Fremantle Australia

hideThis article has multiple issues. Please help or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article relies too much on references to primary sources. Please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources. (October 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (September 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Fremantle Australia Pty Ltd.

Formerly	FremantleMedia Australia (2006–2018)
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Television
Predecessor	Reg Grundy Organisation (1959–2006) Crackerjack Productions
Founded	2006
Headquarters	Sydney, Australia Melbourne, Australia
Key people	Chris Oliver-Taylor (Chief Executive Officer)
Owner	Fremantle
Website	http://www.fremantleaustralia.com

Fremantle Australia (formerly FremantleMedia Australia) is the Australian arm of global British production and entertainment company Fremantle. It was formed in 2006 by the merger of market leader Grundy Television and comedy specialists Crackerjack Productions, which had both been acquired previously by Fremantle.

History[]

Grundy[]

Grundy was founded by Reg Grundy. Its first production, Wheel of Fortune in 1959, was an original idea devised by Grundy for a radio game show, before he took the idea to Sydney television network TCN9 (now part of the Nine Network). The then 36-year-old worked both as both the show's producer and host.^[1]

With the show becoming a success, Grundy realized that US network television could serve as a ready source of new quiz show ideas. He began visiting America to spot attractive formats for adapting and re-making back in Australia.^[2] It is often said that Reg Grundy was the world's first TV format producer, and the only 'format mogul' to have originated out of Australia. The formation of a licensing entity Reg Grundy Enterprises and Grundy International Distribution set the normal operating system for many production houses worldwide.

Grundy grew to become the largest privately owned Australian producer and distributor of television programmes both domestically and internationally. Realising that in order for Grundy's to thrive, the company diversified from solely producing game shows to making serial drama, telemovies and children's fiction.

Grundy's first success in the serial drama genre came during the 1970s with The Young Doctors, The Restless Years, Sons And Daughters and Prisoner, which grew into a worldwide cult hit.

With Grundy cementing its production dominance in Australia, a US Grundy office was set up in 1979 to sell programming to the American networks. One of the most successful format sales was Sale of the Century—originally a US format—that Reg had produced in Australia and then purchased the rights outright.

As Grundy's grew and set up its presence around the world—particularly in Britain—the company was named Grundy Worldwide outside Australia and the Grundy Organisation locally.

With a string of hits and format deals around the world, one of Grundy's television legacies is serial drama Neighbours. First commissioned and broadcast by Channel 7 in 1985, it aired on Network Ten from 1986 to 2010 and then its digital channel 11 from January 2011. Neighbours continues to prove a hit, ranking number one in its time slot for the key young adult target groups. Neighbours was the highest-rated daytime drama series in the UK in 2007, with audiences over three million viewers.^{[citation needed]} Neighbours moved to broadcaster Channel Five in the UK in February 2008 and is the highest-rated daytime show for the broadcaster.

On 26 March 1995,^[3] a deal was signed in London between Reg Grundy and global entertainment company Pearson Television to acquire Grundy Worldwide. The Australian branch of the company remained with its roots and was called Grundy Television from 1995 to 2006, when it eventually took on the rebranded company name FremantleMedia Australia.

In April 2000, Pearson Television merged with CLT-UFA to create RTL Group, a broadcast, content and digital producer. In August 2001, Pearson Television changed its name to FremantleMedia for the content production division of RTL Group and in December of that year Pearson Television's holding company, Pearson PLC, sold its stake in RTL Group to the German-based Bertelsmann Group, which is one of the world's largest media companies.

