CBS Studios International has snapped up the global format rights to Network Ten’s quiz show Have You Been Paying Attention?
Created by Working Dog Productions, the show is in its sixth season and ranks as the CBS-owned network’s third-highest rating series behind MasterChef Australia and The Bachelor Australia.
It’s the first Australian format acquired by the sales division of the US studio, which will sell the format to global broadcasters alongside Wheel of Fortune and America’s Next Top Model.
In the current series host Tom Gleisner and regulars Ed Kavalee and Sam Pang are joined by The Project’s Pete Helliar, Jane Kennedy and stand-up comedian Anne Edmonds.
Last night’s episode won its timeslot, averaging 1.02 million viewers nationally, and was Ten’s most watched show of the night.
“This agreement is a terrific example of the new synergies we have in Australia since acquiring Network Ten and we look forward to partnering with the team at Working Dog Productions to make HYBPA? a global success,” said Paul Gilbert, senior VP, international formats, CBS Studios International
Working Dog executive producer Michael Hirsh added: “We’re grateful to CBS for the opportunity to share what has become the one Aussie show families bookmark to watch together every week.”
CBS International pitched the format to prospective buyers at MIPCOM and garnered a lot of interest, Hirsh tells IF.
The show had its origins in a Working Dog soccer podcast, Santo, Sam and Ed, which Gleisner joined at the end to pose comedic questions of the week. That sparked the idea for the series which, Hirsh acknowledges, was not a hit in the first year or two. But Ten stuck with it and the audience grew.
Asked if CBS plans to make a US version, a spokesperson for CBS International tells IF: “Nothing else to share at this stage with regard to Have You Been Paying Attention? for the US. We are just beginning to shop it but it will likely go to a combination of cable and free-TV platforms. Working Dog will consult on the productions.”