ITVS GE Notches Up Sales in Japan

LONDON: ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) has licensed more than 1,000 hours of drama and entertainment programming to broadcasters and digital platforms in Japan, in addition to hiring a new senior sales manager for the Pacific Rim.

Around 700 hours of premium drama from the ITVS GE catalogue is headed to ITV Collection, the ITV-branded programming block that launched last year on satellite broadcaster IMAGICA TV’s IMAGICA BS channel. The new content includes the first season of Poldark, Arthur & George, Mr Selfridge season two, Endeavour season one and The Doctor Blake Mysteries season one.

AXN Mystery picked up ITVS GE’s popular crime franchises for its pay-TV channel and SVOD service, including all eight seasons of Lewis, Vera season four and the first season of Shetland. Hulu has taken the rights for the acclaimed drama Rectify on a life-of-series basis, while Tohokushinsha acquired a 30-hour package of new drama and entertainment content, including the U.S. drama Aquarius and the Thunderbirds documentary Filmed In Supermarionation.

As for home entertainment, Talkie Magic acquired the rights for the whole run of Inspector Morse, while Fieldworks took on such titles as The Prisoner.

Meanwhile, ITVS GE has hired Carla Ferry as senior sales manager for the Pacific Rim. She will report to Augustus Dulgaro, the executive VP of sales for the Asia Pacific at ITVS GE. Ferry will be responsible for managing the Asia Pacific sales business and handling sales in Australia for ITVS GE. She joins the company from MGM, where she was sales manager for the Asia Pacific. Prior to this, she was an acquisitions manager for Foxtel Networks in Australia and XYZnetworks.

Dulgaro said: “With a portfolio boasting the finest British programming, in particular long-running crime franchises like Lewis and Vera and high-quality period drama like Mr Selfridge, we are well-placed to meet the on-going demand from Japanese broadcasters for these genres.

“I am also delighted to welcome Carla to the Asia Pacific sales team; her knowledge and experience of the region will be an asset as we head into MIPCOM.”