Acorn Boards Blood as Co-Producer

Acorn Media Enterprises has come on board as a co-producer for the upcoming six-part thriller Blood, commissioned by Virgin Media Television in Ireland.

The co-pro agreement will see Blood, a Company Pictures drama produced in association with Element Pictures and all3media international, making its North American debut on RLJ Entertainment’s Acorn TV as an original series in the U.S. and Canada. all3media international has also signed two presale windows in the U.K. with Channel 5 and Virgin Media.

Virgin Media Television in Ireland will have the global premiere for the show, which is expected to debut this fall. Channel 5 will launch the series on linear in the U.K., while Virgin has the U.K. SVOD window after the linear launch. Acorn has U.K. home entertainment rights.

Stephen Driscoll, executive VP for EMEA at all3media international, commented, “We’re very pleased to welcome Acorn onboard as a key production partner on this fantastic new drama. Our collaboration on Blood continues all3media international and Acorn’s strong ongoing relationship, which has already resulted in a wealth of high-profile U.K.-produced drama airing on Acorn TV. In addition, partnering with Channel 5 is another fantastic step on the drama’s international journey. The Virgin Media U.K. window further endorses its appeal.”

Catherine Mackin, managing director of Acorn Media Enterprises, noted, “We’re thrilled to partner again with our friends at all3media international on another high-quality drama production. Delivering a new and exciting take on the crime genre, Blood boasts a stellar line-up of talent both on- and off-screen, ensuring it is perfectly in line with the first-rate dramas we’re bringing to Acorn TV’s subscribers every month.”

Ben Frow, director of programs at Channel 5, said: “This announcement underlines our ambition to diversify the schedule and deliver high-quality drama to the channel. With a talented cast headed by Adrian Dunbar, thrilling storylines and the drama expertise of Company Pictures, Blood will appeal to U.K. audiences.”

Bill Malone, director of programming for Virgin Media Television, said: “We are delighted that the international market has recognized our efforts in commissioning high-quality original drama. Blood is a powerful and engrossing story which is a key pillar of Virgin Media Television’s autumn schedule. This drama further underlines our commitment to invest in original scripted content in Ireland which appeals to international audiences.”