Private Media Group Eager to Syndicate Mainstream Reality Program

Flush with the success of Private Stars, their first mainstream reality program, Private Media Group has begun developing three more versions. The company hopes to obtain distribution in English-speaking countries across the globe, including the United States.

Private Stars, in which men competed for the chance to star in an Adult video being made by Private Media Group, had a successful 10-day run in August, with one half-hour episode airing each day.

The program ran from August 16th to the 25th on U.K. satellite and cable network Bravo, ranking as one of the top programs in the 11:00 p.m. slot in terms of adult viewers overall and adult male viewers. A third of the overall audience was female.

Berth Milton, president and CEO of Private, anticipates selling the rights to Private Stars at the upcoming MIPPCOMM, the annual international entertainment marketplace. "The three new series in production will be directed toward English-speaking markets around the world, and will feature added-value tie-ins, such as viewer polling by cellular phone and telephone voting," Milton said.

U.K. Bravo is not associated with the U.S.-based channel of the same name. In the U.K., Bravo is similar to the American Spike TV, a mainstream men's entertainment channel.

The initial Private Starsseries featured male contestants from the U.S., the U.K., South Africa and the Netherlands. Five European female Adult performers served as judges.

As in American Idol, the number of contestants was slowly whittled down until Brad, described as a "cumshot machine," was pronounced the winner, receiving a contract from Private to appear in his own video.

And yes, the contestants engaged in real sex scenes during the course of the show – though they can only be seen on Amsterdam Sex Games, a video that captures hardcore moments, which, for obvious reasons, couldn't be aired, even on cable.

"The guys have to perform, but obviously no naughty bits are visible as this would alienate the mainstream TV market — our main target," Alejandra Mayorga, a Private publicist, told AVN.com.

Nothing similar to Private Stars has yet been introduced in the United States. Showtime has carried Family Business, a reality program about the life and career of Adam Glasser, better known as Seymore Butts, for three seasons now, but that show lacks the aggressively competitive nature of Private Stars.