ITV Inks New Deal with NBCU

LONDON/UNIVERSAL CITY: The British free-TV rights to a slate of feature films and a selection of TV series—including Monk—are part of ITV’s new licensing agreement with NBC Universal International Television Distribution.

Current film titles in the deal will make their free television premiere on ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 or ITV4. Highlights of the slate include Mamma Mia, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Hot Fuzz, Evan Almighty; and the Bourne trilogy. On the TV series front, Monk is headed to ITV1 daytime, as well as to ITV3, which will also air the classic cop series Ironside.

"With titles ranging from the free TV premiere of Mamma Mia to Public Enemies and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, NBC Universal’s feature films are a perfect fit with ITV and we’re delighted to be continuing our long relationship with the studio," said Zai Bennett, ITV’s director of digital channels and acquisitions.

“We couldn’t be happier to build upon our longstanding and successful relationship with ITV,” added Belinda Menendez, the president of NBC Universal International Television Distribution. “They have been terrific collaborators in the U.K. and are masters at promoting NBC Universal titles to a very broad audience."