Munich, April 09, 2008. In Germany and the Netherlands, “The Successor” was one of the most successful TV shows of the first quarter. Now Turkish broadcaster Star TV will be airing its own version of the program. The search for Uri Geller’s successor in Turkey begins on April 17. Star TV will be running the show every Thursday, live, in prime time, under the title “Fenomen”. Uri Geller will be the judge; the show will be hosted by Sinan Cetin, Turkey’s most successful and most popular director. The show is marketed worldwide by SevenOne International.
Jens Richter, Managing Director of SevenOne International: “The talent show ‘The Successor’ will be airing already in the fourth country this year. So far it has achieved spectacular ratings everywhere. In Hungary, the show has gotten off to a super start, reaching market shares of 30.8 percent. We can’t wait for the show to conquer audiences in Turkey and many other countries as well.”
Fasih Saylan, Director of Projects and Deputy General Management of Start TV: “We’re glad to realize this project for Turkey. It’s going to be the hit show of the year, as it is a brand new and innovative show for the Turkish audience.”
SevenOne International has sold “The Successor” to seven countries so far. The first season on ProSieben was a thorough success, drawing a 17.3 percent (viewers aged 14-49) audience share. ProSieben has already announced another season. On the Dutch channel SBS 6, the average share was as high as 18.8 percent (viewers aged 20-49). On March 29, the Hungarian version of the show made its debut on TV2. It drew an audience share of 30.8 percent (viewers aged 18-44). Last fall the show had its international debut on U.S. channel NBC under the title “Phenomenon”, which was also aired on Canada’s CTV. The U.S. version will soon be airing on Australia’s Nine Networks as well. The format “The Successor” originated in Israel, where it earned record ratings on Keshet in the spring of 2006. With an average audienceshare of 50 percent, “The Successor” was the most successful program in Israeli television history.