The Straits


Netflix consumes Toast in 200-hour ABC deal

British comedy Toast of London has debuted in Australia and New Zealand on SVOD service Netflix, as part of a 200-hour deal with distributor ABC Commercial. The deal is for all three season of the Channel 4 sitcom, which Australian pubcaster the ABC distributes in Australasian through a digital sub-licensing agreement with UK distributor DRG. […]

DCD reassures investors after share price drop

UK indie DCD Media has moved to reassure shareholders that despite a big fall in its share price over recent months the group is trading in line with expectations. DCD’s share price stood at £3.70 (US$6.14) on May 30, but has today fallen to £1.60. This is slightly up from Wednesday (August 27), when it […]

NBCU takes full ownership of Matchbox

NBCUniversal International Television Production has taken full ownership of Australian producer Matchbox Pictures. NBCUITP acquired a majority stake in Matchbox in 2011 and has now moved to bring the entirety of the prodco into its fold. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. NBCUITP’s production assets include Carnival Films, Monkey Kingdom, Lucky Giant and […]

DCD sells Aussie dramas to Sky, C5 and Hulu

UK-based distributor DCD Rights agreed US and UK deals for two of its Australian dramas. In the US, online platform Hulu has bought comedy series A Moody Christmas. The 6x30mins show, about the dysfunctional Moody family, went out on pubcaster the ABC in Australia and has also been acquired by UK pay TV channel Sky […]

Australia and NZ take a seat at the drama table

Producers in Australia and New Zealand are creating a new wave of international-friendly scripted series for their distribution partners to take to market, but the popularity and lower cost of formats and reality shows poses a threat to the sector, report Dan Barrett and Stewart Clarke. Expectation. Its shadow carries considerable weight across Australia and […]

ABC1 goes Old School with drama

Australian public broadcaster ABC1 has commissioned an eight-part drama series in which a retired cop and retired criminal work together to solve cases. Old School will star Bryan Brown (Beautiful Kate, Gorillas in the Mist) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, The Tudors) as the veteran pair, who pool together in a bid to solve crimes […]

Mr & Mrs Murder strikes for DCD

Broadcasters including pay TV operator Viasat have acquired DCD Rights-distributed Australian drama Mr & Mrs Murder. The series, which comes from FremantleMedia Australia in association with Bravado Productions, launched at MIPTV and has now gone to Modern Times Group-owned Viasat for its Viasat Crime channels in Scandinavia. SPI International’s Film Box Channel has taken rights […]