Extant Halle Berry CBS - H 2014
CBSCBS’ summer series Extant, starring Halle Berry and produced by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television, has been sold to Atresmedia Television in Spain at L.A. Screenings.
Extant is a follow-up to last summer’s Under the Dome, which is also produced by Spielberg and has become a hit worldwide. Extant, which launches July 9 in the U.S., is about an astronaut (Berry) who returns to earth after spending an extended time in space and has to face events that change her world. If the 13-episode Extant run is received well, a renewal would follow.
CBS, which is holding a series of screenings this week for about 1,500 international buyers representing TV, cable, satellite and digital services around the globe, has also licensed Showtime thriller Penny Dreadful and dramas Ray Donovan and The Affair to HBO Nordic for broadcast in Denmark, Norway and Finland.
Last year La Cúpula (Under the Dome in English), was a major success in Spain when it aired on Antena 3. According to CBS, its first episode was seen by 4.5 million viewers and averaged 3.2 million during its run.
Showtime’s Penny Dreadful — currently airing in the U.S. — will premiere in Scandinavia this week, running Mondays with subtitles within 24 hours of a new episode’s U.S. premiere. (There has been an effort to get high-profile series on faster in order to curtail piracy.)
The deal also includes other shows from the CBS library.
“With this partnership with CBS Studios International,” said Herve Payan, CEO of HBO Nordic, we have “a unique offering of new and library series from the four major premium U.S. pay TV operators.”
Armando Nuñez, president/CEO of CBS Global Distribution Group, said: “This deal with HBO Nordic highlights the increasing appeal and distribution of Showtime content in the international marketplace.”
