CANNES: The Monte-Carlo TV Festival and Eurodata TV Worldwide have joined forces to allow viewers to reward programmes who delivered the highest ratings worldwide.

The first edition of the International TV Audience Awards will be designated by viewers through the sum of the TV ratings across five continents. It will reward the programme delivering the highest
ratings worldwide in 2005 in three categories: Drama Series, Comedy Series and Telenovela/ Soap Opera.

Nominees were revealed on the occasion of the television event MipTV 2006 in Cannes, France during the Eurodata TV Worldwide's cocktail party.

Competing in the drama category are Lost, CSI and Without a Trace.

The comedy series nominees are Desperate Housewives, Mr. Bean and Joey.The Telenovela” / Soap Opera nominees are The Bold and the Beautiful, RUBI and Pasión de Gavilanes.

The nominees are pre-selected among the ten best imported fiction programmes in 51 countries, i.e. 2.5 billion potential viewers. The winners will be presented at the 46th Monte-Carlo Television Festival Awards on 1 July 2006 at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.