Onion News Network Available for Intl. Pickups

LOS ANGELES: Starz Worldwide Distribution is to offer the satirical news show Onion News Network for international broadcasters at MIPTV, expanding its slate of IFC comedies.

Based on the successful newspaper The Onion, known for its pointed satire, the show launched on January 21 on IFC. Starz handles international sales for a number of other IFC shows, including the sketch show The Whitest Kids U’ Know, the scripted comedy Z-Rock and the musical mini-series Bollywood Hero.

“People say comedy doesn’t travel overseas, but we’ve found that the right properties find a home with a surprisingly diverse range of audiences, and those properties tend to come from IFC,” said Gene George, Starz Worldwide Distribution’s executive VP. “This has been a successful and fruitful alliance for us, providing distinctive comedy programming to our diverse slate that also includes drama series, animated series, romantic and thriller movies and innovative digital and broadband programming.”

“Onion News Network has been a huge success for IFC and we’re thrilled to share it with the international marketplace,” added Jennifer Caserta, the executive VP and general manager of IFC. “This is a chance for global audiences to enjoy a weekly dose of hard-hitting, authentic news reporting that rivals the largest news organizations in the U.S.”