Mip Briefs: France takes 'Beauty'

Power buys rights to 'World'

By VARIETY STAFF

Twentieth Century Fox TV Distribution has licensed its format "Beauty and the Geek" to TF1 in France. Production will begin immediately on eight episodes that will debut this fall. The French version will be entitled "Bimbo et Intello." The show already airs in Italy, Russia, and the U.K., among others. To date 16 local productions have been licensed to major channels, including RTL in Germany and REN in Russia. In the U.S. the reality show airs on the CW.

Additionally, Fox unveiled Monday an agreement with Britain's Arts Alliance Media (AAM), a leading provider of digital film distribution services in Europe, to distribute the Hollywood studio's content on AAM's Vizumi Network. The deal covers both download-to-rent and download-to-own for both new-release and catalog films. Among the titles: "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Borat."

British-based distrib Power has picked up international distribution rights to two U.S. daytime soaps, "Guiding Light" and "As the World Turns," which have been running Stateside for 70 and 51 years, respectively. Power founder and CEO Justin Bodle said this was the first time that global audiences will be able to enjoy the trials and tribulations of the two sudsers.

Alfred Haber Distribution has already closed a number of deals for the upcoming Miss Universe Pageant, which will take place in Mexico City May 28. Among the 17 territories just closed are Seven Network (Australia), News Broadcasting (Japan), SBS (Belgium), TNT (Latin America), Paris Premiere (France), Caracol (Colombia), TV2 (Norway), Southeast Asia (Star TV), Radio Bandeirantes (Brazil), LBC (Middle East) and CTC (Russia).

Teutonic producer Action Concept and German network ProSieben are teaming to produce for the first time English-language action drama series made in Germany. First project is called "Fast Track: No Limits," which will be set in action-packed world of urban street racing. Pre-production on the two-hour pilot has just started in Berlin. Project takes a leaf out of Hollywood's book by adopting the showrunner system of episodic production. "Fast Track" is being distribbed in major territories outside Germany by Gavin Reardon, prexy of L.A.-based And Action!

Breakthrough Animation has finalized a licensing deal with Cartoon Network's Cartoonito in the U.K. to broadcast the animated kids series "Miss BG." The 26 half-hour episodes of "Miss BG" will debut on May 24. The series is adapted from the "Gudule & les Bebes" book collection authored by Fanny Joly and illustrated by Roser Capdevilla.