ITV Studios Closes Slew of International Sales

ITV Studios has completed a slew of sales across drama, unscripted and formats ahead of its ITV Studios Festivals presentation at London TV Screenings on March 1.

Roku picked up the World Productions-produced medical thriller Malpractice for The Roku Channel in the U.S. and Canada. The series is directed by BAFTA-nominated Philip Barantini (Boiling Point, The Responder) and written by NHS doctor Grace Ofori-Attah. It tells the story of a damaged doctor caught in a dangerous conspiracy.

“We are thrilled to welcome the brilliantly written and flawlessly produced Malpractice to the Roku originals slate,” said Lydia Antonini, head of creative affairs at Roku. “ITV Studios and World Productions have an unparalleled track record of producing globally accessible shows, and we can’t wait to share this wonderful series with the millions of households reached by The Roku Channel.”

Pumpkin Film in China, Seven Network in Australia and TVNZ in New Zealand also picked up rights to Malpractice.

Nolly, the three-part drama about Crossroads actor Noele “Nolly” Gordon from BAFTA-winning writer Russell T Davies and Nicola Shindler’s Quay Street Productions, will air in the U.S. on Masterpiece on PBS, in Australia on BBC First and in Hong Kong on PCCW. These sales are in addition to the previously announced ones with Pumpkin Film in China, Now TV in Hong Kong and TVNZ in New Zealand.

The six-part medical drama Maternal, following three female doctors returning to post-pandemic frontline medicine after maternity leave, sold to CBC Gem in Canada, Seven in Australia and TVNZ in New Zealand. The series is executive produced by BAFTA winner Patrick Spence (A Spy Among Friends, Litvinenko, Adult Material) and Kat Pugsley (The A Word, Ralph & Katie).

Stan Australia bought You & Me, a contemporary love story produced by Happy Prince, directed by BAFTA winner Tom Vaughan (Doctor Foster) and executive produced by Russell T. Davies (It’s a Sin, Doctor Who).

Blackwater, an adaptation of Kerstin Ekman’s best-selling book from Pia Bernth’s Apple Tree Productions, was picked up by CBC Gem in Canada and NPO and Viaplay in the Benelux region.

On the non-scripted front, A Year on Planet Earth, from ITV Studios and Plimsoll Productions, sold to CBC and CBC Gem in Canada, MediaCorp in Singapore, Warner Bros. Discovery in India, Seven in Australia, VMI (Virgin Media One) in Ireland and Viaplay in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Iceland, Poland and the Baltics. The Nordic public broadcasters NRK, SVT, DR, Yle and RUV acquired the free-TV window.

Another Plimsoll Productions title, Mother Nature, sold to WOWOW in Japan, Warner Bros. Discovery in India, KBS in South Korea and MediaCorp in Singapore.

NHK in Japan, MediaCorp in Singapore and EBS in South Korea all bought the rights to Running with the Beest, in which Atlantic Productions documents the Great Wildbeest Migration.

Oxford Scientific Films’ feature-length documentary Murder in the Pacific sold to TVNZ in New Zealand, which also picked up The Murder of Logan Mwangi from MultiStory Media and Monster Mansion: Evil Behind Bars from Good TV. Monster Mansion: Evil Behind Bars will also broadcast on Network Seven in Australia.

Alan Carr’s Adventures with Agatha Christie from Boom Cymru was sold to AXN Mystery in Japan, following previous sales to TVNZ in New Zealand, Seven in Australia and PTS in Taiwan.

From ITV Studios’ formats catalog, My Mom Your Dad earned a second season commission from Nine in Australia and a brand-new adaptation from Warner Bros. International Television Productions for ThreeNow and Three in New Zealand.

The Voice franchise, meanwhile, has continued to expand, with The Voice Kids now reaching new territories such as Italy and Uruguay.

Ruth Berry, managing director of global distribution and global entertainment at ITV Studios, said, “It’s plain to see with The Roku Channel’s exciting new co-production for Malpractice, and the flurry of sales being made across all genres, how the incredible breadth of talent we are working with at ITV Studios is resonating with buyers and viewers alike worldwide. Last year’s world-beating slate was a difficult act to follow, but I am confident that the new shows we are unveiling across our Drama, Non-Scripted and Formats Festivals will not disappoint.”