Format

Global content company Keshet International (KI) today reveals its selected slate of programming for MIPCOM 2018. The diverse slate consists of new quality finished tape series and formats, including 21 new titles across high-end drama productions and factual series, entertainment formats, and kids and teens content.

Two Israeli titles headline KI’s scripted slate: firstly Stockholm, a darkly comedic series inspired by the bestselling novel from Noa Yedlin, which debuted to critical acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The black comedy, produced by Artza Productions for KAN and Keshet 12, follows the story of a leading contender for the Nobel Prize in Economics who is found dead in his bed of an apparent heart attack just five days before the winners are announced.

KI’s second scripted highlight is Autonomies, a dystopian drama produced by United Studios of Israel for HOT, and penned by Shtisel creators Yehonatan Indursky and Ori Elon. Selected to premiere at Series Mania, this captivating and globally relevant tale explores the burning issues of identity, religion, politics and personal freedom and features a stellar cast. Other scripted highlights include second series of both The Paper, produced by Drugi Plan for Croatia’s HRT, and also False Flag, produced by Masha Productions for Keshet 12.
Showdown – Aviv/Eyal tops KI’s list of entertainment formats for MIPCOM 2018, having debuted successfully on Keshet 12 this summer. Produced by Tedy Productions, this primetime series sees two of the country’s most popular performers take their well-known rivalry to another level in a bid to discover the next great singing talent. Celebrity also takes centre stage in Anna’s 12 Steps to Love, a docu-reality series produced by Koda Communications for Keshet 12’s autumn schedule, which follows Anna Aronov, a professional dancer and one of Israel’s most eligible singles, on her authentic journey to find love.

KI’s slate continues to be bolstered with an exceptionally strong selection of non-scripted formats and finished tape titles being brought to market from the independent production companies supported by Greenbird Media, the UK production company incubator in which KI recently acquired a majority stake. From UK producer Tuesday’s Child Television comes Playlisters, an addictive and engaging music game show format where you can’t help but play and sing along. Three couples compete for a chance to win the grand prize and each round is designed to bring hit after hit from different genres and decades.

KI’s format slate also features two new formats from British entertainment indie Rumpus Media: Personal Dater, a returnable dating series that pits a singleton’s best friends against a computer algorithm; and Playing For Time, a funny and nostalgic talk show hosted by comedian Rob Beckett that travels through the decades to reminisce about recent history through the evolution of gaming.

KI’s varied factual finished tape slate includes Trucking Hell, a new 10-part series from Crackit Productions for Channel 5, where heavy rescue company, Crouch Recovery, risk life and limb to perform extreme rescue missions and keep Britain’s roads moving in this rare glimpse into the bustling world of heavy vehicle rescue. Featuring alongside is Channel 4’s controversial factual series, Busing (working title) from Top Hat Productions, which - inspired by social engineering experiments from the 60s - exchanges pupils from an all-white school with those from an all-Asian school to overcome social and cultural divides.

Other factual finished tape highlights include Crackit Productions’ Trauma Team, a heart-warming four-parter that gives viewers an exclusive look into the daily operations of an emergency room; Maagalot Productions’ true crime documentary series Behind the Mask: The Youth Center Case, a gripping portrait of modern life in Tel Aviv which reopens the unsolved case of the tragic crime that shocked one of the world’s most liberal cities; and DNA Productions and United King Films’ Rescue Bus 300, an intense docu-drama revealing the inside story of the real-life hijacking and rescue of 41 innocent passengers and the driver of the bus in Israel in 1984.

As KI continues to build its kids programming slate, it brings Elvis and Benny, a 26x6’ non-dialogue animated series, to MIPCOM. From Haptic BVBA for Spain’s TV3 and Belgium’s VTMKids, this wacky buddy comedy helps kids come to terms with the heart-warming message that no matter how strange and diverse you seem to be, everyone can understand each other.

Keren Shahar, COO and President of Distribution, Keshet International, said: “We’re coming to MIPCOM with a very diverse slate of entertainment formats for every slot as well as compelling dramas and factual shows. Finished tape is a big focus for us this year, in particular factual and foreign dramas. Our new relationship with Greenbird Media and its partner production companies means we have lots of brand new factual English language finished tape from some of the best in the business.”