CEE To Broadcast Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares

Optomen International has closed format deals for Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares franchise with broadcasters across the CEE.

TVN in Poland has licensed the emergency restaurant-rescue series for a ninth series, while Prima in the Czech Republic has confirmed a fifth local series. Nova in Bulgaria, Pro TV in Romania and TV2 Hungary are set to embark on their first local Kitchen Nightmare seasons. In a sixth format pact, the London-based distributor has also licensed the first series of the UK superchef’s Hotel Hell to TVN.

These latest Ramsay format deals, which take the number of local ‘Gordons’ now on screen around the world to 35, reflect Optomen’s recent push into the CEE marketplace. Since MIPCOM in October, the distributor has achieved record-breaking results across the region, selling no less than 425 hours of content into Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Russia, the Baltic States, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. More than 220 hours of finished programming have been sold into Hungary alone.

Underlining the outspoken chef's fail-safe recipe for entertainment with global traction, Ramsay-fronted shows have proved to be particularly popular with CEE broadcasters. Among the Ramsay titles to have been licensed in the past three months are Gordon's Great Escape, The F Word, Hotel Hell, Gordon's Healthy Cooking, Gordon’s Ultimate Cookery Course, Gordon's Ultimate Christmas, Gordon's Home Cooking Seasonal Selections and Gordon Ramsay Cookalong.

Caroline Stephenson, director of sales for Optomen International, said: "This unprecedented level of sales activity is not just the result of our focus on CCE in the wake of strong interest at MIPCOM. It also points to the region’s growing enthusiasm for high-end factual entertainment programming, as exemplified by Gordon's enduringly popular approach to great food — and ghastly kitchens. Looking forward, I believe we will see many more format sales into CEE, as demand escalates for high quality entertainment with a local flavour."

(CD)