Zodiak plots US Farm Factor

Production and distribution group Zodiak Media has picked up US rights to agricultural format Farm Factor.

Zodiak has optioned the format from programme sales alliance Nordic World, and has also acquired rights for France, Benelux, Norway, Finland, Italy and Spain.

The format sees 10 contestants competing in agricultural tasks including scanning pregnant sows, grinding hooves and driving tractors in a bid to be crowned their nation’s finest farmer.

The original Farm Factor format was devised by Good Company Productions in Ireland, where it first began airing on commercial broadcaster TG4 in 2008.

CCTV7 in China has commissioned an eight-episode run of the series, while Zodiak-owned prodco Mastiff Sweden is producing a local adaptation for TV4. Mastiff Denmark produced a version of for pubcaster DR this summer.

European production outfits FremantleMedia and Monster had previously optioned the format in France and Norway respectively.

The deal was brokered between Jan Salling, Nordic World’s chief operating officer and MD of sales, and Grant Ross, Zodiak Media’s executive VP of global creative development and format acquisition, who joined the company in May.