News Broadcasting
FremantleMedia to bring the best in US reality to Mipcom
MUMBAI: Fremantle International Distribution (FID), the distribution arm of FremantleMedia, will attend Mipcom this October with a raft of US reality shows to suit all audiences.
For the first time, FID will be offering international buyers the hugely successful fashion reality series, Project Runway, from Miramax and Weinstein Company Inc. Starring super model Heidi Klum, Project Runway, was a smash-hit success when it aired on Bravo in the US last year.
Project Runway, which is set among the glitz and glamour of New York, gives 12 talented fashion designers the opportunity of a lifetime – a chance to have their designs shown in front of the global fashion community and displayed in the pages of Elle magazine. Through a series of challenges, designers are eliminated, ultimately leaving one to claim their place in fashion’s spotlight. In addition, 12 up-and-coming models join the designers on their quest for celebrity. Each week, we see the models eliminated until one is left standing.
FID will also be presenting the brand new and hotly anticipated The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. From Mark Burnett Productions in association with Trump Productions LLC, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart will retain the format of the original hit series including weekly eliminations, but the show will be tailored to Stewart’s personality and brand identity. The tasks will be centred around Stewart’s areas of expertise: media, home renovation, entertaining, design, merchandising, technology and style.
Season four of the original US hit, The Apprentice featuring Donald Trump will be a hot property for Mipcom 2005. This bold reality series tests competitors’ survival techniques in New York City’s corporate jungle. The candidates face weekly business challenges and strive to reach the top. One promising candidate will become an apprentice Trump. Season one was the highest rated new series of the 2003-04 season, gaining an average audience of 20 million viewers. The finalé gained an incredible audience of 28 million viewers – 167 per cent above NBC’s prime time average. Season’s two and three also delivered strong ratings, taking the top two positions as the highest rated entertainment series on NBC.
Another hit series that FID is delighted to debut this October is Season five of American Idol. The television phenomenon that smashed all records on Fox to become the season’s Number One show in the US, returns. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, America’s favourite judges, lend their professional expertise and often unwanted criticism, as they search to discover the next American Idol. With two shows each week, season one grew until over 35 million viewers tuned in for the finale, Season two 2 gained ratings up to 91 per cent higher than Season one, while Seasons three and four became the highest rated series in the US in the 2003-2005 seasons.
Brand new from FremantleMedia’s UK production company talkbackTHAMES the controversial Bring Your Husband To Heel is set to cause a stir among those in wedded bliss. In this hilarious show wives are helped to train their husbands with the help of professional dog trainers. After determining what ‘breed’ their husbands are and what areas they need to improve, the wives begin practicing to command a dog (their husbands). Hidden cameras capture the results, which may include bringing their husbands home early from the pub. Bring Your Husband To Heel debuted on BBC2 in the UK this August.
British grime gurus, Kim Woodburn and Aggie Mackenzie are out in force at Mipcom as FID introduces buyers worldwide to the third series of talkbackTHAMES’s How Clean Is Your House? UK along with the second series of How Clean Is Your House? USA.
Woodburn and MacKenzie uncover the dirty secrets of Britain’s filthiest homes. Armed with little more than a pair of rubber gloves and some valuable household advice, they persuade the unhygienic, the messy and the downright disgusting to clean up their act. Along the way, they reveal some horrifying facts about the bugs and microbes lurking in our homes. Meanwhile, our unstoppable hygiene experts, return to the US for a second season where viewers get to see inside some of the dirtiest homes imaginable and meet the occupants.
In Too Posh To Wash, Kim and Aggie are out again – but this time it’s personal! The queens of clean, with the help of soap and forensics, attempt to expose those committing crimes against cleanliness and shame the offenders into cleaning up their acts and their armpits! Too Posh To Wash is a Talkback Production.
Fremantle International Distribution MD David Ellender said, “We are very proud of the strength of our entertainment slate for Mipcom 2005. Our highlights originate from some of the top entertainment producers in the US and UK. From all-star celebrity talent shows to amusing makeover series, we really do have something to offer everyone.”
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
