Aussie families head to France as Nine Network picks up C4 format 

Spark Media Partners and Cineflix Rights have secured their first format sale for long-running Channel 4 title Château DIY, Broadcast has learned. 

The 5 x 60-minute Château DIY Australia will follow families who have given up their lives down under to travel halfway around the globe to start a new life in France. Following the same structure as Château DIY, the local version will follow multiple families at different stages of their castle renovations and business ventures.  

Chateau DIY

Spark Media Partners will produce the new series with chief creative officer Hatfield-Powell serving as executive producer. 

Château DIY already sells as finished tape to multiple territories globally, but this is the first time the franchise has landed a format deal. Nine Network has historically taken the finished tape rights in Australia and recently concluded a further deal for Season seven of the UK version.  

Spark’s joint chief executive Steve Havers and Hatfield-Powell worked with Cineflix Rights senior vice president of acquisitions and coproductions Richard Life to negotiate the deal.  

Hatfield-Powell said: “We know there are hundreds of intrepid château owners travelling from all over the world to build their fairytale life renovating a château in France, so we’re delighted to be partnering with Nine Network to produce our first local version of this global format”. 

Senior vice president of acquisitions and coproductions at exclusive distributor Cineflix Rights Richard Life said: “Château DIY is a hugely successful show enjoyed by millions of viewers around the world. We see a lot of opportunity for local versions of the format, and we’re thrilled to be announcing this first deal, on the back of multiple recent international deals for existing seasons of the UK show.” 

Château DIY Australia will air next year. The news comes shortly after Broadcast revealed that C4 has ordered two more series of the format, with Kindling Media set to hand production over to Spark Media North in Sheffield. 

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