Munich, July 30, 2008. In Germany, The Netherlands, Hungary and Turkey, “The Successor” was one of the most successful live shows of the year 2008. Now Russia’s second-biggest TV station, TV Channel Russia, will broadcast a show based on this format. Uri Geller will begin his search for a successor in Moscow at the end of August. TV Channel Russia will broadcast a total of eight episodes in prime-time Saturday night. The Russian show will most likely be called “Fenomen.” Uri Geller will take over the role of juror and mentor. “Fenomen” will be hosted by Denis Semenikhin. Originally from Israel, “The Successor” is being marketed worldwide by SevenOne International, the programming distribution arm of ProSiebenSat.1.
Jens Richter, Managing Director of SevenOne International: “TV Channel Russia is an excellent partner. And in terms of its content, ‘The Successor’ with Uri Geller fits in perfectly with Russia, a country that has often been said to have a mystical soul. We are positive that TV Channel Russia will be as successful with Uri Geller as all the other channels before.”
The Successor
SevenOne International has sold ‘The Successor’ to eight countries so far. The first season was broadcast on ProSieben in early 2008. With an average market share of 17.3%, it was extremely successful. The German TV station has already announced a second season for 2009. The average market share when the show aired on SBS 6 in the Netherlands was 18.8% and in Hungary it was 27.3%. It was also successful in Turkey, where it ran earlier this year. In the United States (NBC) and Canada (CTV), “The Successor” was broadcast in the autumn of 2007. CTV did not produce its own show, but aired the U.S. adaptation produced by NBC. This version will also be shown on Nine Networks in Australia. Originally, the format came from Israel, where the TV station Keshet earned an average market share of 50% with the search for Uri Geller’s successor in 2006. That was the highest audience share of any TV show in the history of Israeli TV.