NTV & Ampersand Fiction Pact for Three Titles

The French TV content distributor Ampersand Fiction, a division of Paris-based sales company Ampersand, has picked up the rights for three series produced by NTV for Europe, Asia, North America and Africa.

The deal includes Murderous Fervor, an ’80s crime thriller based on the “Vitebsk Strangler” serial killer investigation; Casting Lady Justice, a light crime series following a talented female police officer who dreams of cutting ties with the force to become an actress; and the drama The Missing, which explores a conflicted relationship between a father and son who are involved in missing person cases.

Timur Weinstein, NTV’s general producer, said: “Ampersand Fiction has years of experience in distributing scripted content. To get a show featured in Ampersand’s catalog means that we produce TV shows with potential for wide international appeal. Ampersand Fiction has handpicked three shows, all one-of-a-kind, all in different genres. But if you put them together, they successfully represent NTV’s vast library’s versatility. I would like to point out that, along with the ready-made series, the distributors were drawn to their formats. It gives us hope to see our projects remade abroad.”

Mathurin Beauvert, Ampersand Fiction’s head of sales, said: “We are really glad to team up with NTV, starting with this first selection of three series very well suited for the international market, either as readymade or as a format. Ampersand Fiction has been engaged in the distribution of Russian productions for about three years now and the partnership with NTV is a major step forward for us.”