27/07/2009
UK-based global content distributor Outright Distribution has racked up a new spread of deals for the US version of UK indie Ricochet’s hit It’s Me Or The Dog.
Animal Planet Media, a unit of Discovery Communications Inc, originally licensed the first three UK seasons of “It’s Me Or The Dog” then produced its own version of the format running across two seasons, comprising 45 hour long episodes.
This US version has been snapped up by Ten in Australia, Skai TV in Greece, Prime in New Zealand, Globosat in Brazil, TV2 in Denmark, Discovery in Italy, Sogecable in Spain and TV Norge in Norway.
“It’s Me Or The Dog” was a massive UK hit on Channel 4 running for four seasons and propelling expert dog trainer Victoria Stilwell to household name status on both sides of the pond.
The show has since travelled to over 20 territories around the world where Stillwell is parachuted into homes where the badly behaved resident pet is, often literally, as well as metaphorically, tearing the family apart. "It's Me or the Dog" offers a superb, practical manual for pet owners - whether faced with training a new puppy or with correcting the bad habits of an existing pet.
Another key Ricochet property which is proving popular is Cowboy Builders, the first series of which was originally produced for Five and became a ratings winner. The format for the show has been optioned in Holland and Belgium with a major European territory license due to be announced later in the summer. The finished series has also been snapped up in New Zealand by TVNZ, by BBC Lifestyle in Poland, VTM in Belgium and SBS in Holland.
Cowboy Builders promise the earth but leave you with nothing but wrecked homes and broken dreams. Consumer champion Dominic Littlewood and property developer Melinda Messenger hunt down these cowboys to confront them about their shoddy workmanship, expose them to the authorities and repair the damage left behind them.
Chris Bonney, MD of Outright Distribution commented on the deals ‘Ricochet is one of the most consistent producers in the UK today. The company’s ability to create such well structured and entertaining factual formats, combined with such a high re-commission ratio, makes the job of exploiting them a whole lot easier. We’re looking forward to announcing more format licenses over the summer.’