Prime-Time Drama Sales for ITV Global

SYDNEY: Australian pubcaster ABC has picked up more than 40 hours of drama from ITV Global Entertainment to air in prime time in its upcoming schedule.

For broadcast on ABC 1 and ABC 2 later this year, the deal includes the ITV Studios comedy-drama series Boy Meets Girl, starring Martin Freeman (The Office), as well as with FM, which stars Chris O’Dowd (The IT Crowd) and comedian Kevin Bishop.

The crime drama Blue Murder season five, starring Caroline Quentin; Jeeves & Wooster, starring Hugh Laurie (House) and Stephen Fry (Bones) and the costume drama Hornblower, starring Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four) will return for encore broadcasts on ABC.

Marena Manzoufas, the head of programming at ABC Television, said, “We’re all very excited to be announcing this new slate of ITV Global programming for ABC. Earlier this year we premiered ITV’s hugely popular Lost in Austen and the latest instalments of Agatha Christie’s Poirot and we are currently showing Agatha Christie’s Marple, so we’re looking forward to bringing more of the best U.K. drama to our millions of viewers.”

Augustus Dulgaro, the senior VP of Australia, New Zealand and Japan for TV distribution at ITV Global Entertainment, added, “ABC is home to some of the world’s best drama, so we’re delighted that our latest deal will be bringing some of U.K.’s most exciting new shows, like FM, and television masterpieces such as Hornblower to ABC homes.”