Nova renews 'Big Brother' pact

Endemol signs East European deals

By NICK HOLDSWORTH

MOSCOW — Bulgaria's Nova Television Plus has commissioned a fourth series of international reality TV hit “Big Brother.”

One of a raft of Eastern European deals announced by the format's creator, Holland-based international division Endemol International ahead of next week's opening of the Discop TV market in Budapest, Hungary, the new series is slated for a fall launch.

Other deals include the sale of Endemol's hit format “Love Letters” to Croatia RTL for a first series scheduled for a primetime slot later this year and “Divided” to Hungary's TV2 for a daily series starting in August.

Kanal D in Romania has taken two of Talpa Media’s hit game shows — “Divided” and “I Love My Country” and the territory's TVR has commissioned a first series of Endemol’s talent show format “Performing As,” Endemol said in a press statement.

TV Skopje in Macedonia has bagged game show juggernaut “Deal or No Deal” as a weekly series, while New Channel in the Ukraine has booked a second series of talent show blockbuster “Operacion Triunfo.”

Endemol will be bringing a range of formats for the first time to this year's Discop market, including “Mother of the Year,” a reality show created by Endemol Argentina that celebrates the role played by mothers, and Endemol’s new format “Wipeout,” which has recently sold to Australia, Germany, Belgium, Greece, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The show is due to make its international debut on ABC in the U.S. this month.