France Télévisions Acquires Belgian Adventure Reality Format The Expedition

Belgian television format distributor Primitives finalized a licensing agreement with public broadcaster France Télévisions for the adaptation of the adventure reality series The Expedition. The French version of the program is produced by Warner Bros. International Television Production France, with its premiere scheduled for the upcoming winter television season.

The original format, created by the production company Roses are Blue, previously aired three seasons filmed in Greenland, Namibia, and Patagonia on the Belgian network Play 4 and the subscription video-on-demand platform Streamz. The structure of the show involves placing eight celebrities in geographical environments to test their physical endurance, mental resilience, and collaborative capabilities under challenging survival conditions.

The French production completed filming along the Arctic Circle Trail in Greenland, where participants operated under winter conditions and temperatures reaching -40°C. The process included initial technical training guided by a polar specialist before the contestants managed their own transit through the ice environment.

Bruno Henriquet, President of Warner Bros. International Television Production France, indicated that the filming process required managing local weather conditions and logistics, focusing the narrative on the interpersonal dynamics of the participants. Simone de Pruyssenaere de la Woestyne, Managing Director at Primitives, noted that this agreement marks the first international sale of the format, which previously won Best New TV Program at the Belgian Kastaars Media Awards.

LC