SCI FI Clinches Pay-TV Rights to Tin Man

LONDON, February 19: The
SCI FI channel has acquired the exclusive pay-TV rights for the Tin Man drama mini-series in Benelux, Central and Eastern
Europe and the U.K.

The agreement also
includes mobile, Internet and VOD catch-up rights for the U.K.

The 3×2-hour
adventure-drama is a twisted retelling of L. Frank Baum’s novel The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The
characters are reimagined for a 21st-century audience, with a leather-clad
sorceress pitted against DG, a young woman living in the American Midwest who
is transported to the decaying world of The O.Z. (Outer Zone). It is executive
produced by Robert Halmi Sr. and Robert Halmi Jr.

“We’re thrilled to bring
this inventive and exciting drama to European audiences,” said Jon Farrar, the
programming director at SCI FI. “It’s such a brave and bold version of the
original story, managing to push the boundaries of imagination without losing
any of the charm of the classic tale.”

He added: “Our extended
rights for the U.K. market mean that we can deliver the same multi-faceted
promotion that helped us to propel Heroes to great success both on- and
off-air. The online community looks to our broadband channel, SCI FI Play, for
high-quality first-look content and Tin Man is the perfect proposition for this service.”

—By Ned Berke