29 September 2011 week 39 Love is in the air How FremantleMedia helps farmers to fi nd a wife – on a global scale Luxembourg Germany Gerhard Zeiler interviewed Deutschland sucht den Superstar by the Austrian newspaper Kurier presents new jury Luxembourg / Croatia France RTL Group underlines Music radios present commitment in Central and new season line-up Eastern Europe the RTL Group intranet week 39 Cover: Motif of the promotion campaign of Bauer sucht Frau (The Farmer Wants A Wife) in Germany. 2 the RTL Group intranet week 39 “Watch love blossom” With a new season of L’amour est dans le pré kicking off in Belgium, Backstage took a look at how the format is being rolled out around the world by FremantleMedia. Trish Kinane United Kingdom - 29 September 2011 The Farmer Wants A Wife is one of top potential partners to spend time living with FremantleMedia’s most popular franchises and them on the farm. probably one of the best examples for how shows are adapted to a local market. The basic Right after the party, daily farm life begins, idea is simple: find committed relationships for and it’s a lot of hard work: get up early, feed farmers, match them with single city dwellers the animals or tend the crops, clean out the who are dreaming of a rural life – and follow stables or cultivate the fields – not the kind of them on their road to romance. Trish Kinane, chores that big-city hands are used to. Who will Acting President of Worldwide Entertainment discover their love for nature, and who can’t at FremantleMedia, explains: “The show came wait to escape back to the city? And which lucky about from a collaborative partnership between single will the farmer eventually choose as their FremantleMedia and The National Magazine ultimate match? Trish Kinane sums up the idea Company. As you can imagine, it can be very behind the format: “Overall it’s a fantastic chance difficult for a farmer working hard on the land to watch love blossom in idyllic rural landscapes, to find the time or opportunity for socialising – with some fun along the way.” they are often in rural locations, raising cattle, growing crops, running a vineyard or operating The local production companies adapt the basic a dairy farm, and so it’s not easy to meet that concept to local lifestyles, habits, cultures and special someone. Likewise, there are a lot of tastes, however the show’s central concept single people in the city who perhaps dream remains consistent – and it is winning ratings of a life in the countryside but haven’t had the worldwide. After broadcasting the French version chance to make it happen. The Farmer Wants in Southern Belgium on Plug RTL, RTL-TVI A Wife came about to bring these people began producing its own local version in 2009. together and help them find love.” On 3 October, L’amour est dans le pré enters its third season on the Belgian channel. Once The programme follows each farmer on their more, Julie Taton sets out to help lonely farmers road to romance. First, the eligible farmers – men find their soulmate. In May, Taton presented ten and women – let the nation know that they’re farmers looking for love. Now, she will hand over looking for love. Photos and details about each the letters sent in by viewers. The five farmers with of the hopeful farmers are promoted nationwide the most letters will meet ten possible soulmates and single people are encouraged to write in and select three of them to visit them on their and express their interest in meeting. Countless farm. The finale of the previous season was letters are received, and each farmer selects watched by an average 657,000 viewers, which his or her top singles who are then invited en translates to a 33 per cent audience share in masse to a social gathering. Is it love at first French-speaking Belgium. In Northern Belgium, sight? Where will the chemistry be right, where the Flemish TV channel VTM also broadcasts a will the sparks fly? The farmers then select their local adaptation of The Farmer Wants A Wife. 3 the RTL Group intranet week 39 Season seven kicked off on 29 August 2011 and is currently on air. Dina Tersago is helping four male farmers and one female farmer to find love. In the previous season, Buer Zoekt Vrouw attracted an average 1.2 million viewers for an audience share of 42 per cent. Although they are in the same country, both TV channels work independently on the format with their respective production companies. In 2010, Philippe Delusinne, CEO of RTL Belgium, explained in an interview: “You know, the Flemish and Walloon television worlds are completely separate because of the language and the mentality of these two parts of the Belgian population. These are two diametrically