Channel Ambition

Alibi is a dedicated crime drama channel which sits behind a pay wall on Sky, Virgin and NowTV, so our audiences expect premium content for their spend. Alibi primarily appeals to 45-64 year olds who watch all types of crime drama and are always on the lookout for new and exciting releases.

We started our drama commissioning journey five years ago and we have worked out what our audience loves. Our commissioning strategy is to find original, high-end crime drama that delights and entertains. Good storytelling, twisty-turny plots and some progression in the crime genre is essential. Similar to BBC1, ITV1 and Netflix, we serve a broad audience, and we are looking for memorable crime TV for our linear and box-set audience. Our series, Annika and The Diplomat, are high-end story of the week crime dramas and this is our main focus and preferred shape on Alibi. Procedurals like Traces and We Hunt Together have delighted our audience and thrillers like Ragdoll are a key part of our focus, but we won't commission as many projects in this area. Our focus is UK but with a global reach.

Core Areas

Story of the Week

This shape really suits our audience, so this is an area that Producers should develop in. We have a lack of high-end story of the week shaped procedurals with a distinctive edge, in the vein of series like Sherlock, Hustle, Jonathan Creek and Death in Paradise. Our series Annika starring Nicola Walker best exemplifies what we're looking for here. Sharp, witty Detective Inspector Annika Strandhed heads up a new specialist Marine Homicide Unit (MHU) which investigates the puzzling crimes and unexplained murders that wash up on the shores of Scotland's waters. The Diplomat, starring Sophie Rundle, is set in Barcelona where she is the British Consul; our key foreign office agent whose job is to help investigate and resolve all manner of crimes and incidents that befall British nationals abroad. A lively format reminiscent of The Good Wife meets Spooks; it has a modern overarching plot alongside strong weekly crime stories which engage and entertain.

Forensic procedurals (6x60')

Less pressing but still core areas are good narrative returnable forensic procedurals such as Traces, We Hunt Together or CSI. Relatable characters with a twist on a recognisable premise are key here.

Noisy crime thrillers (4x60', 6x60', 8x60')

An example of this is our crime thriller Ragdoll (6x60 from Killing Eve producers Sid Gentle). Other recent examples of territory that would work for Alibi would be: White House Farm, The Gold, White Lotus. The shape is up to you but make it distinctive.

Pre-sales

We co-develop original concepts in commissioning and UKTV are interested in your pre-sales slate. The best way to reach us is through Roxanna Rehman (Roxanna.rehman@uktv.co.uk) on the Acquisitions Team.