ITV Studios Global Entertainment announces pre-sales of Spring dramas The Bay and Gold Digger

ITV Studios Global Entertainment has announced the first tranche of pre-sales of Tall Story Pictures’ crime drama The Bay and Mainstreet Pictures’ character-driven relationship thriller Gold Digger.

The Bay, which is currently airing on ITV and consolidated with 7.2m viewers and a 28.3% share at launch, will dock on France Télévisions, Seven Network in Australia, TVNZ in New Zealand, KT Corp in Korea, Virgin Media Ireland, TV4 in Sweden, NRK in Norway, DR in Denmark and YLE in Finland.

Advance sales of BBC One’s up-coming Gold Digger include France Télévisions, Seven Network for Australia and TVNZ for New Zealand.

Six-part Swedish language drama from SF Studios and Harmonica Films, Hunters, has been acquired by KT Corp in Korea, ARD in Germany, NPO in The Netherlands and VRT in Belgium.

Character driven Norwegian drama Kieler Street from Anagram Norway will air in Sweden on SVT and KT Corp in Korea.

English/Swedish language crime thriller, Rig 45 from Mopar Studios has sold to Starzplay for the US, UK, Germany and France, African SVOD service Showmax, KT Corp in Korea, U-NEXT in Japan and VRT in Belgium.

Ruth Berry, Managing Director of ITV Studios Global Entertainment said,

“Outstanding British drama is in our heritage and the Spring 2019 slate, including The Bay, Gold Digger and recent Series Mania Grand Prize winner The Virtues, has yet again raised our game. However, as the tastes of global viewers adapt, non-English language drama is increasingly important. We are already selling European drama successfully and with more content from European producers in the ITV Family like Cattleya, Tetra Media Studios and Piv Bernth’s Appletree on the way, exciting times are ahead.”

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Notes to Editors

The Bay (6 x 60’), Tall Story Pictures, part of ITV Studios, for ITV

Written by the award-winning Daragh Carville, The Bay is a compelling and beautifully

crafted crime story rooted in the families and communities of a distinctive coastal town.

When Family Liaison Officer Lisa Armstrong (Morven Christie) is assigned to a missing

persons investigation, at first it seems like any other – tragic, but all too familiar. But there’s something very different about this particular case. With horror, Lisa realizes she’s got a personal connection with this frightened family; one that could compromise her and the investigation.

Gold Digger (6 x 60’), Mainstreet Pictures, for BBC One

Starring Primetime Emmy winner Julia Ormond alongside Ben Barnes, this contemporary, character-driven relationship thriller tells the story of Julia, a wealthy woman who falls in love with Benjamin, a much younger man with a shrouded past. As the drama unfolds, their unconventional relationship tests the bonds of Julia’s already damaged family. And when devastating secrets from the past are revealed, the divisions between the generations grow ever wider. Has Julia finally found happiness, or is Benjamin really the gold digger her family think he is?

Hunters (6 x 60’), SF Studios and Harmonica Films for C More/TV4, Swedish Language

In a small troubled town in northern Sweden, the prospect of a new mine leads to conflict between environmentalists and the many people who hope it is the way to a new and better future. When Erik, an ex-cop working for the mine company, is confronted with murder, he is torn between his sense of justice and his loyalty towards the town and its people. Set against natural northern landscapes, Hunters tells a tale of human relations and horrifying crimes in a riveting six-part drama, created by experienced Swedish writers Björn Carlström and Stefan Thunberg.

Kieler Street (10 x 60’), Anagram Norway for TV2 Norway, Norwegian Language

Former criminal Jonas has started a new life in Scandinavia’s least criminal neighbourhood. He has it all: a happy family, a great job and the quiet life he always wanted. But the façade starts falling apart when Jonas realizes that several other inhabitants also have hidden identities, and they’re all prepared to do anything it takes to protect the illusion they have created. Featuring a stellar Scandinavian cast, Kieler Street is a fresh and uniquely characterful drama-thriller that, through the story of a handful of dysfunctional individuals, deconstructs what it really means to be a ‘normal’ person. Criminal or not, most of us are capable of doing extreme things in our pursuit of a peaceful existence - but just how far are we willing to go?

Rig 45 (6 x 60’), Mopar Studios for Viaplay, English Language with Scandinavian dialect

Two days before Christmas, Andrea (Catherine Walker) is sent by Benthos Oil to investigate a fatal accident on a North Sea rig. Met by an inexplicable wall of silence from the crew, Andrea starts to suspect something is very wrong – and when a hurricane slams into Rig 45, cutting off all communications with the outside world, the crew find themselves battling both the elements and a shockingly devious killer.

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About ITV Studios Global Entertainment
ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) is one of the world’s leading international TV distribution, home entertainment, publishing, merchandising and licensing businesses. ITVS GE distributes more than 45,000 hours of celebrated content across all genres from both its in-house production business, ITV Studios, and in collaboration with leading producers from around the world.

Part of ITV PLC, which includes the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster, ITV Studios Global Entertainment has offices in London, Hong Kong, Paris, Germany, Nordics, Los Angeles and Sydney.