Munich, October 13, 2008. ITV1 singed off on second season for “Beat the Star” – the UK Version of SevenOne International’s hit format “Beat your Host!”. Starting in spring of next year, ITV1 will be showing another ten prime-time episodes of “Beat the Star” (producer: Diverse/ Gallowgate). As in the first season, contestants in each episode will challenge a different celebrity. Star host Vernon Kay will again head the hour-long program, watching over the competition for a prize of at least £50,000.
Jens Richter of SevenOne International said: “We’re delighted that we’ll be continuing our successful collaboration with ITV1 and Diverse next year. ‘Beat the Star’ is an innovative concept that has been earning excellent ratings across international boundaries. I’m sure the second season in the UK will again attract large audiences.”
Before the end of this year, “Beat your Host!” will also appear on TF1, France’s largest TV station, under the title “Qui peut battre Benjamin Castaldi?”. Recently the Swedish version, “Vem kan slå Filip och Fredrik,” celebrated a sensational premiere, earning record ratings of 39.5 percent (15-44) for Kanal 5 and scoring as the station’s most successful in-house production of all time.
SevenOne International has sold “Beat your Host!” (producer: Raab TV/BRAINPOOL) for broadcast in 13 countries so far, including China, the Netherlands and Denmark. The original “Schlag den Raab” has established itself as the most successful launch of a show on German TV in more than four years, earning average ratings of 25.8 percent (14- 49) for ProSieben.
Beat your Host!
Something new under the sun – 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 version of the show is EUR 500,000. If the celebrity wins, the prize money goes into the jackpot. A contestant who wins takes the cash home. Victory in the competitiondepends on a number of factors in several areas – skills, sports, knowledge, daring, and not least of all, sheer luck.
“Schlag den Raab” first debuted in Germany in September 2006. The various episodes to date have earned ProSieben an average of a 25.4 percent audience share, with peaks as high as 31.5 percent, making “Schlag den Raab” the most successful launch of a show on German TV in more than four years.