The Acorn TV Original Series will make its North American premiere in the late Spring/early Summer
onNorth America’s most popular streaming service for British and international television
Silver Spring, MD; February 6, 2018 – Acorn Media Enterprises (AME) has partnered with Jungle Entertainment, ABC Australia and Screen Australia in association with Create NSW, as the North American co-producer of new family comedy, Sando. The six-part comedy series recently wrapped filming in Sydney and stars award-winning actress Sacha Horler (The Kettering Incident, The Letdown, Home and Away, No Activity) as Victoria ‘Sando’ Sandringham, a charismatic loose cannon CEO and public face of a popular discount furniture store chain, as she tries to reconnect with her estranged family in order to win back her beloved company, Sando’s Warehouse.
This news follows the recent commission announcement for series 2 of Agatha Raisin as well as North American premieres of Acorn TV Original co-productions of series 3 of BBC’s universally adored comedy Detectorists and ITV’s star-studded drama Girlfriends. For Sando, Acorn Media Enterprises has secured all rights in North America, United Kingdom, and Ireland, and secondary rights in New Zealand and Australia. RLJ Entertainment’s international division, Acorn Media International, will distribute the series in the English-speaking territories. Sando will make its North American Premiere as an Acorn TV Original on Acorn TV, North America’s most popular streaming service for British and international television, in the late Spring/early Summer 2018.
‘Sando’ is Australia’s queen of the discount furniture package deal. She’s built her empire on being a down-to-earth larrikin and is something of a national treasure – to all but her family. They banished her a decade ago after her one-night-stand (and resulting pregnancy) with her daughter’s fiancé was shockingly revealed – at the wedding! Now, after a health scare, her career on a precipice and her professional nemesis, Tony (Rob Carlton) primed to push her into the abyss, Sando is determined to rekindle the family relationship. She needs them, and in spite of their initial apprehension… and unbridled hatred… soon they’ll discover they might actually need her too.
“Following the success of British comedy Detectorists, we’re excited to add an Australian comedy to Acorn Media Enterprises rapidly growing co-production and Acorn TV Original slate. With its hilarious script and engaging lead performance by Sacha Horler, we’re thrilled to work with Jungle Entertainment, ABC Australia and Screen Australia in association with Create NSW to bring Sando to North American, United Kingdom, Australian and New Zealand audiences.” said Bea Tammer, Programming Manager of Acorn Media Enterprises.
Matthew Graham, General Manager of Acorn TV, says, “Acorn TV subscribers are sure to enjoy this new offbeat family comedy. As an independent SVOD and the leading streaming service in North America focused on international television, Acorn TV is in the unique position to search the world for the very best in international TV and bring our subscribers first-rate comedies and dramas from not just Britain but Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, and Australia with shows like Sando.”
Sando co-stars Firass Dirani (House Husbands), Phil Lloyd (Review with Myles Barlow, At Home with Julia), Krew Boylan (Schapelle), Adele Vuko (of online comedy sensations, Skitbox), Uli Latukefu(Marco Polo) and newcomer Dylan Hesp. Created by Phil Lloyd and Charlie Garber, the series is directed by Erin White (It's a Date, Little Lunch) and the Van Vuuren Bros. (Bondi Hipsters, Soul Mates), and produced by Chloe Rickard (Squinters,No Activity, Here Come the Habibs).
Acorn Media Enterprises continues to rapidly grow Acorn TV’s Originals slate and is the exclusive U.S. partner for several series in 2017, including the BBC One adaptation of Agatha Christie’s A Witness for the Prosecution, starring Toby Jones, Andrea Riseborough, and Kim Cattrall; Ireland’s #1 new drama series Striking Out, which recently finished production on Series 2 for 2018; ITV murder mystery drama Loch Ness starring Laura Fraser (Breaking Bad); contemporary Irish thriller Acceptable Risk; and BBC One drama Love, Lies & Records.
Coming up in 2018, Acorn TV Originals include Series 3 of universally adored BBC comedy Detectorists (Jan. 15), Kay Mellor’s ITV drama Girlfriends (Jan 29) starring Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey),Miranda Richardson (Stronger, And Then There Were None), and Zoe Wanamaker (Agatha Christie’s Poirot), Striking Out, Series 2 (Mar. 16) starring IFTA winner for Best Drama Actress Amy Huberman, fast-paced Wales thriller Keeping Faith, international crime drama Straight Forward, and the return of Ashley Jensen in Agatha Raisin, Series 2, among others.
Called a “glorious streaming service…an essential must-have” (The Hollywood Reporter) and “Netflix for the Anglophile” (NPR), Acorn TV continues to curate the very best in international television and remains North America’s largest streaming service for international television. Acorn TV is also the greatest value in streaming at only $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. Acorn TV exclusively premieres several new international series and/or seasons every month from Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, and other European countries.
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Acorn Media Enterprises (AME) is the UK-based development division for the
Acorn TV brand of RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE)
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About RLJ Entertainment
RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE) is a premium digital channel company serving distinct audiences primarily through its popular OTT branded channels, Acorn TV (British TV) and UMC (Urban Movie Channel), which have rapidly grown through development, acquisition, and distribution of its exclusive rights to a large library of international and British dramas, independent feature films and urban content. RLJE’s titles are also distributed in multiple formats including broadcast and pay television, theatrical and non-theatrical, DVD, Blu-ray, and a variety of digital distribution models (including EST, VOD, SVOD and AVOD) in North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Additionally, through Acorn Media Enterprises, its UK development arm, RLJE co-produces and develops new programs and owns 64% of Agatha Christie Limited. For more information, please visit RLJEntertainment.com, Acorn.tv, and UMC.tv.
Acorn TV Press Contact: Chad Campbell, ccampbell@acorn.tv
