UKTV acquires high-end drama thriller The Gulf from Banijay Rights

The Gulf

3 December 2019

Banijay Rights, the leading distribution arm of Banijay Group, has sold premium drama title, The Gulf to UKTV for its local audiences. The series will air on the broadcaster's crime drama channel, Alibi next year.

The deal, which will see the 3 x 90' series launching on Alibi in early Spring 2020, was brokered by Chris Stewart, Commercial Director - Scripted at Banijay Rights, and Daniel Thomas, Acquisitions Manager at UKTV.

Daniel Thomas, Acquisitions Manager at UKTV said:

We are really pleased to have acquired this exciting new thriller for Alibi as we continue to include the very best of international crime drama in our schedule. Our viewers are extremely discerning and The Gulf, with its unique take on a crime story set against the incredible backdrop of New Zealand, will have wide appeal.

Chris Stewart, Commercial Director - Scripted, Banijay Rights adds:

We are delighted that UKTV will be bringing this absorbing and original antipodean series to a UK audience where I'm sure it will engage a new legion of drama fans looking for their next crime fix. The Gulf, co-produced by Banijay Group's Screentime New Zealand, has launched in New Zealand and in Germany to much acclaim and is proving to be a very desirable drama property for us with further sales already in the pipeline.

Recently launched at MIPCOM, German-New Zealand thriller The Gulf, (6 x 60') centres around the moral disintegration of Detective Jess Savage, who finds herself caught between upholding the legal justice system and morality, as she investigates crimes on her home patch of Waiheke Island, New Zealand. The Gulf is an international co-production from Banijay Group's Screentime New Zealand, Lippy Pictures, German fiction specialist Letterbox Filmproduktion, a member company of the Studio Hamburg Production Group, and broadcasters ZDF and TV3.

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Alibi

Notes for Editors:

For more information, please contact:
Ali Laurie, Network Communications Executive, UKTV

About Banijay Rights

Banijay Rights is the international distribution division of Banijay Group, a leading creator and producer of TV content worldwide. Banijay Rights represents quality, excellence and experience in the business of television and ancillary sales across all platforms. It is one of the world's biggest independent distributors, with a catalogue of more than 20,000 hours of globally best-selling content across all genres including drama, formats, factual, entertainment and theatrical. 50% of the catalogue is third party programming from independent producers and networks throughout the world.

The Banijay Rights catalogue includes scripted offerings such as big-budget Canal+ flagship drama Versailles sold in more than 135 territories; Occupied the tri-lingual political suspense thriller, and Norwegian crime thriller series Wisting starring Carrie-Anne Moss.

Finished programming and format highlights include legendary adventure reality game shows Survivor and Fort Boyard; global smash format hit format Wife Swap; ratings and format hits The Secret Life Of 4 Year Olds; long running premier property brand Location Location Location, and revelatory special forces selection programme SAS Who Dares Wins.

About Alibi
Sky 132/826, Virgin 126/200, BT 312/382, TalkTalk 312, TV Player
On demand on Sky, Virgin, BT and TalkTalk

Alibi is the only TV channel dedicated to crime drama, investigating the best selection from the genre and premiering hit series from around the world such as Harrow, Waco and I Am The Night. Committed to UKTV Original series with guaranteed thrills, twists and turns, Alibi has commissioned Traces, starring Molly Windsor and Martin Compston, which will air later this year, and We Hunt Together for 2020.

Now in its 13th series, Murdoch Mysteries has found a safe space on the channel while some of British TV's best-known detectives, including Miss Marple, enjoy a trip down memory lane. Hit British crime dramas including Death in Paradise, Father Brown and Silent Witness give the viewers another chance to catch their favourite shows.