Endemol secures Seinfeld format for U.K.

June 18, 2009 Global production outfit Endemol has secured an international distribution deal with Jerry Seinfeld and Ellen Rakieten to make overseas versions of their new comedy/reality format "The Marriage Ref," which will air on NBC in primetime from March 2010. "Ref," which is exec produced by Seinfeld and longtime "The Oprah Winfrey Show" exec producer Rakieten, sees opinionated celebrities, comedians and sports personalities comment, judge and offer different strategies to real-life couples in the midst of a marital dispute. Endemol, which has production operations in 26 countries, will be the exclusive distributor of the format across all platforms outside the U.S. and will produce local versions of the show around the world.

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