Trivial deals, new gameshow for Debmar-Mercury

MIP NEWS: Debmar-Mercury International (DMI), the UK-based distribution arm of US syndicator Debmar-Mercury, has sealed the first European deals for its Trivial Pursuit format and is launching a new gameshow in Cannes.

Spanish commercial terrestrial broadcaster Antena 3 has licensed a 65×60′ run of the gameshow, which will be named Trivial Pursuit: Spain Plays. The series will go into production in the summer and is set to air in September.

Over in Scandinavia, DMI has also nailed down a multi-territory option deal for the format with production group Metronome, covering Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

These deals come hot on the heels of the format’s US roll-out to Fox-owned stations, after they licensed a 175×30′ run based on the classic board game, which is also due to air in September of this year.

This MipTV will also see the launch of a new daily gameshow format represented by DMI entitled, The Limit. The studio-based show is an original idea by US prodco Scott Sternberg Productions.

A pilot of The Limit has been produced, with two players given the chance to win a cash prize by eliminating the other. Much like card game blackjack, The Limit is a gameshow with two players and five questions, and the closest to the given limit without going over wins.

Previous gameshow credits from Sternberg include Wheel of Fortune 2000 for CBS and Jep, the kids’ version of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.

Beata Hegedus, MD of Debmar Mercury International, said: “The diversity of territories in these first two European deals for Trivial Pursuit: America Plays has again given us another robust testimonial to the format’s simplicity and true universal appeal.”

The former Fox exec added: “The Limit is a brand new format that we believe will present a similarly compelling proposition to buyers at this market and beyond, in that it has game play elements that will prove to be both addictive and fun, and possesses material that people of all ages can play along with.”