Reality Oversea Merger: Eyeworks and 3 Ball Prods.

Rumours were aflout, that Eyeworks and 3 Ball Prods. are going to merge. 3 Ball Prods. are known for producing "The Biggest Loser" partnered with Reveille and 25/7 Prods., which is still going strong on NBC. That was followed by a collaboration with Katalyst on "Beauty and the Geek," which returns for a third cycle next year on new network the CW. Other 3 Ball Prods. include VH1's "Breaking Bonaduce" and "Super Group"; Fox's "Unanimous"; and Discovery Kids' "Endurance."

Eyeworks has successful formats such as "Test the Nation" and "Who Wants to Marry My Son?"

Josef Adalian, Reality titans tying the knot - Eyeworks catches 3 Ball,
said on Variety.com (2006/09/26)

"Dutch reality factory Eyeworks is shelling out a large eight-figure sum
for 3 Ball Prods., the production company behind "Beauty and the Geek"
and "The Biggest Loser."Pact calls for Eyeworks to take a 50% stake in the U.S. company, with 3
Ball founders J.D. Roth and Todd Nelson becoming major equity holders in
Eyeworks. Roth and Nelson will continue to run 3 Ball, working in
partnership with Eyeworks founder-CEO Reinout Oerlemans.

Deal instantly transforms midsize U.S. production house 3 Ball into a
potential international player. In addition to giving 3 Ball "some
working capital to scale the company up," Roth said the ties to Eyeworks
means his company will now have the ability to test and grow formats
overseas -- a big advantage when pitching projects to U.S. networks.

"We really need to have a pipeline going both ways to grow our
business," Roth said. "This lets us create a laboratory for our ideas.
If a network says, 'We like this show, but we want to know more,' we can
say, 'We'll put it on in New Zealand, and it won't cost you a dime.' "

Roth said 3 Ball is now "a complete turnkey operation. We can create,
sell, produce and distribute ideas internationally."

Eyeworks is the No. 2 TV producer in Holland, behind only Endemol, with
Oerlemans estimating his company's sales last year at about $200
million. Now that the company has a toehold in the U.S. -- along with
Germany, Belgium, Sweden and New Zealand -- Oerlemans said he next plans
to extend the Eyeworks brand to Blighty, France and Italy.

"We want to be in important territories, and we want to be creative
players that come up with new, fresh formats," he said, outlining plans
for a global "family" of reality companies where ideas are freely
traded. (...)"

Read the whole story on Variety.com