Eyeworks Touchdown (formerly Touchdown Television) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

-based television production company specialising in

reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, r ...

and unscripted formats, which has become a leader in the field in New Zealand, and the world. Its formats include ''The Chair'' and ''Treasure Island'', as well as many others.

History

Touchdown Television was started by producer

Julie Christie Julie Frances Christie (born 14 April 1940) is a British actress. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, Christie is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. S ...

in 1991,Touchdown sold to Dutch TV company
nzherald.co.nz Feb 8, 2006, Retrieved on December 28, 2013
scoop.co.nz 8 February 2006, Retrieved on December 28, 2013 initially producing documentaries, then moving on to some reality shows, including travel and adventure series such as ''Mountain Dew On The Edge'' and ''Travel.co.nz'', as well as foreign formats such as ''

Changing Rooms ''Changing Rooms'' is a do-it-yourself home improvement show broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC between 1996 and 2004. The series was revived on Channel 4 in 2021. The show was one of a number of home improvement and lifestyle shows p ...

'', and ''

Ready Steady Cook ''Ready Steady Cook'' is a BBC daytime TV cooking game show. It debuted on 24 October 1994 and the last original edition was broadcast on 2 February 2010. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994 until 2000 when celebrity chef Ainsley ...

''. More recently the company has focused on creating formats for local television as well as formats for international sale. These include ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...

'' and '' The Chair'' which have both been produced in a number of countries. In 2004, Touchdown produced a joint-venture show called ''The Resort'' for broadcasters

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

(Aus) and TV3 (NZ), allowing voting and featuring contestants from both countries, the show did not rate as well as hoped and was ended early when contestants failed to meet the demands of the competition. On February 8, 2006, Touchdown was sold to Dutch TV company

Eyeworks Eyeworks is an Amsterdam-based international television production company founded by Reinout Oerlemans, Robert van den Bogaard and Ronald van Wechem. As of June 2014, it is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Warner Bros. Television Group and rebra ...

and has been renamed Eyeworks Touchdown since April 1, 2006. Eyeworks Touchdown began production of a New Zealand series of ''

Dragons Den ''Dragons' Den'' is a reality television program format in which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing investment finance from them. The program originated in 2001 in Japan, where it is k ...

'' in mid-2006 which screened later that year on TV One and is currently casting for a second series. On February 11, 2014, the Warner Bros. Television Group announced that it will purchase Eyeworks' businesses outside of the United States. The acquisition was completed on June 2 of that year. The acquisition gives Warner Bros. TV production units in 15 additional territories.NANCY TARTAGLIONE "Deadline
Warner Bros TV Group Seals Acquisition Of Eyeworks’ Non-U.S. Businesses
deadline.com, Retrieved on June 2, 2014.

Programmes

Programmes Touchdown has produced include the following: * Top of the Class * At Home on their Own * DIY Rescue *

Going Straight ''Going Straight'' is a BBC sitcom created and written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and starring Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale. The programme was a direct spin-off to the sitcom ''Porridge'', which all four were involved in, with ...

* My House My Castle * Game of Two Halves * The Resort *

* Treasure Island Extreme * Celebrity Treasure Island * So You Wannabe A Popstar? * Ready Steady Cook * Miss Popularity * City Celebrity Country Nobody * Matthew and Marc's Rocky Road * Hot Property * How Normal Are You? * The Fence * The Chair * Captive * Common Law * Garden Wars * The Sports Hour - All Fired Up * April's Angels * Arnotts Dreams Come True * Bounty Hunter * Can You Hackett * Circus * Coke RTR * Colonial House * Coming Home * DIY Dads * DIY Fantasies * Driving School NZ * Finding J Smith * Ground Force * Home on Their Own * House Dates * It's Your Money * Living The Dream * Mike King * Money Doctor * Park Rangers * Pioneer House * Profilers * Property Rescue * Some Like It Hot *

The GC ''The GC'' is a New Zealand reality television series that premiered on TV3 on 2 May 2012 in New Zealand. The series follows the lives of a group of Māori living in Gold Coast, Queensland. The series has been compared to the American reality s ...

* The Mating Game * The Money Game * The Player * This Is your Life * Trading Places * Troubleshooters * Unichem Medlife * Unsolved * Weakest Link * Weddings * Whose House Is It Anyway? * World Famous * You've Gotta Have It

References

{{reflist

External links

Official siteTouchdown TV (International)Eyeworks TV
- Eyeworks Television

- A story about being on 'Home on their Own' Television production companies of New Zealand Companies based in Auckland