Asian OTT Viu to adapt Keshet dramas

Asian OTT service Viu has struck a major licensing deal with Keshet International for scripted titles The Beauty And The Baker (pictured) and The Stylist. 

Viu has secured adaption rights in India for The Beauty and The Baker (series one and two; 10 x 30 minutes) and The Stylist (12 x 60 minutes), both of which were originally commissioned by Keshet Broadcasting for Israeli channel Keshet 12.

The Beauty And The Baker will be adapted locally in Telugu by Annapurna Studios for Viu, while the showrunner for The Stylist will be Bollywood heavyweight Goldie Behl, which will be adapted in Hindi with Rose Audio Visuals producing.

The deal marks the first international licensing deal for The Stylist, which debuted last summer in Israel.

Created by Assi Azar, The Beauty And The Baker follows the impossible love story between a baker and an international superstar. The original Hebrew series had the highest-rated first series debut of a scripted programme in Israel, before being picked up by Amazon Prime Video for global.

The show has been adapted locally in Russia (CTC) and is to be localised Stateside by ABC. The third series is currently in development in Israel.

Meanwhile, in The Stylist, a small-town girl with big ambitions gets her first break in fashion, only to discover that her dreams come with a price to pay – in love, career and values.

Vishal Maheshwari, Viu India’s country head, said: “Our aim has always been to encourage and showcase original and premium content, and Keshet International shares our vision of creating great quality entertainment with local flavour for the audience. This partnership with KI gives us the liberty to bring the two highest viewed prime-time shows in Israel to the Indian market. Along with bringing more entertainment for our audience, we are adding to the repertoire of offerings delivering unique concepts for the region.” 

Gary Pudney, KI’s GM for Asia, added: “We are excited to be partnering with Viu for the very first time and bringing these two engaging romcoms to Telugu and Hindi-speaking  audiences in India. The international success of Keshet series like Prisoners of War, Traffic Light, When Heroes Fly and The Baker and The Beauty, which just got picked up by ABC in the States last week, shows how well Israeli storytelling continues to travel and captivate audiences around the world, whatever the platform.”