SCHIBSTED COMPANY OBTAINS MAJOR PRODUCTION CONTRACTS

Metronome Film & Television AB, Schibsted’s Scandinavian film and television production company, has reached agreement on two major deals with SBS-owned Scandinavian television channels. The total framework of the contracts amount to SEK 350 – 400 mill.

Agreement has been reached with SBS-owned Swedish Kanal 5 on the production of up to 850 episodes of Hotel Caesar, already a highly successful daily drama series in its fourth season on Norwegian TV2. Like the Norwegian production, the Swedish Hotel Caesar will be produced in a 50/50 co-operation with the developers of the series, Peter Emanuel Falck og Christian Wikander. The agreement calls for the production of 170 episodes per year over a period of up to five years.

Metronome Film & Television also has reached agreement with SBS on production of the
Big Brother series for the SBS-owned channels in Sweden (Kanal 5) and Denmark (TVDanmark), with an option for the series also to be produced for the Norwegian market (TVNorge).

Big Brother is a television and internet concept developed and owned by Endemol Entertainement, one of Europes largest television production companies. The series have seen a remarkable growth in viewership since its introduction on Dutch television last year, with a share above 80 % on some shows. Big Brother has been licensed to Germany, the US, Britain, Spain and Portugal – before it now enters Scandinavia. Endemol is Schibsted’s partner in Metronome Film & Television, with a 35 % share. Metronome has exclusive Scandinavian rights to production and sales of Endemol’s television concepts and programmes.

The Big Brother concept is based on a close interaction between the television programme and a unique web-version. Metronome Film & Television and SBS will cooperate on the development of the websites for the Big Brother productions as well as for the Swedish
Hotel Caesar dramaseries.