Turkey's Acunmedya licenses BBC's "The 1% Club" format

Today at Mipcom, as Cannes delegates took part in a live play-along version of "The 1% Club," BBC Studios announced the latest international license agreement for the award-winning format. Turkish media company Acunmedya has acquired the primetime entertainment format to be aired on their owned and operated channel TV8. The 10 x120’ series will go into production in late 2023 and is scheduled to air in the first half of 2024. Tommaso Muffato, Format Sales Manager for BBC Studios, brokered the agreement with Acunmedya. 

The 1% Club is proving to be a winning formula for international broadcasters. BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand have recently finished production in Australia for a second series with the Seven Network, hosted by comedian Jim Jefferies. The first series was rated as the #4 light entertainment show on the channel this year to date and increased slot average audience by 25%. Moreover, French broadcaster France Télévisions have commissioned a third series to be produced by BBC Studios France. The series will start filming next month after the local adaption achieved record-breaking figures for the series two finale, with a massive viewership of 3.5m and an 18.6% share for 4+ viewers.

André Renaud, SVP of Global Format Sales at BBC Studios, said: "‘The 1% Club' continues to go from strength to strength, reaching seven international territories and heading into second and third series in multiple markets elsewhere. We are excited to work with Acunmedya, who have a fantastic track record of bringing hit entertainment global formats to local Turkish audiences. We’ve had a brilliant morning playing the game live here in Cannes with delegates from all over the world, so I’m confident that we’ll have more countries joining The 1% Club in the near future”

Ebru Atasav Tahrancı, CEO at Acunmedya, added: "We are delighted to have acquired The 1% Club from BBC Studios; given the phenomenal success of the gameshow internationally, it is the perfect addition to our entertainment catalog. We can’t wait for our audiences to become virtual contestants of the show from their own homes when it hits the screens."

This fresh and funny brain-teasing format from Magnum Media tests the nation’s intelligence based on a scientific survey. It is not about what you learned at school or your ability to memorize facts – it’s about real intelligence. It’s a chance to test how your brain works through a series of questions that often lead to extremely entertaining answers. Everyone is on a level playing field, which means anyone can play along, making it perfect co-viewing for the whole family. Plus, if you’re smart enough, you could earn yourself a place in The 1% Club: an elite group of people who can honestly say they’re smarter than 99% of the population.

In the UK, the second series of "The 1% Club," a winner at the National Television Awards, achieved a 4.5m consolidated audience and 31% share for ITV1, with a third series currently in production. Its play-along live App was in the top three free Apps in the UK every Saturday night, with an average of 235,000 viewers playing along live with each episode. A third series has been commissioned.