FremantleMedia logo from 2006 to 2018

In 2003, FremantleMedia acquired Crackerjack Productions and in 2006 FremantleMedia merged both the Australian production companies, Grundy and Crackerjack, and formed FremantleMedia Australia.^[4]

Crackerjack Productions[]

Crackerjack Productions was an independent television production company headed by brothers Mark and Carl Fennessy. Based in St Leonards, Sydney, it concentrated on comedy-related projects, with forays into light entertainment, music, factual and reality television. It was partially acquired by Fremantle in 2003^[5] and in 2006 was merged with Grundy Television to form Fremantle Australia.^[6]

CP productions[]

Crackerjack productions included:

• CNNNN
• The Chaser election specials
• Comedy Inc.
• The Biggest Loser Australia
• Australia's Brainiest
• So Fresh
• Newstopia
• The King
• Quizmania

CP controversies[]

It was reported in August 2002 that the Federal Court in Sydney had ruled that Crackerjack had "misled job seekers about the availability of work offered by it while making a reality television program for Network Ten".^[7]

Fremantle[]

In 2011, Spring, a content creation division of the company was established.^[8]

Some of FremantleMedia Australia's productions include: Australian Idol, Family Feud, The Great Australian Bake Off (season 2), Grand Designs Australia, Australia's Got Talent, The X Factor and The Farmer Wants a Wife and original dramas such as Wentworth, Neighbours, Hoges: The Paul Hogan Story, Mary: The Making of a Princess, Wonderland and Better Man. FremantleMedia also produced the drama Picnic at Hanging Rock. FremantleMedia Australia also brought adaptations of US programmes to Australia including: MasterChef Australia, The Biggest Loser and So You Think You Can Dance.

Since Jennifer Mullin (former chief of North American unit) became the company's new CEO for International in September, in the same month the company introduced a new logo identifying it simply as "Fremantle" ("Fremantle Australia" in Australia).

Fremantle Australia is led by CEO Chris Oliver-Taylor. It continues to produce branded entertainment and digital media content.

Fremantle Australia has exclusive rights to adapt unscripted Keshet International formats in both Australia and New Zealand.^[9]

Current Programmes[]

• Neighbours (Network 10, 1985–present)
• Grand Designs Australia (LifeStyle Channel/Foxtel, 2011–present)
• The Great Australian Bake Off (LifeStyle Channel/Foxtel, 2015–present)
• Picnic at Hanging Rock (Showcase/Foxtel, 2018)
• Wentworth (Showcase/Foxtel, 2013–present)
• Shortland Street (TV2, 1992–present)
• Take Me Out (formerly Taken Out) (Seven Network, 2018–present)

Former Programmes[]

