★★★★★ 0/5

ABC renews deal for BBC titles

New ABC deal spans factual, drama, comedy, documentary, kids titles from BBC.

5
Leave a comment

ABC has signed a new multi-year, multi-genre agreement with BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand for titles in factual, drama comedy and kids shows from the UK.

Under the deal, ABC will have access to a range of factual content across documentaries, science, history and factual entertainment, including the latest titles from Louis Theroux and physicist Professor Brian Cox and the forthcoming documentary series Frida on the life of artist Frida Kahlo. ABC will also take first run on Ghosts, now in its fourth season, and Adam Hills: The Last Leg.

The deal also secures access to dramas such as Silent Witness, Death in Paradise, Unforgotten, Call The Midwife and Smother, most have entailed a 12 month window from their Subscription TV premiere.

In kids, ABC will continue to take first run on Horrible Histories and second run on Hey Duggee and titles featuring kids presenter Andy Day.

Deborah Tod, Head of Content Sales, BBC Studios ANZ, said: “ABC is a valued and longstanding client and we are pleased to deepen our partnership with this new comprehensive agreement. This will continue to ensure that many of the best British shows are available to Australians through ABC’s premium platforms across linear and digital.”

ABC Acting Director Entertainment & Specialist Jennifer Collins said: “Our long-standing relationship with the BBC has consistently delivered Australians with quality programming which is valued by our audiences and forms an important part of our content offering. I am pleased this agreement will allow us to continue to provide the rich variety of content our audiences have come to expect from this partnership.”

5 Responses

  1. As for their great relationship the ABC had an output deal that gave them all BBC content and made up most of their programming. They failed to notice the BBC’s unhappiness and were caught by surprise when the BBC refused to renew it, bought UK TV and started up BBC First Australia to show their content and left the ABC bidding for repeat airings a year later. The ABC is just paying more to guarantee what they have been getting eventually. Unforgotten is an ITV drama (they haven’t announced the S5 air date yet), BBC Worldwide bought the global rights for distribution.

    1. The BBC were just ahead of the game really in delivering content direct to consumers in other countries rather than going through a local braodcaster.

  2. Question: will this affect BBC First showing the latest season’s of Death in Paradise, Call the Midwife and Silent Witness first. They usually kick DIP and CTM off at the beginning of the year. As for Frida Kahlo I hope is new a doco series and not the same ones shown on Foxtel Doco channel this year. Frida has become the latest craze/trend/fad even my local Mexican restaurant has just out with the old and Frida everything, but who doesn’t love a bit Frida.

Leave a Reply