Viasat World Takes Knightfall

Viasat World has taken on the basic, pay-TV and SVOD rights to A+E Networks’ Knightfall for Russia and CIS.

The ten-part period drama about the Knights Templar hails from A+E Studios in association with Jeremy Renner’s The Combine, Island Pictures and Midnight Radio. It will launch on Viasat World’s ViP Premiere channel and ViPPlay service on December 7, just one day after its debut on HISTORY in the U.S.

“As one of the biggest independent content aggregators in Europe, we are always looking for the very best content to feed our comprehensive channel and SVOD portfolio and satisfy our audiences,” said Karin Heijink, VP of content and products at Viasat World. “Our strategy is to secure the pipeline of relevant, high-quality programming for all our channel brands now and in the future through acquisitions and early pre-buys such as this deal—anticipating the next big hit series before it happens and making our platforms their home. Knightfall is an incredible series and a great addition to our unrivaled library of world-class content, sure to be enjoyed by audiences in some of our key markets.”

Denis Cantin, VP/head of content sales for EMEA at A+E Networks, noted, “We are thrilled to be continuing our long-standing relationship with Viasat World, bringing premium factual and scripted content to their vast audience throughout the territory.”

The deal with A+E also includes TV movies for Russia, CIS and the Baltics, among them The Flight Before Christmas; factual series for Russia, CIS and CEE, including Engineering Disasters; and the dramas And Then There Were None and Witness for the Prosecution for Russia and CIS.