NENT Studios UK harvests two new format deals and two re-licenses for ‘The Farm’

NENT Studios UK is delighted to announce the completion of two new deals for its hit competitive reality format, ‘The Farm’. Already one of the world’s most successful and enduring formats, the latest deals will see ‘The Farm’ produced locally for broadcast in Greece (Antenna) and Hungary (TV2).

TV2 in Hungary - which will air a celebrity VIP version – is in pre-production, with a view to being on air over the autumn season. Antenna has yet to commit to a date.

NENT Studios UK has also secured re-licenses for the popular format with TV2 in Denmark, now planning its fifth season, and Nelonen in Finland which is looking to film a second VIP season with celebrities in August.

‘The Farm’ is an ideal format for producing during COVID-19 restrictions, each version can be readily produced in isolation, with the entire crew quarantined together. The nature of the format already guarantees that the cast is effectively quarantined, but new protocols around the COVID-19 pandemic will ensure that rigorous health-checks and self-isolation measures are also undertaken prior to joining the show.

‘The Farm’ throws a group of men and women together on a farm in a bid to discover the simple life. They have to survive without any luxuries – including running water, electricity or mobile phones - and learn to live off the land. Each week they compete in a series of challenges and every week someone is evicted, until one person is left standing and declared the winner - Farmer of the Year.

Originally created by Strix, a NENT Studios production company, the format touches on local rural history and focuses on human relationships to deliver a very real type of reality show. It has proved itself highly addictive, entertaining audiences across the globe with versions seen in more than 50 territories since its launch in Scandinavia in 2001. A fifth Norwegian celebrity version started on TV2 in Norway in May, ahead of a 16^th season with members of the public this summer, while casting has begun for a 14^th season on TV4 in Sweden. These local versions are produced by Strix Norway and Strix Sweden.

Jack Watson, sales manager at NENT Studios UK negotiated both of the new deals. He comments: “ ‘The Farm’ has been a popular and long-running format in numerous territories for many years now, but we are always delighted to welcome new broadcasters to the franchise and work with them to deliver local versions. The ability to easily quarantine an entire production and get an original, primetime event series on air, stripped daily for up to three months, makes it a particularly compelling prospect to broadcasters at the moment, while its back-to-basics, simple life premise - focusing on inter-generational teamwork and community spirit - will undoubtedly resonate more than ever with viewers following the recent period of lockdown.”