NENT STUDIOS UK SEALS "TOP TEN" DEAL WITH BANIJAY ITALIA

NENT Studios UK has confirmed a deal with Banijay Italia for the rights to its studio-based, primetime entertainment format "Top Ten". Banijay Italia went swiftly into production this week, with the local version premiering on Rai Uno this Sunday. A further three live episodes will run on Friday evenings, starting next week.

Initially created by Monster for NRK in Norway, "Top Ten" was conceived as a hosted music game show, in which two teams of two celebrities compete to uncover the top ten hits of a given year. The celebrities undertake challenges and answer quiz questions to reveal the song titles, while artists from the year in question are interviewed. All top ten songs are featured during each episode, along with a performance of the year’s biggest hit by a special guest. "Top Ten" has been a massive hit in Norway, with two series so far on NRK and a regular audience share of over 50 percent.

In Italy, the format has been tweaked and will see other popular culture top tens, such as film and television, joining the music hits. Rai Uno’s version will be hosted by popular TV presenter Carlo Conti. Banijay Italia also produces "L’Isola dei Famosi" (‘Survivor’), "Il Collegio" ("That I’ll Teach ‘Em’") and the longest-running gameshow on Italian television, "L’Eredita"

Lucy Roberts, NENT Studios UK’s senior sales manager comments: “Banijay Italia has proved a great fan of ‘Top Ten’, demonstrating that format deals can not only still be done during this uncertain pandemic period but also that studio-based shows can be made quickly and safely. We are delighted to partner with the team at Banijayand are full of admiration for them in getting this wonderful version of ‘Top Ten’ off the ground and on to the screen in record time.”

Francesco Lauber, Banijay Italia CCO, adds: “We are most excited to be bringing a new entertainment show into primetime on Rai Uno. ‘Top Ten’s’ mix of popular culture, fun, and nostalgia makes it a perfect show for the whole family and a wonderful antidote to the challenges of the past few months living in lockdown. We are grateful to Lucy and NENT Studios UK for their great cooperation.”

In related news, NENT Studios UK is also delighted to announce that it has extended its deal for "That’ll Teach ‘Em" with Rai Due in Italy, allowing for a further three series of the local version, "Il Collegio". Four series of "Il Collegio" have already been broadcast on Rai Due, where it remains a major ratings-winner for the channel.

"Il Collegio" is a reality show that sees a group of teenagers taken to a boarding school for a month in order to live and study as their counterparts would have done in years gone by. They have to give up modern devices, trendy haircuts, and contemporary fashions and adhere to both the curriculum and the conventions of the time - in years that have ranged from the 1960s to the 1980s.

"That’ll Teach ‘Em" is a Twenty Twenty Television format. The original version ran for three series on Channel 4 in the UK.