FME Adds More Australian Drama

LONDON: FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) has acquired the multiplatform drama Slide, which will be the first-ever drama in Australia to launch with an online prequel, followed by episodes to air on Foxtel in April next year.

The online elements for Slide will be produced by Hoodlum, whose credits include Spooks Interactive, the Emmerdale online channel and the Emmy-nominated augmented reality game (ARG) Find 815 that accompanied U.S. drama Lost. Production for the series will be handled by Playmaker. FME has international distribution and digital rights to the property. Slide tells the story of five teenagers smashing their way from school into adulthood.

FME has also just secured a sale for the Australian drama Satisfaction to HBO Latin America. The show has now sold to more than 70 countries across three seasons.

David Ellender, the global CEO of FME, commented, “Australia is home to some of the world’s best producers of contemporary drama and while we’ve had a solid presence there over the years, we’re looking to get even more involved in the market through partnerships and investments.”

The acquisition of Slide complements FME’s strategy of developing series with new-media elements across all genres and follows the U.S. commission for Secret Girlfriend, which started as a short-form comedy on Atomic Wedgie, FME’s comedy portal.

Ellender continued, “Having a global network with local expertise means we can take what we learn in one market and adapt it in others. Similarly the structure of FME means we can filter properties through our core operations of licensing and interactive, distribution and home entertainment to maximize all opportunities across the media landscape which gives us a strong competitive advantage.”