MUMBAI: Global production and distribution powerhouse Keshet International (KI) and New Form, announced a partnership to distribute three of the latter’s millennial- and youth-targeted digital scripted series, launching them to buyers at MIPCOM. KI will seek out both linear TV and digital opportunities for the series internationally.
KI will offer New Form’s comedy, sci-fi adventure and dark thriller series, all of which are available or soon to premiere in the US on Verizon’s go90 mobile OTT platform, as part of a 20-plus title MIPCOM slate that is Keshet’s largest, most distinctive and diverse ever.
New Form produces content for mobile-friendly platforms and premium destinations hungry for high-quality content with great stories and value. In addition to go90, the destinations include Vimeo, Refinery29, Fullscreen, YouTube Red and CW’s The Seed.
“New Form has been at the forefront of creating original premium digital content for new OTT players in the US,” said Keshet International digital & acquisitions SVP Sebastian Burkhardt.
“With these three remarkable new series, we now have the unique opportunity to expand their reach beyond the booming US market to both linear TV networks – with reformatted 30- and 60-minutes versions – and OTT services throughout the rest of the world.”
“Partnering with Keshet on the international distribution of three of our signature series is a significant step forward for our long-term strategy of creating, producing and distributing high-quality programs that have wide millennial appeal across multiple viewing platforms around the world,” said New Form business development SVP JC Cangilla.
Two of the three New Form series appearing at MIPCOM have already premiered on go90 in the US: The high school comedy Mr. Student Body President – A charismatic student body president and his Machiavellian chief of staff give “high school politics” a new meaning as they battle for power over pep rallies, gossip, and grades, with all the ambition and fervor of hardened Washington operatives. Starring Jeremy Shada (Adventure Time, Parenthood, ParaNorman), Arden Rose (1.3 million YouTube subscribers) and Christina Moore (True Blood, That 70s Show, MADTV).
The Streamy Award-nominated sci-fi adventure MISS 2059 – An intergalactic sci-fi adventure about a beauty queen on Earth who is mistakenly selected to represent humanity in a life-or-death Galactic tournament. Starring Anna Akana (1.4 million YouTube subscribers, Ant Man, The Fosters), Nikki Soohoo (The Lovely Bones, Stick It, Private Practice) and Hartley Sawyer (Geek & Sundry’s “Caper”, The Young and the Restless, The McCarthys).
KI will also offer Cold, set to premiere in the US on go90 this month on October 13:
Her mother brutally murdered… her father in prison for the horrific crime… 16-year-old Isla Wallis returns to her remote hometown to discover the truth about what really happened to her family. Now, alone and abandoned in the icy wilderness, Isla will be pushed to the edge of survival as she fights to expose the killer and save more than just her own life. Starring Annalise Basso (Captain Fantastic, New Girl, Ouija 1 & 2, Oculus, True Blood), Todd Lowe (Gilmore Girls, True Blood, Criminal Minds, NCIS), Jim True-Frost (The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, Hostages), and Marcus Johns (6.5 million Vine followers, Expelled, Rock of Ages)
Additionally, Keshet will be adding a homegrown series, Aces to the list of digital offerings on their full MIPCOM slate. Created by Moti Adiv, Yoni Zicholtz and Jonathan Bar Ilan and produced by Keshet Broadcasting, Aces quickly became Israel’s number one digital series and subsequently migrated to Keshet’s linear channel. The show provides a hilarious fly-on-the-wall peek into the world of five poker buddies when they let loose during their Friday night card game.
