Laura Burrell


Dating formats in a social age: Why audiences are hooked on hooking up

Viacom International Studios’ head of formats Laura Burrell expounds on the prolific success of recent dating programmes, and why formats with a social dimension are drawing young viewers. When I joined Viacom earlier in my career, one of the first formats I worked on was the UK version of MTV’s studio dating show Singled Out. […]

MTV’s Ex on the Beach goes local

Viacom has inked several deals for local versions of its MTV UK reality dating format Ex on the Beach and sealed options for MTV US show Stranded with a Million Dollars. Sony’s Viasat 3 channel in Hungary has greenlit a local version of Ex on the Beach. Paprika Latino will make the 22-episode Hungarian series, […]

TBI Kids: Year in Review

Undeniably, 2016 was the year digital platforms established themselves as key kids entertainment market gamechangers. “Netflix, without a doubt” was the network that made the biggest impression across the year, says Halle Stanford, executive VP of children’s entertainment at The Jim Henson Company. Many others agree with her – Andrew Cole-Bulgin of Komixx Media Group […]

French net has Ex on the Beach

French channel NRJ12 has ordered a local version of Viacom dating format Ex on the Beach. This marks the third format deal Viacom International Media Networks has closed for the show, which began life in the UK on MTV and is now in its fifth season. 909 Productions will recreate Whizz Kid Entertainment-originated Ex on […]