Leading independent distributor all3media international has struck a new deal with Acorn Media Enterprises (AME), bringing Acorn onboard as a co-producer on upcoming six-part thriller Blood, which was commissioned by Virgin Media Television (Ireland). all3media international has also signed two significant presale windows in the UK with Channel 5 and Virgin Media, UK.
The co-production agreement will see Blood, a Company Pictures drama in association with Element Pictures and all3media international for Virgin Media Television, Ireland, making its North American debut on RLJ Entertainment’s Acorn TV as an Acorn TV Original Series in the U.S. and Canada.
Virgin Media Television in Ireland will have the global premiere for the show which is expected to take place this Autumn.
Channel 5 has signed a pre-sale deal with all3media international which sees the broadcaster launching the series on linear in the UK. A further window has been signed with Virgin UK take the UK SVOD window after the linear launch. Acorn has UK home entertainment rights.
An intimate drama and psychological crime thriller about family, memory, and the impact the past can have on the present, Blood stars BAFTA nominee Adrian Dunbar (Line of Duty, Broken) and newcomer Carolina Main (Unforgotten, Granchester). From acclaimed new writer Sophie Petzal (Riviera, The Last Kingdom), Blood is produced by Jonathan Fisher (Midsomer Murders, Lewis).
Catherine Mackin, Managing Director of Acorn Media Enterprises, noted, “We’re thrilled to partner again with our friends at all3media international on another high-quality drama production. Delivering a new and exciting take on the crime genre, Blood boasts a stellar line-up of talent both on- and off-screen, ensuring it is perfectly in line with the first-rate dramas we’re bringing to Acorn TV’s subscribers every month.”
Families are bound by blood and by secrets. Cat Hogan (Carolina Main) is an isolated woman on the run from her past, a past she is forced to confront when the sudden ‘accidental’ death of her mother, Mary (Ingrid Craigie, 7 days in Entebbe, Striking Out), draws her back to the family she has spent the last ten years trying to avoid.
Cat has always been the black sheep of the family and now this uncomfortable reunion awakens sinister demons from the past and shines a suspicious light on her mother’s death. However much she wants to believe her death was innocent, her suspicions start to mount against her father (Dunbar) when she begins to notice discrepancies in his stories.
Set over the week following Mary’s death, Cat tries to uncover the truth, looking to the past to understand the present. The audience will constantly question whether Cat is paranoid or has in fact discovered a terrible truth about her father. Nothing and no one can be taken at face value. In Blood, the ‘truth’ depends on who you ask.
Blood also stars Diarmuid Noyes (Five Minutes of Heaven, Borgia), Gráinne Keenan (Victoria, Black Mirror), Cillian Ó Gairbhí (Vikings, Moonfleet, Eipic) and Mark O’Regan (Leap Year, The Commitments).
About all3media international
all3media international is one of the UK’s leading distribution companies. all3media international is the distribution arm of the all3media group. We promote and license a catalogue of award-winning TV programmes and formats to broadcasters and media platforms across the globe. Over 1,000 broadcast, DVD and digital platform clients from over 200 countries entertain their audiences with the content we supply.
Our rich catalogue contains over 11,000 hours of content across all genres, with a focus on drama, comedy, factual, entertainment and formats. We are proud to work with the best programme makers in the world, including our own production studios based in the UK, Europe, USA and Australasia.
We represent the best in compelling drama such as Informer, Cheat, The Missing and Liar, as well as Midsomer Murders, Britain’s top drama export, and leading detective drama brands such as The Brokenwood Mysteries and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, alongside ground-breaking comedies including Fleabag and The Bisexual. Our factual entertainment slate includes Gogglebox and Celebrity Undercover as well as shows featuring Gordon Ramsay, Guy Martin and Grayson Perry, and our entertainment brands include The Circle, Flirty Dancing and Beat the Internet.
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. Investors in RLJE include Chairman Robert L. Johnson and AMC Networks. For more information, please visit RLJEntertainment.com, Acorn.tv, and UMC.tv.
About Virgin Media
Virgin Media is known for challenging the status quo – taking on industry giants, championing people and simply delivering extraordinary products and services.
We help create a digital world that makes good things happen: for our customers and the communities in which we operate.
In Ireland our cable business delivers multi award-winning services: broadband, TV, mobile and home phone connect thousands of people across the country. But we’re not finished; we’re extending our network reach through Project Lightning so that more communities can enjoy the benefits of the fastest, widely available broadband speeds from Virgin Media.
Our broadcast division, Virgin Media Television is Ireland’s number one commercial broadcaster operating three free-to-air channels (Virgin Media One, Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media Three, plus the Virgin Media Player) and is a significant investor in home produced content across news, current affairs, drama and sports.
Through Virgin Media Business, we support entrepreneurs, businesses and the public sector, delivering the fastest speeds and tailor-made services.
Virgin Media is part of Liberty Global, the world’s largest international TV and broadband company, with operations in 11 European countries. The company invests in the infrastructure and digital platforms that empower customers to make the most of the video, internet and communications revolution.
For further information please visit: www.virginmediatelevision.ie
