Greek presale co-funds Ripper Street revival

A Greek pay TV operator has prebought the new season of BBC and Amazon crime drama Ripper Street and become a co-funder on the show.

OTE, which is part of a Greek telecoms group, has landed pay TV rights to the show following a deal with distributor BBC Worldwide. The series is set in Victorian London in the months following the infamous Jack the Ripper murders.

“It’s a presale in a territory you wouldn’t expect, but OTE has become part of the funding through the deal,” BBCWW’s VP and general manager for the Middle East and Mediterranean Natasha Hussain told TBI.

This comes after Ripper Street, which is considered a critical hit for the BBC, was revived by Amazon through an innovative funding initiative following the BBC’s decision to cancel the show for budgetary reasons.

As a result of the agreement, Amazon’s Prime Instant Video will launch season three of Ripper Street in the UK before the BBC’s linear launch.

Other deals for the BBC’s commercial arm, BBCWW, confirmed this week include Israeli pay TV operator Hot acquiring Middle East conflict-inspired drama The Honourable Woman, and Turkey’s TRT acquiring a package of factual programming including Frozen Planet.