Rabbit digs out int’l orders

Producers across Europe have picked up a Finnish format from Rabbit Films that follows celebrities as they prepare to sail across the Atlantic.

Coyote France, Zodiak Netherlands and Nice Entertainment Group’s Strong Denmark have acquired rights to adventure-reality format Over the Atlantic, along with an as-yet unnamed commercial broadcaster in Sweden and Norway.

The format follows the celebs, who have no sailing experience, as they learn how to handle a boat and survive in harsh conditions.

The show is based on Rabbit Films’ original which was produced for Discovery Networks Finland’s flagship channel TV5 and became its highest rated show ever this autumn. It reached more than 700,000 viewers weekly and quadrupled the average share for the Sunday 21.00 slot.

Jonathan Tuovinen, head of international at Rabbit, said the show had “drawn wide attention in the international market” since its launch at Mipcom last month.

Other shows on Rabbit Films include format duo The Unplugged Roadtrip, a music programme for Finland’s MTV3, and factual show Relatively Close, produced for TV5 in Finland.

Rabbit Films, which was founded in 2000, is also behind YouTube Red’s forthcoming climbing show Ultimate Expedition, based on the producer’s format which appeared on MTV3 in March 2016.