TLC Russia sews up Material Girl

Discovery Networks has commissioned three lifestyle series for its female-skewing channel TLC in Poland and Russia.

The Russian network will launch Material Girl (6×30′), a dating series from Moscow-based Bekker Media, in September. The show follows four men trying to impress their dates by purchasing a series of gifts.

Discovery Networks Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA), has also renewed property series I Want a House Abroad for a second 5×60′ season in November.

The show, also from Bekker, follows Russian families trying to buy new properties outside their homeland. TLC ordered 20 episodes for the show’s first season in 2011.

Meanwhile, The Great Polish Bake Off (8×60′) will return to TLC in Poland for a second season this autumn after the show attracted more than two million viewers in its debut run last year.

Endemol Poland has started production on the show, which will see host Piotr Gasowski and actress Katarzyna Skrzynecka take competitors around Poland to try their hand at regional pastry dishes

Paul Welling, senior VP of channels at Discovery Networks CEEMEA, said: “Today’s announcement is a demonstration of the investment we are continuing to make in TLC, and in the local production communities in Russia and Poland, where we have commissioned 11 shows and more than 100 hours for TLC and Discovery Channel over the past two years.”

The new deals follow Discovery Communications’ launch of Discovery Xtra HD, a male-skewing channel for Romania and Turkey, and Discovery Science HD across Central and Eastern Europe last week.

In related news, Discovery Communications has appointed Farah Devji as VP of integrated communications and commercial partnerships. Devji joins from Disney Channel where she headed brand marketing across EMEA.