• Two companies to co-develop international version of Chinese format which reached 800 million viewers across linear and online platforms

• Endemol Shine Group to globally distribute landmark series which features major museums and their national treasures

Global producer and distributor Endemol Shine Group, today announces a new partnership with Chinese broadcaster CCTV to globally distribute a landmark format showcasing national heritage.

This partnership will see CCTV and Endemol Shine Group co-creating an international version of The Nation’s Greatest Treasures which will be available for broadcasters around the world.

The Nation’s Greatest Treasures is a cultural studio show that combines documentary and entertainment to tell unique and inspiring stories about top museum artifacts.

This series was a huge success across China with the total number of audience across linear channel and online platforms reaching 800 million viewers. Topics of the show were viewed over 1.88 billion times on Weibo, one of the largest social media platforms in China, and participating museums recorded almost 50% growth in number of visitors. The Nation’s Greatest Treasures won Best Seasonal TV Show at the Shanghai TV Festival’s Magnolia Awards this June.

The series debuted on Chinese television in December 2017 and was commissioned by CCTV (China Central Television) and produced by CDIMC (CCTV Documentary International Media Co., Ltd.), an affiliate of CCTV. The second season is currently planned to broadcast later this year.

The Nation’s Greatest Treasures is a landmark format featuring major museums and their significant treasures. Giving unique insights into the heritage of each item, the format highlights their ongoing significance in modern times. Each episode features different treasures, each with their own celebrity or specialist advocate. As the series unfolds, viewers are given the chance to vote for The Nation’s

Greatest Treasure which is revealed in a compelling finale. The original Chinese series featured nine leading museums and 27 of the country’s most spellbinding treasures.

“As an operating company of Endemol Shine Group based in China, it’s our pleasure to be the bridge between the Chinese and the global content industry, leveraging on our Group’s creative and distribution network,” says William Tan, Managing Director of Endemol Shine China. “At Endemol Shine China we are committed to work with our local partners to ensure we create new content that can travel globally. The Nation’s Greatest Treasures was a huge hit here in China and we firmly believe our business is positioned to make it a global success.” 

Lisa Perrin, CEO of Creative Networks at Endemol Shine Group says: “The Nation’s Greatest Treasures truly uncovers a passion in heritage which is relevant to audiences everywhere. It’s a wonderful format that raises the profile of significant artifacts and ambitiously reignites interest into the heirlooms. The success the show has encountered in China is testament to its ability to deliver audiences not only to linear and online programming but also to the museums themselves. We’re delighted to partner with CDIMC to bring the show to international buyers at MIPCOM.”

Yu Lei, Producer and Chief Director of The Nation’s Greatest Treasures says, “The Nation’s Greatest Treasures is the very first studio docu-tainment show that focuses on museums and artifacts on CCTV and we were thrilled with the show’s success here in China. It is really exciting to turn the show into an international format to allow our international production partners to tell local stories about their national treasures and cherish their own culture. This is also what we have created this show for.”

“We’re incredibly proud of The Nation’s Greatest Treasures and the show’s brand-new storytelling techniques bring the treasures in museums to life. We believe that the international format will not only bring local treasures closer to the audience in different markets, but will also spread Chinese culture around the world,” says Li Xiangdong, General Manager of CDIMC.

At MIPCOM 2018 in Cannes, Endemol Shine Group will join CDIMC in an exclusive invitation only showcase and press event titled “The Nation’s Greatest Treasures: Creating New Legends”, to tell the story behind the international version format and to reveal more information to global buyers. The event is taking place on 14th October at the Hotel Barriere le Majestic in Cannes.

There is a second invitation only event where the Chinese production team and Endemol Shine Group will jointly introduce the format and share with potential buyers how they can turn the show into a hit series. The event is being held at 12:30 on 15th October in the Verriere Californie Lounge & Rooftop, Level 5, the Palais des Festivals in Cannes.