ARTE AND MOVISTAR+ BOARD “BAGHDAD CENTRAL” FROM FREMANTLE

Franco-German net ARTE and Spain’s broadcaster Movistar+ have boarded the powerful crime drama “Baghdad Central” after striking deals with Fremantle. Produced by Fremantle’s scripted label Euston Films, the Iraq War drama series, which takes the unique step of putting Iraqis centre stage, is based on the novel by Elliott Colla and is written by Stephen Butchard.

ARTE will air the series across their television network European French and German speaking territories including France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Movistar+, who has also acquired “The Investigation” and “Salisbury Poisonings” from Fremantle in an exclusive package deal, will launch the drama on its platform to audiences across Spain.

Fremantle has also closed a raft of deals for the series with other broadcasters, including  the CBC Gem streaming service (Canada), Globoplay (Brazil), M-Net (Africa), Canal+ (Poland), Cosmote TV (Greece), MX Player (India), Amediateka (Russia), IVI (Russia), BBC Persian (MENA), LMT (Latvia), GO (Malta) and D-Smart (Turkey). These broadcasters will join Channel 4 (UK), who debuted the series earlier this year, Hulu (United States), SBS (Australia) and StarzPlay (MENA).

“‘Baghdad Central’ is an authentic and compelling crime thriller, making the series a great addition to ARTE’s and Movistar’s line up. The gripping storyline is told through a unique perspective that we don’t often see on TV, and brought to life by an incredible international cast. It received an impressive reception following its launch in the UK and US on Hulu, so we’ve no doubt it will make a lasting impression on ARTE’s and Movistar+ audiences,”  said Al De Azpiazu, SVP of Sales & Distribution, French Speaking Europe, Italy, Spain & Portugal, International at Fremantle.