Fox International Channels (FIC), Fox Broadcasting Company and FX Productions have inked an international partnership for M. Night Shyamalan’s new 10-episode event thriller, Wayward Pines that will give FIC both broadcast and sales rights outside the U.S.
The agreement is notable as international channels rarely buy both sales and broadcast rights that cover many territories.
This deal gives FIC the right to be the exclusive first-window broadcaster in its 125 countries where its international channels air and exclusive rights to sell the show internationally.
FIC currently has over 300 wholly and majority owned entertainment, sports, lifestyle, factual and movie channels in 45 languages across Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
In the U.S. the show will air on Fox and is set to premier globally during the 2014/15 season.
The deal is part of a larger push by FIC to get wholly owned and controlled content, a strategy it has also pursued with such shows as The Walking Dead, The Bridge, and the upcoming Outcast.
But Wayward Pines marks the first time that FIC has also assumed direct sales responsibility for all international television windows, non-linear and home entertainment rights.
Simon Thomas, FIC’s London-based executive VP of content sales, will oversee all international third party deals.
"This series has all the makings of an international hit -— a spectacular, world-renowned cast, thrills crafted by suspenseful storyteller M. Night Shyamalan, and a global Fox launch platform reaching more than 350 million viewers,” said Hernan Lopez, president and CEO of FIC in a statement. “We are also excited by the early interest the show is generating with potential buyers, and confident that these partnerships will amplify the scale and impact the series will have around the world.”
