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It’s A Knockout to return to Australia

It’s A Knockout is returning to Australian TV screens.

The family show is the first production from Spring, FremantleMedia’s low budget arm launched last month that  “is to Fremantle what Jetstar is to Qantas”.

It’s A Knockout is set to air on Ten over the summer in eight one-hour episodes “to fill a yawning hole in Ten’s sports schedule”.

It will be fronted by comedian HG Nelson, Ten sports presenter Brad McEwan and former Hi-5 member Charli Robinson.

The show is being funded by McDonald’s in a deal brokered by media agency OMD’s content division Fuse.

In the show, four teams of 15 members will compete. Each team will have a summer theme in what will play out as a state versus state smack-down, according to a Ten press release.

David Mott, Ten’s chief programming officer said: “Summer is a time for light, fun, family viewing and It’s A Knockout is the perfect show to offer all that and more. Our line up of HG, Brad and Charli is sure to bring the right mix of social commentary, humour and dare I say sporting acumen…to this contemporary take on TV’s ultimate arena showdown.”

The show was first broadcast on Ten in 1985 to 1987 and ran for 107 episodes.

It’s A Knockout joins Young Talent Time in Ten’s nostalgia-based programming lineup for 2012.

HG Nelson said: “It’s a Knockout is The People’s Olympics. This hour of fun features contestants with no real athletic abilities having a crack at events that should be starters on London’s gold medal agenda. ‘Knockout’ fills the yawning hole in Ten’s sports schedule now that it has moved on from its top rating AFL coverage. Personally it is a dream come true to be packing down with Brad and Charli trackside calling the fund raising mayhem.”

McDonald’s will have exclusive sponsorship of the show.

Joanne Liddell, director of Fuse Sydney said “It’s great to see such an ambitious idea come to life. This new way of working with production partners and networks to this scale is a milestone for branded content in Australia.”

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