$40m int’l payday for CBS’ Hawaii Five-0

CBS has sold cop drama Hawaii Five-0 in almost 200 international markets and announced that it has recouped more than US$2 million per episode for each of its freshman dramas before they launched.

This comes as CBS recorded a 42% rise in profit in the third quarter with revenues of US$3.3 billion.  

Chief executive Les Moonves told analysts that Hawaii Five-0, Blue Bloods and The Defenders were all profitable before their US launch thanks to healthy sales from its international distribution arm CBS Studios International.

Moonves said: “This season we sold all three of our new dramas internationally for north of $2 million an episode each, meaning that all three were profitable before a single episode aired. Within weeks of announcing Hawaii Five-0 was on our schedule, we sold it in more than 100 markets and now it’s in nearly all 200 of our overseas markets.”

He also added that he was buoyed by recent advertising growth both in the United States and internationally. “The good news is that the UK, it looks like it’s turning around and coming back, which is our largest market. So I think, again, other countries will follow.”