BBC and NBCUniversal have formed a development partnership to find and fund the next wave of unscripted programming ideas, with global scale and appeal.

The joint unscripted partnership will be open to all UK-based production companies and studios. Together, both parties will search for ambitious, platform-defining ideas with transatlantic potential, which will resonate across their respective linear and streaming platforms.

A broad range of unscripted genres will be considered, with a view to co-commission pilots or developments that have series potential. Both parties have agreed an aligned set of terms for UK producers, which are based on the BBC terms of trade.

On and off-screen diversity will form a significant part of the decision-making process. An outline of the terms and process will be made available to all producers.

Kate Phillips, Director of Entertainment, BBC Commissioning, said: “We want to lead the way in finding and investing in high impact, returnable British ideas and formats from all nations and regions, and this collaboration with NBCU will enable producers to develop their ideas at scale and win commissions on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Jenny Groom, EVP, Entertainment Unscripted Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming said: “In such a competitive landscape, we love the idea of amplifying our audiences and creative output in partnership with the BBC. There is no better partner for NBCU and with Sharon Vuong and her team helping to lead the charge for us, we look forward to bringing the next great wave of unscripted formats to viewers across the globe.”

The joint unscripted partnership was developed by Syeda Irtizaali for BBC Entertainment and Ed Havard, VP, Creative Partnerships for Universal Studio Group, which is a division of NBCUniversal. Submissions will be overseen by BBC Entertainment Commissioners Pinki Chambers and Neil McCallum, and Sharon Vuong and Ed Havard for NBCUniversal.

The BBC and NBCUniversal already share success with several hit unscripted brands and formats. Recent examples include The Wall, The Wheel, The Weakest Link and Dragon’s Den.

A joint BBC & NBCUniversal briefing session will be announced in due course, which will give content creators an opportunity to hear more.

 

 

Jon Creamer

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