ITV STUDIOS’ FORMAT COME DATE WITH ME
TO GO INTO PRODUCTION IN SWEDEN, CANADA, UKRAINE AND LATVIA
24 May 2012 – ITV Studios’ format Come Date With Me is set to go into production in four new territories worldwide. ITV Studios Nordic has been commissioned to produce a local version of the show for Viasat Broadcasting in Sweden. Meanwhile, ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) has sold the format to W Network in English-speaking Canada, Ukraine’s STB and Viasat Broadcasting in Latvia, where it will be made by local production companies.
These deals follow the news that the series has been commissioned by Network TEN in Australia and will air later this year. Further negotiations for the format are currently taking place in multiple territories.
Paul Buccieri, Managing Director ITV Studios International and CEO ITV Studios America said: ”Come Date With Me brings a fresh and interesting twist to the world of dating. We’re delighted that these broadcasters have recognised the appeal of the show. The deals are a credit to the ITV Studios team that developed the format and we look forward to further international deals for the series.”
Originally commissioned by Channel 4 in the UK, Come Date With Me proved an instant hit, launching as the highest rated programme in its slot for three months among adults 16-34 years old. Performing exceptionally well with 16-24 year olds, the show claimed a share 29% higher than the slot average. Among men within this age group, Come Date With Me exceeded the channel average by 44%.
Come Date With Me combines the cooking, snooping and criticising of Come Dine With Me with the competition and showing off that makes a classic dating show. Men must compete against each other to win the heart of a woman who's looking for a date – or vice versa – but instead of being in the sterile environment of a studio, they do the wooing in their own homes. The would-be dates' lives are laid bare as they put their homes and their cooking prowess to the test, with their rivals on hand to pour scorn on their efforts.
The Swedish commission is executive produced by Hans Engholm, CEO ITV Studios Nordic. The Canadian, Ukrainian and Latvian sales were brokered by Tania Jacobson, VP Sales, North America; Dorit Schilling, Senior Sales Executive, Russia, Germany and Eastern Europe and Jennifer Ebell, Senior Sales Executive, Central & Eastern Europe, Israel, Greece, Cyprus and Turkey respectively