LOS ANGELES, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- NBC has won the rights to "The Contender," a reality series that will offer unknown boxers a shot at the title, Daily Variety reported Friday.
After slugging it out with ABC, CBS and Fox, NBC came away with a deal for what Variety called the most expensive first-year unscripted drama ever. The network reportedly will pay more than $2 million per episode -- more than $40 million overall -- to a team of producers that includes Mark Burnett, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Sylvester Stallone.
Burnett is the producer of the reality TV hits "Survivor" and "The Apprentice." Katzenberg is a partner in DreamWorks SKG. Stallone gained fame nearly 30 years ago as the writer and star of the Oscar-winning boxing movie, "Rocky."
As part of the show's search for a real-life "Rocky," producers plan to establish their own boxing federation, independent of current governing bodies.
"We're looking to reclaim a part of America that's been missing," Burnett said.
