Fireworks & Rainbow Media Firm Up Digital Deal

LONDON: Fireworks International has taken on the distribution rights to a range of brand-new original web series from U.S. cable programmer Rainbow Media.

Included in the deal are five short-form series created exclusively for Rainbow Media’s entertainment brands IFC and Sundance Channel. Fireworks’ digital division now holds the international multiplatform rights to the titles, as well as the second window multiplatform rights for the U.S. market. From Sundance Channel comes Dream States, a 5×3-minute series where celebrities recount their most stirring dreams; The Captive, a 12×3-minute science-fiction thriller; Yung Yeti, a 5×3-minute animated short with an environmental focus; and Breakfast, an 8×2-minute comedy. From IFC comes Dead and Lonely, with five episodes, four to six minutes in length, that brings a classic vampire love story to the modern Internet-dating age.

Jonathan Ford, the executive VP and digital acquisitions and distribution at Fireworks International, commented, “We are very pleased to team with Rainbow Media in what is a significant step in the continued expansion of our extensive digital portfolio. Both IFC and Sundance Channel are renowned for showcasing original programming offering something unique and different—highly sought-after attributes in digital content. The multiplatform marketplace is always hungry for exciting and exclusive titles such as these and we look forward to presenting them to our international clients.”
 
Gregg Diller, the director of business development at IFC and Sundance Channel, added: “These short-form series represent the type of authentic, innovative new content we champion at IFC and Sundance Channel. Positioning them within Fireworks International’s impressive digital catalogue provides the perfect opportunity to showcase them to the global marketplace.”