TORONTO – One of the drawbacks to a lot of the American primetime reality/game shows is that Canadians – or folks from any other country – are not allowed in.
Survivor, Amazing Race, and Deal Or No Deal limit their contestants to Americans. Today, however, Global changed that last show a bit and will produce an all-Canadian Deal, complete with expat Canuck host Howie Mandel.
CTV has also copied foreign shows for Canadians, creating its own "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" in 2000 and producing the popular Canadian Idol for five seasons.
Today, Global Television announced an agreement with Endemol USA to produce a Canadian version of the international hit show, "Deal or No Deal." Five special editions will be produced on-location in Toronto, in January 2007.
Produced expressly for Global Television by Insight Productions and Endemol USA, the five, hour-long episodes will be broadcast exclusively in Canada.
Airing on Global Television in the Spring of 2007, the special series "will bring all the thrills and excitement of the ‘Deal or No Deal’ experience direct to its most loyal fans, right here at home," boasts the press release.
"We’re delighted to confirm we’re bringing this high-profile format deal to Canada," said Barbara Williams, senior vice-president of programming and production for CanWest MediaWorks. "Every aspect of the project and the production – from the creation of the dynamic "Deal or No Deal" on-air signature look, to opening up an opportunity for Canadians nationwide to get involved in the fun – is a challenge that we are eager to take on, and one that’s sure to generate buzz with audiences and industry alike."
Details on casting, related contesting, and the opportunity to be part of the studio audience for the Canadian engagement will be revealed in the days to come.
"We’re thrilled about our partnership with Global Television, and that Canadians will now have their own version. Howie Mandel has proven to be a terrific host of the U.S. version of ‘Deal or No Deal’ and I am quite confident that he will be equally successful in Canada, his native country," said Endemol USA president, David Goldberg, in a press release.
Endemol USA also produces Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Fear Factor and Big Brother, as well as 1 vs. 100. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company has subsidiaries and joint ventures in 21 countries and is a fully owned subsidiary of telecommunications giant Telefónica S.A., one of the largest companies in Spain.
Insight Production Company produces Canadian Idol, the JUNO Awards and Falcon Beach.
