French sale for Keshet’s bomb quiz

MIPFORMATS: Israel’s Keshet International has confirmed a major sale for its new bomb-themed gameshow format Boom!

French channel TF1 has acquired rights to the format, the original version of which debuted on Keshet/Channel 2 in Israel last Thursday. Boom! scored a whopping 41.2% share and 26.7% HH rating.

Keshet claimed that Boom! is now the most viewed gameshow ever in Israel, both in terms of ratings and number of viewers, outperforming other big hits Million Pound Drop and Raid the Cage.

Those ratings and the deal with France’s biggest commercial broadcaster come one day after Keshet caught some flack here in Cannes when Shine Group chairman for Northern Europe Gary Carter said Israel’s format success was more based on marketing than ratings.

Boom! has contestants answering questions while having to defuse faux time-bombs against the clock. TF1 is the first international sale of the format following its Israel debut.

However, Keshet DCP, the joint venture between Keshet International and US-based DC Media, is developing a US version.