MGM taps Televisa for TKO

NATPE: MGM Worldwide Distribution has struck a deal that will see Mexican broadcaster Televisa air a local version of obstacle competition show TKO: Total Knockout and launch a Lat Am production hub for the show.

Chris Ottinger

Televisa will produce 24 episodes of the CBS format and is partnering with MGM to design and operate the hub, which will then service local versions throughout the rest of Latin America and globally.

Chris Ottinger, MGM president for worldwide television distribution and acquisitions, said the deal would allow the company “to produce TKO on par with CBS’s US network standards, but at a much more affordable price point for international broadcasters.”

The show, which debuted on CBS in the US last summer, sees contestants attempt to complete an obstacle course while others fire projectiles to stop their progress.

The US version was produced by MGM Television and HartBeat Productions and distributed internationally by MGM. Executive producers included Mark Burnett, Barry Poznick, Kevin Hart, Holly Wofford and Jane Y. Mun.