Chris Pye sets up formats company Blue Touch

Ex-Sony and BBC executive Chris Pye has set up a formats company, Blue Touch TV, and inked deals for two shows.

Pye is the former VP, worldwide formats, at Sony Pictures Television and head of entertainment at the BBC. He set up Blue Touch with David Walton who has a produced and distributed various lottery shows and like Pye is part of TV Ionoco (Walton founded the TV technology company and Pye is currently the chairman).

Blue Touch has signed deals for two of its shows, The Network and Curveball.

BBC Worldwide has picked up international rights to The Network, a gameshow Blue Touch developed with Nerd TV in which contestants must rely on their social networking friends to answer questions about them.

There is no broadcast partner yet, but the company is understood to be in advanced negotiations with a UK terrestrial channel. A US production company is also understood to be close to optioning the format.

Curveball, meanwhile, is described as a strategy quiz in which contestants can play game -changing curve balls. Rain Media – the UK indie set up by former ITV Studios producers Mark Wells and Glen Middleham has optioned the format.