Following AMC’s recent renewal of zombie apocalypse blockbuster The Walking Dead, Fox has confirmed the 8th season will air on its international channels beginning in 2017. Season 7 kicks off Sunday in the U.S. and will spread offshore near-simultaneously. Fox partnered with AMC on the series at script level and launched the first ever global simultaneous release in 2010. The Walking Dead airs in over 125 countries, with 200M international viewers. Offshore ratings saw Season 6 return in 2015 with a 17% year-on-year live ratings growth.
Sony’s AXN’s group of international television networks and Pinewood Television have entered a development agreement for a slate of six projects. The goal is to produce three high-quality, global-facing original series over the next three years. They will be financed in partnership between Sony Pictures Television Networks and Pinewood Television and air on AXN networks in Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe. The programming emphasis is on high-impact action, crime and mystery. Pinewood Television was launched in January this year. It is led by Creative Director, Helen Gregory, who co-created Shondaland/ABC’s The Catch, and is a joint venture between Pinewood Studios and media investment company StoryFirst.
