More Broadcasters Sign On for FlashForward

CANNES: ABC Studios’ new drama FlashForward has added nine more broadcasters to its roster, bringing the total number of territories the series is set to air in to more than 100.

Disney-ABC-ESPN Television is working with partners across all platforms to deliver the series as close to the U.S. premiere as possible. Deals have now been closed with, among others, TF1 in France, ProSieben in Germany and TV4 in Sweden. Channel One in Russia also acquired the series, and premiered the show on October 2, just a week after its U.S. launch, marking the shortest window ABC Studios has ever launched a U.S. series in for Russia. FlashForward was also given its own customized Russian title, Vspomni Chto Budet, meaning Remembering, What It Will Be.

Pay-TV broadcasters that have just acquired the series are AXN in Central an Eastern Europe, AXN in Japan, Fox International Channels in Russia, M-Net in Africa and Orbit Showtime in the Middle East. These new pickups follow last week’s announcement that the show sold to Fox Italia and a further ten broadcasters serving 44 countries in Asia Pacific.

A number of deals with new-media platforms have also been signed. TF1 will offer FlashForward subtitled in a "Hot from the U.S." VOD window shortly after the U.S., and this will be supported by a dubbed catch-up VOD option on TF1 Vision. An SVOD deal with TV 2 Sumo recently made FlashForward available in Norway within a week of its U.S. transmission. A catch-up service is also offered by Five in the U.K.

The show launched in the U.S. on ABC on September 24 and was the strongest performer in its 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. time slot.

Stephen Moore, the executive VP and managing director for Disney-ABC-ESPN Television, commented: “The buzz surrounding this brilliant new show makes it crucial that audiences have a legitimate way to access the series as soon as they can. We have made great strides on this front with a huge number of our international partners—through the use of new-media platforms and working hard to keep local premieres as close to the U.S. as possible. I feel confident that viewers across EMEA will increasingly be able to view FlashForward at a time and place that suits them best.”