Corporation takes free-to-air window after Starzplay lands pay rights
The BBC has confirmed that it has acquired HBO Max crime drama Tokyo Vice, as revealed by Broadcast last week.
Tokyo Vice has already secured a UK and Ireland distribution deal with Starzplay for the pay window, and the same streaming service has also taken the drama in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
Elsewhere, Crave in Canada, Canal+ in France, Paramount+ in Australia, OSN+ in Middle East and Northern Africa have acquired the series.
The deal follows the BBC’s acquisition of other HBO Max titles Love Life and the Gossip Girl reboot.
The 8 x 60-minute series stars Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe and is based on American journalist Jake Adelstein’s non-fiction first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, depicting the daily descent into the Tokyo underbelly of the late ‘90s.
The Endeavor Content production was commissioned by HBO Max in the US and Japanese pay TV broadcaster Wowow and was created and written by J.T. Rogers, and the pilot episode was directed by Michael Mann.
Rogers and Mann serve as exec producers alongside Adelstein, Elgort, Watanabe, Alan Poul, Emily Gerson Saines, Brad Kane, Destin Daniel Cretton, Kayo Washio and John Lesher.
Endeavor handles global distribution.
Tokyo Vice premiered last week on HBO Max, with the BBC procuring the second window in the UK with the free-to-air premiere, which will occur later in the year.
“The BBC are delighted to be the exclusive free TV home of Tokyo Vice. With the first episode superbly orchestrated by Michael Mann, the series is a fascinating and immersive dive into the neon-lit underbelly of 1990’s Tokyo and a crime world dominated by the yakuza,” said Sue Deeks, head of programme acquisition at the corporation.
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