CCCL splits Millionaire and Celador

More on the changes at Celador as parent Complete Communications puts the company’s flagship format up for sale and pushes for MBOs at its production and distribution divisions.

Complete Communications Corporation (CCCL) today said it was looking to sell the worldwide intellectual property rights and UK programme library of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, hiring corporate finance house LongAcre Partners to advise on the sale.

If a buyer can be found for the globe-trotting quiz format, which has been licensed into more than 100 territories but has since been eclipsed by newer formats, then CCCL said it will “encourage and support” management buy-outs at both Celador Productions and Celador International.

The move comes weeks after a restructure at the latter saw the closure of its year-old kids division, with the departure of Cathy Laughton and other staff, and the folding of Celador Music & Events into Celador Productions last year.

Explaining today’s move, CCCL chairman Paul Smith said: “I have been at the helm of Celador for over 20 years and it is no secret that I have, for some time, wished to reduce my responsibilities within the television division to allow me to focus my attention on opportunities within radio broadcasting and film production.

“To that end I have been pursuing a partial exit and succession strategy for the past 18 months. I have already significantly downscaled my day-to-day involvement with Celador Productions and Celador International by devolving responsibility to the MD of each company.”

Celador Productions is currently run by MD Danielle Lux, while Celador International is run by MD Adrian Woolfe. Both are now seeking finance to buy-out their respective operations, the latter having already tried once before, to no avail.

The production arm makes shows like health format You Are What You Eat, now in its third season on Channel 4, and new commission Turn Back Your Body Clock, due for transmission on C4 in May.

A 10th season of Celador’s Commercial Breakdown recently concluded on BBC1 and a new six-part comedy for BBC3, Live! Girls!, has just started production. A new regional UK office is also in the pipeline.

If Millionaire goes to another distributor under CCCL’s sale plan, Celador International will have lost its biggest revenue generator.

Celador told C21 that while Millionaire is down from its peak it is currently being produced in 62 markets abroad, up from the figure of 33 this time last year. Recent renewals have been signed in Italy, Spain, Turkey and Tunisia.

You Are What You Eat is selling in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, to buyers including TV3 in Sweden and Denmark, with ABC in the US now casting for a pilot. The Brainiest quiz was also recently picked up by new Fox-backed US channel My Network TV.