BBC Worldwide Sells ‘Dancing With the Stars’ to Iceland

[Archiee]

“Dancing With the Stars” is set to debut in Iceland after BBC Worldwide sold the format to Icelandic broadcaster Stod 2, it was announced Monday. The local version is set to premiere March 11.

The deal marks the first partnership between BBC Wordwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, and Stod 2. BBC Worldwide will produce the show alongside RVK Studios.

“We have had an eye on this format for quite some time and are very excited to finally bring the amazing energy, entertainment and of course glitter finally to Iceland,” said Johanna Gisladottir, head of acquisitions and programming at Stod 2.

The format, broadcast as “Strictly Come Dancing” in the U.K., has now sold to 55 countries. Other recent sales of the format have included to Brazul and Belgium. In the U.K. it saw its most successful season in 2017.

BBC Worldwide is currently hosting its annual showcase event, which runs Feb. 18-21 in Liverpool. It also announced the sale of gameshow format “You’re Back in the Room” to Poland and Portugal. The format is already in production by ATM Grupa for free-to-air channel TVN in Poland, which will launch the show March 3. The Portuguese version, set to air in spring 2018, will be produced by by Shine Iberia for commercial broadcaster SIC.

The gameshow sees five strangers, who are hypnotised with specific triggers designed to interfere with the games, take on a series of seemingly simple tasks for cash prizes. The show premiered in the U.K. in 2015 with a peak audience of 5.2 million viewers. The format has already been sold in nine other markets including the U.S., French Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Netherlands, Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Colombia.