Youth Soap Hollyoaks Sells Internationally

LONDON, November 16: Hollyoaks, the youth-targeted soap that has aired on Channel
4 in the U.K. for more than a decade, has been sold successfully
internationally by All3Media.

Hollyoaks, which is produced by Mersey Television and has
been a mainstay of Channel 4’s early evening schedule, has been picked up for
distribution by All3Media.

Since it’s been ten years
since the show had been introduced to the international marketplace, All3Media
decided to re-launch the show and get buyers to look at the series with a fresh
eye and see the potential it holds as a youth brand.

To enable this, All3 Media
provided buyers with a suitable new entry point to the series and produced of a
“catch–up” episode to allow viewers to learn about relevant back stories.
This new entry point also provided new broadcasters with the chance to keep
with speed with the additional Hollyoaks brand activity including online, as well as the “buzz” from consumer
press. Cast publicity trips were also encouraged.

The deal was made in the
summer and in only three months, ALL3MEDIA International has achieved sales to
four territories for the series—Ireland’s TV3, Ukraine’s KINO TV,
Norway’s TV2 and Sweden’s TV4—equating to six-figure gross revenue for
the producer. More deals are expected following discussions initiated at
MIPCOM.

“British soaps are not
obvious breakaway international sales successes—they tend to be parochial
and regional in their approach—particularly in comparison to the
telenovelas produced in Latin territories and the aspirational gloss of their
American counterparts,” says Louise Pedersen, the managing director of
ALL3MEDIA International. “However, Hollyoaks focuses firstly on a younger demographic which
international buyers are looking to cater to and the recent production changes
have made it look better than ever.
We are delighted to have agreed this raft of sales in such a short space
of time.”