CMT ORDERS 11 ONE-HOUR EPISODES OF “CAN YOU DUET?” FROM FREMANTLEMEDIA NORTH AMERICA
11/05/07
Producers of “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent” Bring New Music Competition Show To CMT For Spring 2008
LOS ANGELES – November 5, 2007 – CMT has ordered 11 one-hour episodes of the music competition show CAN YOU DUET? from FremantleMedia North America, it was jointly announced today by Eugene Young, Chief Creative Officer for Fremantle Media North America and Bob Kusbit, Head of Development for CMT. Slated for Spring 2008, the weekly series is designed to find the best country music duet in America.
“We’re looking for the next Johnny Cash and June Carter, the next Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, the next Big & Rich or The Judds,” says Young.
Auditions will take place through open casting calls, showcases and videotaped submissions. Unlike other talent competition shows, each contestant will compete as part of a duo, working with different partners week after week as the competition progresses. As a result, viewers will witness first-hand all the on and off-stage drama to be had in creating a dynamic musical duo. In addition to critiquing each performance and deciding who will advance to the next round, be sent home, and ultimately be crowned the best new duet in America, the Judges (to be announced) will also serve as mentors to guide, groom and develop the duets along the way.
“We’ve always wanted to be in the music competition business, but we hadn’t found the right partner or just the right concept until now,” says Kusbit. “We’re thrilled to team up with FremantleMedia, the world’s foremost music competition experts, to create the kind of buzz-worthy series that not only has the potential to be a hit for CMT, but to create the next big country stars.”
CAN YOU DUET? is produced by FremantleMedia North America. Jeff Boggs (“Nashville Star,” “Spy TV”) is executive producer. Bob Kusbit and Melanie Moreau serve as executive producers for CMT.
CMT has a rich history of finding and creating dynamic musical pairings with such series as CROSSROADS, which joins country music stars with artists from other genres. Upcoming CMT CROSSROADS combinations include Joss Stone & LeAnn Rimes and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss.
CMT, a unit of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and Heartland entertainment, reaching more than 87 million homes in the U.S. CMT and its website, CMT.com, offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and is the top resource for country music on demand. The network’s digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.
MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom , is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with 137 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services - MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN/THE N, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 200 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.
FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. production division of global media giant FremantleMedia. Based in Burbank, California, FMNA produces entertaining and innovative television programs for network, cable and syndicated platforms, including the Emmy-nominated musical/reality phenomenon “American Idol" (FOX), “The Next Great American Band” (FOX), “America’s Got Talent” (NBC), “American Inventor” (ABC), “Thank God You’re Here” (NBC), “The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency” (Oxygen), “Property Ladder” (TLC), “Family Feud” (syndicated), “Temptation” (syndicated), “Million Dollar Password” (CBS), and the longest-running game show in television history, “The Price Is Right” (CBS).
FremantleMedia is one of the largest international creators and producers of entertainment brands in the world with leading prime time drama, serial drama, entertainment and factual entertainment programming in over 40 countries worldwide. FremantleMedia is a subsidiary of RTL Group, Europe's largest television and radio broadcast company, which is 90% owned by Bertelsmann AG, an integrated media and entertainment company that commands leading positions in the world's media markets. For further information, visit http://www.fremantlemedia.com.
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PRESS CONTACTS:
Lisa Chader 615-335-8405 lisa.chader@cmt.com
Chris Delhomme 310-752-8635 chris.delhomme@cmt.com
Manfred Westphal 818-748-1148 manfred.westphal@fremantlemedia.com
