EXCLUSIVE: Polish drama Śleboda has become SkyShowtime’s best performing scripted series ever in the country.
The SVOD service gets a stream of big-ticket U.S. series from parent companies Comcast and Paramount, meaning the local original has faced off against juggernaut shows such as Yellowstone.
Śleboda, however, sits atop its viewing charts. Filmed in Poland, the series is SkyShowtime’s first original out of the country.
The streamer shared some topline stats with Deadline that reveal over half of its Polish subs have watched the series since its launch on December 12. Of those that tuned into the first episode, 90% watched subsequent instalments.
In Poland, the six-part series wraps today, January 9. In the wake of the success on home turf, SkyShowtime is rolling out the series across its footprint — meaning its services in Northern Europe, Iberia and the rest of Central & Eastern Europe, starting February 20.
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Śleboda is an adaptation of the first instalment of the acclaimed crime novels by Małgorzata Fugiel-Kuźmińska and Michał Kuźmiński.
It turns on the story of cultural anthropologist Anka Serafin, played by Maria Dębska. She embarks on a journey of self-discovery in the mountains, but stumbles upon a dead body and becomes embroiled in a twisty murder mystery.
She crosses paths with shameless journalist Sebastian Strzygoń (Maciej Musiał), and Jędrek Chowaniec (Piotr Pacek), a local police officer, with whom she once had a teen romance.
The series was written by Karolina Frankowska and Katarzyna Golenia. Michał Gazda and Bartosz Blaschke shared directing duties.
While some U.S.-backed international streamers and pay TV outfits have pulled back from local originals, SkyShowtime has committed to local fare. It recently teased Schmeichel, its much-anticipated doc about the eponymous Danish goalkeeper.
The streamer’s Chief Content Officer Kai Finke said the performance of Śleboda revealed “not only the popularity of dark and fast-paced crime thrillers, but also an obvious appetite for authentic local productions.”
Finke, a former Netflix exec, added: “This success underlines SkyShowtime’s ongoing commitment to producing compelling authentic local originals for our audiences and we’re excited to launch this series, with its A-list Polish cast and creative team, across all our markets from February.”
The post Polish Crime Drama ‘Śleboda’ Sets Record For SkyShowtime Ahead Of Wider Streaming Launch appeared first on Deadline.
