ITV Studios snags second window sales for ‘Bodyguard’

Bodyguard

ITV Studios (ITVS) has struck a raft of deals for its scripted series including Jed Mercurio’s crime hit Bodyguard, as Covid-19 drives up demand for second window rights.

The six-part show, from ITVS-owned World Productions, was first available in 2018 via the UK’s BBC and Netflix elsewhere but has now been picked up by Seven Network in Australia, Tohokushinsha in Japan, CJ&M in South Korea, TVNZ in New Zealand and France 2.

Germany’s ZDF and Edel Germany are among numerous others to have secured second window rights to the show, along with Rai in Italy, Paramount Network in Spain, Friday! TV Channel in Russia, RTS for French-speaking Switzerland, Virgin Media Ireland, HRT Croatia and RTV Slovenia. Huanxi in China, which sits outside of Netflix’s global footprint, acquired the show in May last year.

The Bodyguard second window sales join a number of recently struck ITVS deals, which include Sony Liv in India acquiring BBC One dramas World On Fire, Noughts + Crosses and The War Of The Worlds, and AMC Encore in China buying seasons 1 – 5 of Poldark.

The Mammoth Screen-produced drama has also been added by Yandex in Russia, which has also acquired Sky comedy Brassic. The show has also been sold to Filmin in Spain, BBC Studios in Southeast Asia and the ABC in Australia, while C More has snagged seasons 1-6 of CBC and Pop’s comedy Schitt’s Creek.