ITV Unveils First Looks At ‘Karen Pirie‘ Season 2
Karen Pirie, ITV’s latest drama from Malpractice and Line of Duty maker World Productions, is coming back on June 21. Above and below are first-look images at the returning cop drama, which stars Lauren Lyle as Detective Inspector Karen Pirie. Her latest case, which runs to three two-hour episodes, is based on author Val McDermid’s book ‘A Darker Domain’ and adapted by Emer Kenny (The Curse, Save Me Too). The plot sees the newly-promoted DI assigned an infamous unsolved case that puts her under intense scrutiny. Chris Jenks (Sex Education, Vigil), Zach Wyatt (Timestalker, The Witcher: Blood Origin), Steve John Shepherd (Harry Potter), Kenny (The Curse) and Rakhee Thakrar (Wonka) return, with Saskia Ashdown (Six Four), James Cosmo (Braveheart), Frances Tomelty (Unforgotten) and John Michie (Holby City) joining the cast. Season 1 averaged nearly 6 million viewers back in 2022. In the U.S. and Canada, BritBox has the rights, while in the UK, it will air on ITV, streamer ITVX and Scotland’s STV and STV Player. ITV Studios has international distribution rights.
BBC’s Kim Kardashian Robbery Doc Finds Homes
The Kim Kardashian Diamond Heist, Firecracker Films’ doc for BBC Three about Kim Kardashian’s traumatic gunpoint robbery in Paris, has been shopped around the world. Passion Distribution has pre-sold the 45-minute BBC Three program to Network Ten in Australia and Warner Bros. Discovery for streaming platforms HBO Max and Discovery+, as well as linear networks across Italy, Germany, CEE, Benelux, France, Nordics, Poland, Spain, Andorra and Portugal. Discussions for deals in the U.S. and Canada are ongoing, Passion reported. The doc looks into the 2016 crime, which saw reality star Kardashian robbed of millions of dollars’ worth of jewellery in Paris at gunpoint. It will feature friends of the Kardashian family, French law enforcement and journalists who followed the case closely to uncover the shocking details of the night and the eventual courtroom reckoning, nearly a decade later, which saw eight people found guilty.
Mediawan Makes Streaming Step With Canal+ Deal
France’s Mediawan is primarily known as a producer-distributor, but its documentary-focused streamer Explore has just landed a major carriage deal. The service has been added to the Canal+ app in France, with its catalog available to Canal+ subscribers for a month for free. After that, it will be offered through the Famille+ and Intégral tiers. Explore, which was launched back in 2021 and offers hundreds of hours of docs direct to consumer, is already on Orange TV, Free, SFR, Molotov, Amazon’s Prime Video Channels and Apple TV+ in France. Accompanying the new launch is a fresh graphic identity.
Roku Integrates UK Free-TV Service Freely
British free streaming platform Freely has struck a carriage deal with Roku. As of this month, Freely’s service will be offered through Roku-powered smart TVs, becoming the default TV guide on new Sharp, JVC and Metz models in the UK. Polaroid TV offering Freely will also be introduced for the first time. This means the likes of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 will be carried on Roku-powered TVs. Freely is already available on the likes of Amazon Fire TV, Bush and Hisense. “Offering Freely on the Roku operating system is a major milestone for us, as we continue to expand reach for the free streaming platform,” said Jonathan Thompson, CEO of Freely parent Everyone TV. Richard Halton, UK Country Manager for Roku, added: “Roku believes that all TV will be streamed. We are excited to partner with Freely and continue our collaboration with UK broadcasters. Together we will bring the best content discovery experience to viewers across the UK. We look forward to unveiling our new Roku TV models with Freely built-in, which will be available from UK retailers this summer.”
France’s M6 Finds ‘The Best Holiday Destination’
French network M6 has greenlit La Meilleure Destination Vacances (The Best Holiday Destination), a format from Banijay France’s Endemol France. Launching on June 21, the factual entertainment show will see former Miss France and TV presenter Élodie Gossuin, chef Christian Etchebest and holiday expert Lauriane Gepner, will travel to three iconic regions – Côte d’Azur, Brittany and Basque Country, where they explore two key destination in each one. The panel keeps score on each using a set of criteria before one is crowned the ‘best holiday destination.’ Banijay Entertainment will look to take the format internationally, with Chief Content Officer, Development James Townley, saying: “Endemol France has a proven track record for creating standout entertainment formats, and The Best Holiday Destination is no exception. Bursting with local flavour, compelling storytelling, and escapism, it offers a fresh and authentic take on travel that feels timely and universally appealing.”
‘Panchayat‘ Season 4 Trailer Drops
Prime Video India‘s rural comedy-drama series Panchayat has just dropped a Season 4 trailer. Produced by The Viral Fever, the series is set the fictional village if Phulera, where the challenges and comforts of small-town life play out. Trailer shows a turf war brewing between Manju Devi (Neena Gupta) and Kranti Devi (Sunita Rajwar), as wide smiles and loud slogans mask behind-the-scenes scheming that promises to explode into a full-blown rural ruckus. The ensemble cast includes Jitendra Kumar, Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Faisal Malik, Chandan Roy, Sanvikaa, Durgesh Kumar, Rajwar and Pankaj Jha. Season 4 debuts on Prime Video in India and globally on June 24.
‘Lord Of The Rings’ Owner Names New CEO
Embracer Group, the company that owns the underlying rights to the Lord of the Rings franchise, is getting a new CEO. Phil Rogers has been nominated for the role at the listed company, with an August 1 start date pencilled in. Company founder and current CEO Lars Wingefors has been proposed as Executuive Chairman. Kicki Wallje-Lund, current board chair, would segue to Deputy Chair. Wingefors will exit the executive management team and instead focus on capital allocation, M&A and strategy. Rogers is currently Deputy CEO and CEO of Crystal Dynamics – Eidos. Sweden-based Embracer has endured a tough few years, having to cut staff and sell off some of its businesses to lower debt. Along with ownership of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit, the company owns a number of video games, mobile games and tabletop games businesses.
The post ‘Karen Pirie’ Season 2 First Look; Kim Kardashian Robbery Doc Sells; Mediawan Streaming Deal; Freely Joins Roku TVs; M6 Holiday Format; ‘Panchayat’ Season 4 Trailer; Embracer CEO – Global Briefs appeared first on Deadline.
