UKTV, ITV Studios, Shaftesbury Renew Murdoch Deal

LONDON: UKTV and ITV Studios Global Entertainment are on board to co-produce a third season of Shaftesbury Films’ Citytv series Murdoch Mysteries.

The agreement grants UKTV’s Alibi channel the exclusive British multichannel and non-linear broadcast rights to the 13×1-hour period drama. Season three is slated to premiere in February 2010. ITV Studios has licensed the show into more than 80 territories worldwide, including Australia, Canada, Italy and France.

“Co-producing Murdoch Mysteries has really paid off for us—series two nearly doubled Alibi’s slot average ratings, outperforming every other crime drama series in peak," said UKTV’s director of entertainment, Christian Drobynk. "Innovative funding deals like this make a lot of sense for UKTV right now—they provide fresh, quality content that complements popular BBC titles and our own home-grown commissions, so it’s no surprise that we’re on the lookout to do more."

Emmanuelle Namiech, the director of co-productions and acquisitions at ITV Studios Global Entertainment, added: “Murdoch Mysteries is a superb example of how international co-production funding can bring to life a universally popular show, with incredibly strong local appeal. We’re delighted to be working with Shaftesbury and Alibi on another great instalment of a very unique and popular series”.

Christina Jennings, the CEO at Shaftesbury Films, noted: "We are delighted that the audience for Murdoch continues to build around the world."