Sign distribution deal to launch hit children’s series

London, 20 March 2007. Talent Television, a wholly owned subsidiary of Talent Group plc, and UK independent distributor Bullseye TV Productions have signed a distribution deal on the brink of MIP-TV 2007 for CBBC’s hit children’s reality series for 6-12 year olds “Best of Friends”.

Series produced by Talent TV’s John A. Marley and executive produced by Head of Talent Kids Annie Miles, and Anne Gilchrist Creative Director for CBBC, “Best of Friends” has become one of CBBC’s most successful kids’ entertainment shows. The format was developed in-house at Talent by Jonathan Wolfman from an original idea by Mark Robson.

Bullseye TV has picked up worldwide television rights to 15 half hour episodes of the show outside the UK and will introduce “Best of Friends” to the international marketplace at MIP-TV. Format rights and licensing and merchandising rights will also be available to buyers through Talent Television and Bullseye.

To date, Talent has made three UK series, plus five African specials of the format which tests the real friendships of boys and girls. Currently airing in rotation on the CBBC Channel and CBBC One, the half hour format features ten year old boys and girls who are taken to task to prove just how much their mates really mean to them. The main theme of the programme is that ‘friendship matters’, and of course there are plenty of opportunities for the kids to get their own back on the presenters when they are dared to take on the tasks.

Annie Miles, Head of Talent Kids said: ““Best of Friends” has become a must-watch programme for children in the UK so we are excited to be extending the brand to broadcasters and a whole new audience of children worldwide.”

Tony Humphreys, Managing Director of Talent Television added: “As “Best of Friends” is one of our key brands, it was vital to choose the right partner to take the show worldwide. Bullseye is dynamic and hungry and has been recognised as the fastest growing distribution outfit in the UK, so we are confident that they will be instrumental in extending and exploiting the series to its full potential.”

Jorg Roth, Managing Director at Bullseye added: “We are delighted to be working with Talent TV on “Best of Friends” and to be taking our first BBC show to the international marketplace. We will be introducing the show to buyers at MIP and feel confident that they will instantly buy into the show’s universal theme of friendship.”

For further information please contact:

Janet Balmforth at Blueprint PR
Tel: +44 (0) 208 868 0511
E Mail: janet@blueprintpr.co.uk

Notes to editors:

Talent Television (part of Talent Group plc) is a leading independent UK format creator and producer of innovative television, video and interactive programming. The Company's reputation for prime-time entertainment programming is unrivalled. The “Test the Nation” series for BBC1 is now well established as a scheduling event which combines the excitement of live network television with state-of-the-art interactive television and web technology.

Talent produces a wide range of entertainment and factual programming for a broad spectrum of terrestrial and cabsat broadcasters in the UK, US and worldwide. Current credits include reality documentary “Corkscrewed”, co-produced with LA-based Magic Pictures Inc for Sky One and Fox Reality, and controversial documentaries “The Man With 80 Wives” and “9/11: The Curse of Compensation” for Channel 4. Talent was also a pioneer in reality television with “The Villa”, which was first produced in 1999 for Sky One.

Talent Kids, the children's division, develops high quality, innovative programming for kids. “Best of Friends” is a hit breakthrough reality entertainment format for 6-11 year olds produced for CBBC, now in its third year with over 55 episodes produced, and Talent also works with Cartoon Network producing the live-action sequences for its innovative hit format “Skatoony”, a live-action/cartoon game show now in its second series.

Bullseye Television is a dynamic and innovative independent production and distribution company. Recently appearing in both the Broadcast Top 100 Production and Top 30 Distributors Lists, Bullseye has a growing reputation in the UK and an enviable presence in the international television market.
From Development to Distribution Bullseye is widely praised for its ability to create programming that responds to the needs of broadcasters and the ever-changing creative, commercial and technological challenges of now and future TV. A special focus lies on New Media.