Sony’s Toro taking the The Ultimate Music Battle into Italy

Sony-owned Italian production company Toro Produzioni has optioned music format Grande Battle (aka The Ultimate Music Battle) and plans to make the show in Italy.

The show, which won the Best Format award at last year’s Eurovision Creative Forum, is a musical talent series in which participants are selected via the internet. The selected contestants then sing famous classical numbers, backed by a full symphony orchestra.

The Italian deal was brokered by Matthieu Porte’s formats firm Can’t Stop Media.

There is not a broadcaster on board yet, but the show is expected to land on a public broadcast channel given its classical music angle.

Porte said: “This format allows public broadcasters to fulfil the difficult task of showing classical music in primetime while keeping large audiences in front of the screens. We’re confident we’ll soon see it adapted in Italy by the producer [Toro] behind the local version of The Voice.”

News of the Italian deal comes as France Télévisions renews the show for a third season. The French version is made by its creators Step by Step and Presto Media and will go out next spring. The online auditions start in September.