• The Apprentice Australia (Nine Network, 2009)
• 2010 ARIA Awards (Network Ten, 2010)
• As the Bell Rings (Disney Channel/Foxtel, 2007–2011)
• Australian Idol (Network Ten, 2003–2009)
• Australia's Brainiest (Seven Network, 2004; Network Ten 2005–2006)
• Australia's Got Talent (Seven Network, 2007–2012; Nine Network, 2013, 2015)
• Australia's Most Wanted (Seven Network, 1989–1999)
• BackBerner (ABC1, 1999–2002)
• Beat the Odds (Seven Network, 1971–1972)
• Bellamy (Network Ten, 1981)
• Bert's Family Feud (Nine Network, 2006–2007)
• The Biggest Loser Australia (Network Ten, 2006–2010) (the production moved to Endemol Shine Australia, 2011–present)
• Blankety Blanks (Network Ten, 1977–1978; Nine Network, 1986-1986 and 1996–1997)
• Case for the Defence (1978)
• Casino 10 (Network Ten, 1975–1977)
• The Celebrity Apprentice Australia (Nine Network, 2011–2015)
• Celebrity Name Game (Network 10, 2019–2020)
• Class of '74 (Seven Network, 1974–1975)
• The Chaser Decides (ABC1, 2001)
• Chopper Squad (Network Ten, 1976–1979)
• CNNNN (ABC1, 2002–2003)
• Comedy Inc. (Nine Network, 2003–2007)
• Comedy Slapdown (The Comedy Channel/Foxtel, 2008)
• Double Take (Seven Network, 2009)
• Escape of the Artful Dodger (Nine Network, 2001)
• Everybody Dance Now (Network Ten, 2012)
• Excess Baggage (Nine Network/Go!, 2012)
• Family Feud Australia (Nine Network, 1977–1984; Seven Network, 1988–1996; Network Ten, 2014–2018)
• Family Feud New Zealand (TV3, 2016–2017)
• The Farmer Wants a Wife (Nine Network, 2007–2012, 2016)
• The Gift (2007–2009)
• Glenview High (Seven Network, 1977–1979)
• Great Temptation (Seven Network, 1970–1975)
• Hoges: The Paul Hogan Story (Seven Network, 2017)
• Hot Streak (Seven Network, 1998)
• I Own Australia's Best Home (LifeStyle Channel/Foxtel, 2016)
• It's a Knockout (Network Ten, 1985–1987, 2011–2012)
• Keynotes (Nine Network, 1992–1993)
• The King (TV1/Foxtel and Nine Network, 2007 Telemovie)
• King's Men (Nine Network, 1976)
• Man O Man (Seven Network, 1994)
• Mary: The Making of a Princess (Network Ten, 2015)
• MasterChef Australia (Network Ten, 2009–2011) (the production moved to Endemol Shine Australia, 2012–present)
• Match Mates (Nine Network, 1981–1982)
• Mission Top Secret (Network Ten, 1992–1995)
• The Mole (Seven Network, 2013)
• Mr & Mrs Murder (Network Ten, 2013)
• Nerds FC (SBS, 2006–2007)
• New Zealand Idol (TV2, 2004–2006)
• Newstopia (SBS, 2007–2008)
• Perfect Match (Australia) (Network Ten, 1984–1989)
• Perfect Match (New Zealand) (TV3, 1989–1990)
• Possession (Nine Network, 1989)
• The Price Is Right (1957-1974 Australian game show) (Seven Network, 1963; Network Ten 1973–1974)
• The Price Is Right (Australian game show) (Seven Network, 1981–1986 and 2012; Network Ten, 1989; Nine Network, 1993–1998 and 2003–2005)
• Prisoner (Network Ten, 1979–1986)
• Project Runway Australia (Arena/Foxtel, 2008–2012)
• Quizmania (Nine Network, 2006–2007)
• Ready for Takeoff (Nine Network, 2015–2016)
• Richmond Hill (Network Ten, 1988)
• $ale of the Century (Australia) (Nine Network, 1980–2001)
• $ale of the Century (New Zealand) (TV ONE, 1989–1993; TV3, 1995)
• Schapelle (Nine Network, 2014)
• Second Chance (Network Ten, 1977)
• Secret Valley (ABC1, 1984)
• Silvia's Italian Table (ABC, 2016)
• So Fresh (Nine Network, 2002–2006)
• So You Think You Can Dance Australia (Network Ten, 2008–2010)
• Sons and Daughters (Seven Network, 1982–1987)
• Supermarket Sweep (Nine Network, 1994–1996)
• Taken Out (Network Ten, 2008–2009) (changed to Take Me Out and moved to Seven Network, 2018–present)
• Temptation (Nine Network, 2005–2009)
• The Restless Years (Network Ten, 1977–1982)
• The Young Doctors (Nine Network, 1976–1983)
• Three on a Match (Seven Network, 1975)
• Ultimate School Musical (Fox8/Foxtel, 2008)
• Until Tomorrow (Seven Network, 1975)
• Wheel of Fortune (Australia) (Seven Network, 1981–2006)
• Wheel of Fortune (New Zealand) (TV2, 1991–1996)
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (Nine Network, 1999–2001)
• Wonderland (Network Ten, 2013–2015)
• The X Factor (Australia) (Network Ten, 2005; Seven Network, 2010–2016)
• The X Factor (New Zealand) (TV3, 2013–2015)

Digital Media[]

• Nacho's Road Trip (2010)
• Macca's Chef (2010)
• MySpace Road Tour (2008)
• Australian Idol Online (2006–2009)
• So You Think You Can Dance Australia Online (2008–2010)
• The Biggest Loser Australia Online (2008–2010)
• Nerds FC Online (2006–2007)
• The Movie Show Online (2007)
• The Farmer Wants a Wife Online (2007 – present)
• The X Factor Online (2010 – present)
• Australia's Got Talent Online (2007 – present)

References[]

External links[]

• Fremantle–Australia's Official Site
• Fremantle's Official Site