was created by de Rijk and aired in more than 150 territories. His other credits include Set For Life, Show Me The Money and You Deserve It.

“Dick is an ideas man with a fantastic understanding of the global TV market, and you can see from the formats  he’s developed that he thinks creatively and strategically,” said Rob Clark, director of global entertainment development at FremantleMedia.

“I hope that alongside our global network of production companies, we can together build the next global entertainment TV franchise.”

De Rijk, who is based in the Netherlands, said the new partnership “felt like a big challenge” but added he “can’t wait to get going.”

“A distributing partner of this size, both creatively and geographically, offers every opportunity to create some new fireworks in the television landscape,” he said.

This week, C21 reported that Fremantle had picked up competitive property format Who Lives Here? for global distribution. The company also acquired global format rights outside North America to hidden-camera reality show Punk’d and is launching it here in Cannes.