International broadcasters place bets on House of Cards

A host of TV channels around the world have bought Netflix’s Kevin Spacey-fronted drama House of Cards, TBI has learned.

The show is distributed by Sony Pictures Television and it has concluded a raft of deals, selling it to broadcasters in Belgium, Germany, Iceland, Portugal, Spain and Turkey.

These sales are in addition to the only one previously announced, to French premium pay TV operator Canal+.

In Germany Sky Deutschland has picked up the series as have its pay TV compatriots Canal+ in Spain, Zon in Portugal and Digiturk in Turkey.

In French-speaking Belgium Be-TV has acquired the series, which has a budget of over US$100 million across the two 13-episode series ordered by Netflix. In Iceland RUV has bought the show.

House of Cards is a contemporary version of the BBC miniseries of the same name. Set in the US, it follows Frank Underwood (Spacey), a ruthless and scheming politician. Robin Wright plays his wife, Francis.

Directed by David Fincher (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). It is made by US producer Media Rights Capital.

Netflix gave the project a straight-to-two-series order. It will debut on its US and international services on February 1.

The OTT service will make all thirteen episodes of House of Cards available to stream at launch.