Bunim/Murray makes Korea move

BMP’s Keeping Up with the Kardashians

Keeping Up with the Kardashians producer Bunim/Murray Productions (BMP) has a signed a development deal with a South Korean entertainment firm.

The Banijay Group-owned company will expand its reach into the Asian market and develop new formats with Seoul-based Signal Entertainment Group (SEG).

Jeff Jenkins, co-president of entertainment and development at BMP, will oversee the relationship for his firm, while Agnes Lee and David M Uslan, senior VPs of production at SEG-subsidiary Uslan Entertainment in the US, will manage the partnership on behalf of SEG.

Uslan, best known as a producer on all the modern Batman films since Tim Burton’s 1989 movie, arranged the deal between BSM and SEG.

SEG will handle distribution of new formats coming out of the co-development deal for the South Korean, Hong Kong and Chinese markets. SEG produces shows such as I Can See Your Voice and Take Care of My Fridge in South Korea.

Banijay Rights, meanwhile, will handle worldwide distribution for new formats outside those territories and will continue to manage global distribution for existing BMP formats.

“South Korea is currently one of the hottest markets for new formats and creativity, so when we were approached about a partnership with Signal for the Asian region, we recognised the great potential of such a deal,” said BMP chairman and CEO Gil Goldschein.

Signal Entertainment chairman and CEO Michael Kim added: “As technology and new platforms bring people of the world closer to each other, there is more opportunity for great content to travel farther and cross cultural borders.”