Merlin

16 February 2010 - FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) and INTENIUM Console announced today that the hugely successful BBC One family drama Merlin is to become a role play gaming app for iPhone and iPod touch users around the globe.

FME holds the exclusive international rights for Merlin, including distribution, licensing, and home entertainment, and has sold the TV series to more than 180 countries to date. FME has invested in the series alongside the broadcaster BBC1. The show is produced and created by Shine TV and series 3 will air in the UK in autumn 2010.

FME brokered the deal with game developers INTENIUM Console, an industry leader in the European market. The well-established global FME network saw the deal further extended into additional broadcast territories, highlighting FME’s global strength and local expertise. The app will be available in the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Spain and Portugal. It will be available in five languages – English, German, French, Spanish and Italian.

INTENIUM Console has been behind the hugely successful casual games Insider Story: The Stolen Venus and Vicky & the Vikings (on Nintendo DS™), in addition to many others within their portfolio, bringing a track record of talent to new app Merlin. Combining the fantasy, action and magic elements of the show with engaging game play, the app will appeal to fans of the series, casual gamers and fantasy role play gamers alike. Players can be either Merlin or Prince Arthur as they travel throughout Camelot taking on villains and monsters, solving riddles and putting magic to good use.

Mel Alcock, CEO, EMEA, FME commented, “FME has had great success selling the programme around the world, and our licensing teams globally are looking at ways to complement on-air activity with off-air brand engagement initiatives. Partnering with Intenium enables us to offer Merlin fans everywhere an additional way to connect with the brand.”

Klaus Schmidt, Managing Director at INTENIUM Console said, “Merlin is a great brand that offers a rich and fantastic universe. We chose a turn-based role-playing game to give the players the possibility to experience this universe deeply in several quests. Players will be able to completely identify with the characters of Merlin and Arthur. The partnership with FME enables us to create a fun casual gaming experience connected with a well know brand which provides best chances to launch another bestseller in the international app market.”

Merlin stars Colin Morgan as Merlin, Bradley James as Prince Arthur, Anthony Head as King Uther, Katie McGrath as Morgana, Angel Coulby as Gwen, and Richard Wilson as Gaius. The show is executive produced by Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps, and produced by Shine TV for BBC One in the UK.

The game will be available on iTunes from April 2010.

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Press contact:

FME

Belinda Thomas

Sr. PR Manager

Tel: +44 (0)20 7691 6911

M: +44 (0) 7833 093 351

belinda.thomas@fremantlemedia.com

ABOUT FREMANTLEMEDIA ENTERPRISES & FREMANTLEMEDIA

FremantleMedia is one of the leading creators and producers of entertainment brands in the world. FremantleMedia is part of the RTL Group, Europe's largest television and radio broadcast company, which is in turn 90 percent owned by Bertelsmann AG, one of the world's major media and entertainment companies. FremantleMedia’s worldwide production arm is responsible for many of the world’s highest rated prime time entertainment, drama, serial drama and factual entertainment programmes. FremantleMedia Enterprises is the brand extension arm of FremantleMedia, offering a one-stop-shop for all Licensing, Distribution and Home Entertainment around the world. The FremantleMedia Group (which includes talkbackTHAMES, UFA and Grundy amongst others) has operations in 22 countries, one of the most comprehensive global networks, creating over 14,000 hours of programming a year, rolling out more than 60 formats and managing over 300 individual titles. FremantleMedia has some of the world’s most sought after and long running formats in its catalogue, and globally, produces such programmes as: Idols (co-produced with 19 Productions in the US), The X Factor (co-produced with Syco in the UK), Got Talent (co-produced with Syco in the UK and the US), Neighbours, The Bill, Family Feud, The Price is Right, Farmer Wants A Wife and Hole In The Wall.

About INTENIUM Console:

INTENIUM Console, founded in 2009 as a subsidiary of the Hamburg-based INTENIUM GmbH, which is one of the most successful publishers of Casual Games in Europe. INTENIUM Console focuses on development, marketing and sales of games for Smartphones and game consoles. ( www.intenium.de).