Munich, February 27, 2008. He miraculously bends spoons and he boosts market shares: Uri Geller has been mesmerizing German TV audiences since early January with “The Successor – The next Uri Geller” on ProSieben. Yesterday’s final show scored a fantastic 18.1 percent in the decisive 14-49 demographic (channel average in 2007: 11.7 %). It crushed competition and finished #1 with 29.8 percent in the young adults’ age group (14-29). In the tough prime time slot against heavy competition such as “CSI:Miami” and “House”, the show outperformed the channel’s average by 80 percent in this time slot. With up to 4.8 million viewers watching the first season, “The next Uri Geller” is the highest-rated show premiere for ProSieben over the last one and a half years. And the mystifying and mind-bending performances will continue: ProSieben has ordered a second season which is scheduled to air next year. The show is marketed worldwide by SevenOne International.
Uri Geller’s show has proven to be a sensation well beyond the TV screen – and an example of pure interactivity: Yesterday’s final show saw far over half a million viewers vote for Uri Geller’s successor. Ever since the show went on air, TV viewers have sent in more than 100,000 videos. The online forum to the show is overflowing with new threads and messages. “The Successor” has also been in high demand on other digital platforms, and turned into a favourite on podcast and video on demand platforms.
The show has not only won over German viewers. Dutch channel SBS 6 is currently airing a local version with an average market share of 22.8 percent. The show premiered in the U.S. on NBC. “The Successor” has also been picked up by CTV (Canada) and Channel Nine (Australia) and will be launched on Hungarian channel TV2 later this Spring.
Jens Richter, Managing Director of SevenOne International: “This show is a real attention-grabber because Uri Geller succeeds in intriguing people. With the latest successes in Germany and The Netherlands, we are eager to see Uri capture further international audiences as well.”
The Successor – The Next Uri Geller
Ten hopeful contestants have a single goal: to walk in Uri Geller’s footsteps. In order to do so, they will have to astound the international star by competing each week to demonstrate a wide range of mystifying talents on a panel of celebrity guests who participate along with a studio audience. Ultimately, the winner will be determined by the viewers at home. “The Successor” is based on an Israeli TV format that aired in the spring of 2007 on Keshet, Channel 2, with an average audience share of 50 percent – the highest figure for any program in the history of Israeli TV. “The Successor” was created by Keshet Broadcasting, Kuperman Productions and Uri Geller.