The F Ward has been licensed into 100 territories, which Paramount Global Content Distribution says is the fastest pre-launch sale ever recorded for an Australian drama. The six-part series premiered on Stan in Australia on 17 July.
The buyers are spread across every major market. Channel 4 took it in the United Kingdom and RTE in Ireland. SkyShowtime picked it up across 21 European countries, with Streamz in Belgium and Cosmote TV in Greece taking it separately. Claro Video has it in 16 Latin American territories. CBC took English Canada and Quebecor Content the French market. In the Asia Pacific it went to JioHotstar in India, Sky in New Zealand, and HBO Asia across South East Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Megogo and Kyivstar TV bought it in Ukraine, AMedia Networks in Central Asia.
The premise starts from failure. The interns at the fictional Pines Hospital in Sydney have all failed their training once and been sent to a chronically underfunded ward for a final attempt to qualify. Anna Friel, who has an International Emmy, leads a cast that includes Ioane Sa'ula, Lola Bond, Dan Wyllie, Alex Fitzalan, Emily Barclay, Annie Boyle and Rishab Kern.
Dan Edwards and Kelsey Munro created the series and produce it through Roadshow Rough Diamond. Natalie Bailey and Neil Sharma directed. "The audience response in Australia has been truly remarkable," Edwards said.
“Medical dramas have universal appeal, and the show's underdog story and rising young cast gave it a real breakout energy," said Don McGregor, president of global content licensing at Paramount. Buyers "moved quickly to secure The F Ward, making it the fastest pre-launch sale ever for an Australian drama", he said.”
The claim is specific to pre-launch sales. The deals were struck before the series had screened anywhere outside Australia, so the buyers were committing on a show that had rated in one market only.
The F Ward is a Stan Original, and Stan is owned by Nine Entertainment. The series was co-produced with CBS Studios, which sits inside Paramount, and Paramount Global Content Distribution handled every international sale.
Stan holds the Australian window, and all six episodes are streaming there now. The 100 markets were sold by Paramount, and the release date in each of them is the buyer's to set.
