Castle Headed to UKTV’s Alibi

LONDON: The UKTV crime-drama channel Alibi has picked up the exclusive pay-TV rights for ABC Studios’ hit series Castle from The Walt Disney Company.

The series stars Nathan Fillion (Desperate Housewives) as crime writer Richard Castle, who begins working with NYC homicide detective Kate Beckett, played by Stana Katic (Quantum of Solace). Castle regularly pulls in more than 10 million viewers in the U.S., and now heads to Alibi for its spring and fall schedules.

UKTV’s acquisitions manager, Alexandra Finlay, said, “It is a fantastic coup to bring Castle to Alibi. This acquisition exemplifies the channel’s ambition to secure other key U.S. and international crime content in the future.”

Alibi’s channel head, Steve Hornsey, commented, "Alibi is well known for its high-quality British content and introducing a hugely successful U.S. series in Castle will not only broaden the appeal of the channel but also the editorial mix. Adding Castle to our schedule should be seen as a clear message of intent as Alibi continues to assert itself as the home of crime drama."

Catherine Powell, The Walt Disney Company’s general manager for media distribution for the U.K., added, “This original concept from ABC Studios is a captivating comedic crime series and a perfect strategic fit for Alibi’s audience of crime-drama fans. We are delighted that by working with Alibi we are introducing this great series to U.K. audiences.”