BBC Studios Signs First-Ever Deal with Lionsgate Play

BBC Studios has today announced a new content catalogue deal with Lionsgate Play - marking the first-ever partnership between the streaming service in India and BBC Studios Distribution. The new deal bolsters the premium Lionsgate Play content portfolio with a fresh raft of bold, British drama. 

Lionsgate Play is a premium SVOD streaming service, offering blockbuster international films and series curated for Indian audiences, with content made available in multiple regional Indian languages. The streaming service is currently available on Google Play Store, Apple App Store, Amazon Firestick and via Airtel Xstream, Jio Fiber and Vi Movies and TV.

Under the agreement, viewers will receive five exciting scripted dramas selected for the Lionsgate Play platform, spanning science fiction, period and contemporary genres to cater to a wide range of viewing interests:

·       Brexit: The Uncivil War – Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and an ensemble cast of British talent, the show dives into the activities and strategies behind the ‘Vote Leave’ campaign building up to the European Union referendum of 2016. Produced by House Productions.

·       Class – Written by stalwart Young Adult novelist Patrick Ness and set in the iconic universe of Doctor Who, the eight-episode series centres around the Coal Hill School and a group of four classmates-turned-unlikely allies, as they battle against the invasion of the alien Shadow Kin. Produced by BBC Studios and executive-produced by Steven Moffat.

·       Les Misérables - An extraordinary cast of A-list actors, including Dominic West (The Wire) and Oscar winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite), bring this epic adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel Les Misérables to life, telling the story of fascinating characters caught up in poverty and the unrest of post-revolutionary France. Les Misérables is produced by Lookout Point and BBC Studios.

·       Pure – This critically-acclaimed comedy drama centres around 24-year-old Marnie, as she moves to London for the first time and struggles to control her intrusive Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It is based on Rose Cartwright’s book of the same name and offers a frank, sympathetic window into mental health. Pure is produced by Drama Republic.

·       SS-GB – An epic period drama produced by Sid Gentle Films and based on the novel by Len Deighton, SS-GB dives into a sobering alternative history. It is 1941, and the Germans have won the Battle of Britain. Detective Douglas Archer finds himself working under the brutal SS in occupied London. 

Stanley Fernandes, Vice President for Distribution (South Asia), BBC Studios, commented on the deal: “These programmes represent the cutting-edge of both BBC and British storytelling as a whole, and we’re really excited to bring even more choice to the discerning Indian viewer, through this deal with Lionsgate. In the midst of India’s dynamic streaming and entertainment landscape, we’re pleased that British drama and formats continue to find new platforms and an enthusiastic public reception in the region, and that these stories are accessible to as wide an audience as possible.”

Rohit Jain, Managing Director, Lionsgate South Asia and Networks SEA, commented on the deal: “We are delighted to have partnered with BBC Studios. Indian audiences have always enjoyed British content and the unique content line up provided by BBC Studios covers various genres of entertainment. It is classic, powerful and ground-breaking. We are confident our viewers will be swooped into another world.”