opposed cultures – which is perfectly demonstrated by this format. Listen closely: ‘Farmer. Wants. Wife,’ Buer. Zoekt.Vrouw – which sounds short, concise, clear. And now close your eyes. In French, this becomes L’amour est dans le pré. Here you think of love, fields of plenty, sunshine and poppies. Romance through and through. In short: This is another TV world.” Boer Zoekt Vrouw, presented by Yvon Jaspers in the Netherlands The Dutch version of Farmer Wants A Wife has become something of a cult show in the Netherlands with more viewers tuning in each week. The fifth season of the romance reality series produced by Blue Circle, FremantleMedia’s Dutch production arm, is broadcast on Nederland 1 and presented by Yvon Jaspers. After the first two episodes, five farmers – four male and one female – were looking for love, and three of them started dating their singles. In In France, L’amour est dans le pré the Netherlands, the most recent series of Boer is presented by Karine Le Marchand Zoekt Vrouw was the country’s highest-rated In France, the sixth season of L’amour est entertainment show since 1995 with audiences dans le pré was once again the most-watched as large as 5.4 million viewers. Season five show during the summer, attracting an average attracted an average 54.6 per cent of the total 6.1 million viewers and an average audience audience, exceeding Nederland 1’s primetime share of 36 per cent among housewives under average by 133 per cent throughout the season. 50. It was also the number one entertainment Season six will come back to screens in Autumn programme on M6 in France in 2009, 2010 and 2012 with a new group of farmers seeking their 2011 (year to date). In France, the show followed perfect match. 12 male and two female farmers on their search for love. Week after week, viewers accompanied In Germany, the local adaptation Bauer sucht the farmers on their quest for a soul mate with the Frau is produced by Grundy Light Entertainment help of Karine Le Marchand. On 12 September, and broadcast on RTL Television. Season seven M6 broadcast the last episode, a summary of the begins on 17 October 2011 and host Inka Bause season, attracting 6.5 million viewers. will help nine farmers with their search for love. In 2010, an average 8 million viewers watched the show on RTL Television, for an audience share of 24.7 per cent among viewers aged 14 to 49. 4 the RTL Group intranet week 39 Inka Bause, presenter of Bauer sucht Frau, the German version Julie Taton presents L’amour est dans le pré of The Farmer Wants A Wife in French-speaking Belgium In Australia, which is a far less densely populated the number one show in its time slot across all than the Central European countries, there are audiences. The most recent season attracted arguably even less opportunities for farmers who up to 1.2 million viewers and an audience share live very remotely to fi nd their soulmate. Naturally, of 31 per cent, exceeding Network Nine’s prime distances are larger – farmers are scattered all time average by 23 per cent. around the vast continent, many in out-of-the- way locations – and in the Australian version, city Trish Kinane: “The Farmer Wants A Wife came life contrasts with remote country living far more about to bring these people together and help than it ever could in some parts of Europe. The them fi nd love. And many do! We’ve seen show, hosted by Natalie Gruzlewski, lets viewers engagements, marriages, babies in many follow six lonely farmers on the road to romance territories, and scores of happy couples. Like the as they choose between hundreds of prospective ratings, it’s a fantastic indication of the show’s partners. The Farmer Wants A Wife is regularly success.” The Farmer Wants A Wife, Australian flavor 5 the RTL Group intranet week 39 Strong programme brands prevail In an interview with the Austrian newspaper Kurier, RTL Group CEO Gerhard Zeiler discussed the future of television, technological changes and programme trends. Luxembourg - 26 September 2011 Gerhard Zeiler According to Zeiler, consumers can already Zeiler says that above all, the growing glimpse the future of television: “What we can convergence of internet and TV offers new expect, and to a certain extent it is already opportunities. For example, he says catch-up here, is even higher-quality television – larger platforms show “that there is a real and screens and higher resolution, better picture growing demand for non-linear television.” quality. In short, HD will play a major role in the He says it is important that this usage is next five to ten years.” At the same time, Zeiler in addition to linear television, rather than says the introduction of HD has shown that a instead of it.