All3Media International Inks New Global Deals

All3Media International has signed deals with STV Player and Olympusat for a variety of hit series from its catalog, including Brookside and Hollyoaks.

STV Player will become the U.K. streaming home of the recently digitally restored soap opera Brookside, which originally ended in 2003. The series followed the residents of a Liverpool cul-de-sac, including families such as the Corkhills, Dixons and Grants.

Brookside was conceived by Grange Hill and Hollyoaks creator Phil Redmond and produced by his company, Mersey Television (later renamed Lime Pictures). It aired on the launch night of Channel 4 in 1982. Many storylines featured defining moments in British TV history, including the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss between characters Beth Jordache (Anna Friel) and Margaret Clemence (Nicola Stephenson). Another defining moment took place in 1985, when teenage character Gordon Collins came out to his family, making his the first-ever openly gay character in a British TV series.

STV Player, available across Sky Q, NOW, Virgin Media, Amazon Fire TV and Freeview Play, will debut the first ten episodes of Brookside on February 1, with five new episodes landing each week thereafter.

“It may have been two decades since Brookside drew to a close, but the love for the show from its passionate army of fans has never waned,” said Richard Williams, managing director of digital at STV. “We’re so pleased to be the first streaming service to bring this legendary piece of TV history back into viewers’ living rooms for free, and I hope superfans and new audiences alike enjoy all the nostalgic drama that Brookside has to offer on STV Player.”

A spokesperson from Lime Pictures added, “Brookside is a program that is held in deep affection at Lime Pictures. Last year we invested in the digital restoration of early episodes to allow them to be enjoyed again. Its strong social conscience combined with a powerhouse of Northern acting talent and writers made it unmissable viewing and formed a model of storytelling that has stood the test of time. We are delighted that audiences will be able to revisit or enjoy investing in this era of ground-breaking television that put Liverpool into the television landscape.”

“We are delighted to have facilitated this deal with Lime Pictures to bring such an iconic British TV series to STV Player and make it available throughout the U.K., with episodes dropping on to the platform each week,” said Gary Woolf, executive VP of strategic development at All3Media International. “A whole generation of TV executives grew up with Brookside—it’s a key brand and a hugely influential piece of TV history, offering an amazing social commentary of the time and generating some landmark moments. All3Media International and Lime Pictures have worked closely on a project to restore the materials for this iconic soap, with episodes dating back 40 years, and we’re thrilled to bring this to viewers on STV Player.”

In addition, All3Media International signed a deal with Olympusat for over 1,900 hours of content from its catalog for Canada, the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean Basin. The deal most notably includes the hit soap opera Hollyoaks. Also included are 800 Words (seasons one and two), Playing for Keeps (season one and two), Red Rock (seasons one through four), Westside (seasons one through six), Blue Rose (season one), Anzac Girls (season one), Head High (season one) and Mean Mums (season one).

Other scripted content acquired in the deal includes A Sunburnt Christmas, That Day We Sang, Bucket, Pompidou and Eric, Ernie and Me. Thrillers that will air on Olympusat’s pay-TV channels are Apparitions, Chimerica, Deadlock, The Drowning, Innocent (season one), The Interrogation and Unspeakable.

“The charismatic characters, vibrant personalities, riveting storytelling and topical plotlines of Hollyoaks make it a perfect addition to our channels that will hold huge appeal to our telenovela fans and beyond,” commented John Baghdassarian, VP of content acquisitions and strategy at Olympusat. “We are thrilled to welcome this iconic soap opera to our catalog, alongside a raft of quality drama and comedy from All3Media International.”

Yari Torres, VP of Latin America at All3Media International, added, “As one of our longest-running dramas, we’re incredibly proud Hollyoaks continues to explore new ground, both in its timely plotlines and international travel, and I’m thrilled Olympusat’s audiences will get to experience this vibrant world and magnetic cast, as the series expertly balances tackling challenging societal issues whilst retaining a trademark wit and humor.”