Ovation Lands New U.S. Premiere Rights

SANTA MONICA: Ovation has picked up a package of drama series, documentaries and movies from ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

Under the agreement, Ovation has U.S. premiere rights for the drama series Bouquet of Barbed Wire and Martina Cole’s The Runaway, in addition to the documentary ABBA: The Mamma Mia Story, which explores the global appeal of the music and offers exclusive interviews with the stars of the feature film, including Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Julie Walters. The network also licensed the film performance of Johnny Cash in San Quentin and the movies Northanger Abbey, Tess of the D’Urbervilles and The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders.

“We’re looking to define the network with powerful emotional storytelling that has an artful, literary connection. All of these titles work really well with our brand,” said Kris Slava, the senior VP of programming at Ovation. “The two series are based on dramatic novels, and come from a couple of the top U.K. producers. And then there’s Mamma Mia—who can resist an insider’s look into that phenomenon? This is a documentary chock full of stars talking about one of the biggest, most delightful musicals of our time. Throw in a famous but rarely seen Johnny Cash concert and first-rate adaptations of Austen, Defoe and Thomas Hardy, and you have an excellent package for Ovation.”