FremantleMedia International Seals Up Asian SVOD Deals

CANNES: FremantleMedia International has placed a number of titles with key SVOD platforms across Asia, totaling more than 1,000 hours of programming.

iflix acquired 400-plus hours’ worth of drama, comedy, factual documentary and lifestyle and will stream all genres to its subscribers. The service picked up scripted series such as Merlin, Blue and The IT Crowd. Additionally, the platform went for a number of FMI documentaries, including Oliver Stone’s Untold History of the United States and the CNN series The Sixties and The Seventies. From the lifestyle category, iflix took on a range of programming, which includes a selection of shows fronted by top chef Jamie Oliver and the latest series from Nigella Lawson, Simply Nigella, as well as titles from the Hairy Bikers.

The Thailand-based DOONEE signed up for almost 300 hours of entertainment and lifestyle programming, including American Idol, Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor UK, as well as multiple series of the Kevin McCloud-fronted Grand Designs, plus a selection of Jamie Oliver titles, including Jamie’s Food Revolution, Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals and Jamie and Jimmy’s Food Fight Club.

iQiyi Taiwan scooped up 350 hours from FMI. The package features American Idol, Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor UK, along with the eight-part documentary series Soundbreaking. Also included are a range of cookery shows hosted by Lorraine Pascale and Jamie Oliver. Project Runway and Project Runway All Stars were also part of the agreement.

Haryaty Rahman, the senior VP of sales and distribution for Asia at FMI, said: “The consumer viewing habits have completely changed in Asia and this ever-evolving TV landscape has presented a lot of interesting and advantageous opportunities for us. Over the last few years, we’ve seen a year-on-year growth in our revenues from sales to OTT platforms and we’re expecting the percentage of deals to these partners to continue to rise.”