Sony launches first CEE specific format

Sony Pictures Television is launching its first scripted format specifically for Central and Eastern Europe ahead of this month’s NATPE Budapest.

The Hollywood studio is launching The Eighties, a coming of age comedy drama that is set in the time of Perestroika.

The show was originally developed by Sony Pictures Television Productions Russia and Lean-M for Russian broadcaster CTC earlier this year and the company’s international formats arm will roll out the scripted format at the Budapest-based market, formerly known as Discop.

Jeff Lerner, SVP, scripted development, international production, at Sony Pictures Television said: “The Eighties is set at the start of a dramatic period of change in history – politically, culturally and socially. This backdrop of a country experiencing so many firsts provides a poignant parallel to our characters’ lives as they experience the ups and downs of student life, romance, parties, friendship and family. The juxtaposition of these rites of passage, alongside the country’s coming of age, allows for a shared experience that many CEE broadcasters will recognise as particularly resonant for their audiences.”