NBC And MTV Create Unique Programming Partnership With Granada America

A groundbreaking step in the creation of television entertainment, NBC and MTV has announced an innovative partnership to launch a new programming model with Granada America's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! premiering this June.
The announcement was made by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios and Tony DiSanto, Head of MTV Programming and Paul Buccieri, CEO of Granada America.
NBC also announced casting for the series, celebrities will include: Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt (stars of MTV's The Hills), NBA great and TV personality John Salley (Best Damned Sports Show Period), supermodel and TV star Janice Dickinson (The Janice Dickinson Modelling Agency), 2007 American Idol contestant Sanjaya Malakar, actor Stephen Baldwin (The Usual Suspects) and professional wrestler and beauty queen Torrie Wilson. Additional celebrity contestants will be named soon along with the hosts of the show.
Beginning on Monday, June 1, NBC will premiere this groundbreaking, 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!'. Each Sunday, beginning June 7, MTV in the USA will air a marathon of the week's episodes including never before seen footage and commentary from cast members in real time, providing an enhanced viewing experience for die-hard fans. Leveraging the passionate audiences of both NBC and MTV, the networks are jointly casting for the series. Each network will cross promote the series on their air.
Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, said: "We are thrilled to team up with MTV in an innovative rollout of this entertainment series. MTV makes the perfect companion network with its young audience demographics as we are always looking for new platforms and marketing models to bring attention to our shows."
Tony DiSanto, Head of MTV Programming, said: "We're always looking for new and innovative ways to bring fresh content to our viewers and build our stars. This partnership with NBC is a symbiotic new model where our talent gets a new platform on a broadcast network and we get great content in real time. In this new media landscape, it's important to seek out new and efficient ways to create and present content - blow up models, break barriers and challenge the norm. This is an exciting next step in synergistic programming across networks."
Paul Buccieri, Chief Excutive Officer of Granada America, said: "By any measure, this partnership represents a breakthrough in entertainment event programming. Together we have crafted a deal that will ensure that I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! has the optimum opportunity to reach the largest possible audience this Summer and grow into an enduring franchise for both MTV and NBC."
I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here is a groundbreaking, live event airing throughout the month of June - it's the ultimate Swiss Family Robinson as ten celebrities are dropped into the heart of the jungle to face fun and comedic challenges designed to test their survival skills. America is the puppet master, controlling their favourites by putting them into challenges and tasks to win food, supplies and luxury items. In each episode, friendships will be tested, hilarity will ensure and viewers will decide which celebrities stay or leave. While all participants will be playing for their favourite charities, the last remaining star will be crowned King or Queen of the Jungle, winning the largest share of the prize for donation.
I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! is a production of Granada America. Chris Brogden and Jayson Dinsmore serve as executive producers; Michael Brooks and Tasmin Dodgson are the co-executive producers.
(KMcA/BMcc)