Prima buys into Talpa’s Utopia

Romanian free-to-air broadcaster Prima TV has ordered a local version of Utopia, the reality format from John de Mol’s Talpa.

The show started out in the Netherlands on SBS6 as a year-long series. It follows 15 participants as they attempt to create a perfect society from scratch. Viewers can watch on broadcast TV as well and round the clock on an associated online platform.

The Romanian version will be one of the centerpieces of free-to-air broadcaster Prima’s autumn schedule as it attempts to reposition itself and woo younger viewers.

Prima will produce the format itself with Talpa providing consultancy services.

Talpa’s sales arm shops the format internationally and struck the Romanian deal. It will be the fifth local version of the format after agreements with Sat.1 in Germany, TV8 in Turkey and Fox in the US.