Sony Pictures Television To Handle Worldwide Distribution Of CTV’s ‘The Launch’

Bell Media, Big Machine Label Group, and Sony Pictures Television announced today that Sony has secured international distribution rights to the new music TV format The Launch. As Bell Media and BMLG’s exclusive partner, Sony Pictures Television will distribute The Launch worldwide, excluding Canada, and its production company, Electric Ray, is set to produce the format in the U.K.

The historic deal represents the first time a Bell Media original television format for CTV has been sold for international distribution. In addition, SPT will also distribute the Canadian series, which wrapped up its inaugural season on CTV last week, for sale outside of Canada.

In Canada, the show’s inaugural season debuted No. 1 in its time slot on CTV and delivered a series of consecutive No. 1 hits. The series’ original songs have already surpassed 4 million streams worldwide and continue to grow.

“We are delighted to have The Launch as our first acquisition under our newly formed Future Formats Team,” said Sarah Edwards, Creative Director of Global Formats, Sony Pictures Television.  “As soon as we saw it we knew it was the music talent show we had been looking for. It is a unique and authentic look into what it takes to be a successful performer and recording artist in today’s music business and we are confident that audiences around the world will embrace it.”

“With Sony now on board, this is another huge milestone to the already resounding success The Launch has received for its inaugural season,” said Randy Lennox, President, Bell Media. “This partnership reconfirms Bell Media’s commitment to producing high-calibre and innovative programming and a new TV format that we are sure will resonate with viewers around the world.”

“Season 1 of CTV’s The Launch exceeded our wildest expectations!” said Scott Borchetta, Founder, President, and CEO of the Big Machine Label Group. “We are fired up to announce a worldwide format agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment. Wow! I’m so grateful to Randy Lennox and all at Bell Media for sharing The Launch vision from the onset and I’m beyond thrilled to see the format earning the opportunity to travel the world with SPT. The goal from the beginning was to give artists a real-life and real-time opportunity like no other and we appear to have achieved that goal. A huge thanks to all of our Season 1 superstar producers and mentors, our great artists, and the millions of fans who tuned in.”

The Launch was based on a concept by Borchetta and co-created by him in association with Randy Lennox and Bell Media and Paul Franklin of Eureka in partnership with John Brunton and Lindsay Cox of Insight Productions.

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Lorie Hollabaugh

Hollabaugh, a staff writer at MusicRow magazine, has over 20 years of music business experience and has written for publications including American Profile, CMA Close Up, Nashville Arts And Entertainment, The Boot and Country Weekly. She has a Broadcast Journalism and Speech Communication degree from Texas Christian University, (go Horned Frogs), and welcomes your feedback or story ideas at lhollabaugh@musicrow.com.

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