Munich, April 15, 2008. SevenOne International has sold the ProSieben hit “Beat your Host!” to broadcasters in two more countries. At MIPTV in Cannes, which closed last Thursday, stations in Denmark (TV2) and Croatia bought rights to produce the concept, making “Beat your Host!” one of the most successful shows in SevenOne International’s portfolio. Adaptation rights have been sold to station operators in a total of 12 countries so far. In Germany, “Beat your Host” is produced by Raab TV/BRAINPOOL. SevenOne International, the ProSiebenSat.1 Group’s programming sales company, has been marketing the show worldwide.
Said Jens Richter, Managing Director of SevenOne International: “‘Beat your Host!,’ with its innovative concept and high audience shares, has drawn attention in the international TV market right from the start. Interest was very great once again during MIPTV. Stations from Denmark and Croatia have already picked up the broadcast rights, and we’re about to sign contracts with several others.”
Anette Rømer, Head of Acquisitions & Formats, who picked up the show for TV 2 Denmark says: “’Beat your Host!’ is a fresh, new take on the classic TV-battle. It is pure, simple entertainment and good fun with lots of vitality.”
The British production company, Diverse, is currently producing a version of the program for UK broadcaster ITV. The show will debut in Britain this spring under the title “Beat the Star.” In contrast to the German version, which has a single host, ITV will pit a different celebrity each week – from sports, film and television – against a contestant cast in advance. The show will air weekly in prime time in the UK. In Germany, “Beat Your Host” has been on the air since September 2006. Its tenth installment appeared on ProSieben this past April 5, and earned an audience share of 24.0 percent (viewers 14-49).
Beat Your Host
The audience vs. the host: on “Beat Your Host,” a contestant duels the star for breathtaking amounts of money. The minimum prize on the German show is EUR 500,000. If the host wins, the prize money goes into the kitty. A challenger who wins takes the cash home. The next episode of “Beat Your Host,” this coming May 31, will have a jackpot of EUR 2.5 million at stake. Victory in the competition depends on a number of factors in several areas – skills, sports, knowledge, daring, and not least of all, sheer luck. Which means that contestants need both brains and brawn to win.