SYDNEY A serious-minded skein about the business of advertising has been a surprise hit for Aussie pubcaster the ABC, which is now in talks to take the format international.

"The Gruen Transfer," named for the designer of the first shopping mall, Victor Gruen, ended the season July 30 with 1.46 million viewers, a surprise to many, especially the commercial webs that had predicted it would not succeed. "Transfer" refers to the moment when an ad turns people into impulse buyers.

Highlighting the show's advertising focus, producer Andrew Denton of Zapruder's Other Films, says: "I think there was an underestimation of the audience by a lot of people in what is the most pervasive form of entertainment there is. We all focus on the ratings and performance of TV and films, but what is it we see most of?"

The skein, which bowed May 28 to a local aud of 1.4 million, aired Wednesdays at 9. Eschewing the usual ad clip shows, "Gruen" takes a serious look at advertising with panelists from the field, albeit with humor from the host, comedian Wil Anderson.

High-level ad execs appeared on the show to discuss tactics used to sell a product. There has even been a ripple effect with the Aussie ad industry reporting an uptick in interest from people seeking careers in advertising.

"We said to the industry -- and I believe we've upheld this -- we are not here to do a job on you, but we are not here to do a press release either," says Denton, who also hosts the successful chat skein "Enough Rope."

"Gruen" averaged 1.2 million viewers for the season, and has attracted overseas interest in the format, though the ABC says it is too soon to announce any deals.

Denton believes "Gruen" succeeded because producers did not try to make the show for the broadest aud.

"Usually format shows that are popular are aiming for a lowest common denominator base," he says. "This one has gone somewhere else and proven it can get a very large audience."