Deal or No Deal returns to Sweden after 11-year hiatus

Sweden’s TV4 has ordered a local version of Deal or No Deal, marking a return of the Banijay Entertainment format to the country after more than a decade.

Banijay Nordic’s Meter/Jarowskij will produce the reboot, which will premiere on 9 May on streamer TV4 Play and TV4. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Sweden presenter Rickard Sjöberg will host.

Episodes will debut every Friday and Saturday in a primetime slot for five weeks in the spring, and five weeks in the autumn.

Deal or No Deal debuted in Sweden on TV4 in 2006 before moving to rival TV3 six years later. It then returned to TV4 for a two-series run but was cancelled in 2014.

The format, which launched in the Netherlands in 2002 and has been recently rebooted in South Africa and the UK, has been commissioned in over 80 countries and spawned more than 350 productions.

It sees contestants facing 20 sealed boxes (or bags in the Swedish show), each of which contains a different cash amount. Without knowing what’s inside, players must decide whether to accept a cash offer from the mysterious Banker or pick boxes to open and discard, aiming to avoid high value prizes.

If contestants choose to decline the banker’s offer, they win the amount in the final box, with a top prize of KR1m (£76,500) available.

Madelene Hansson, chief exec at Meter/Jarowskij, said the format’s “incredible drama and tension, both in the studio and for viewers at home” would deliver a hit for the broadcaster.

Lucas Green, chief content officer, operations at Banijay Entertainment, added: “Classic formats are continuing to make a major comeback, with territories leaning into beloved shows to capture the engagement of long-time fans, while attracting new audiences.

“Deal or No Deal continues to be a ratings winner across multiple markets, and we expect this Swedish revival will once again tap into the cultural zeitgeist.”