The distributor, which last week signed an exclusive first-look deal with indie producer True North for its slate of current affairs and documentary programming, is also set to make its first pre-tax profit for the current financial year and is looking to increase its presence in the US, both as a buyer and a seller. Last year ID generated turnover of £6.2m.
The move into new media will be spearheaded by a new director who is set to join the company in time for Mipcom and will focus on broadband and mobile opportunities.
'We're already working with a lot of the VoD platforms that are launching in the UK and Europe, and also the US,' said ID managing director Sally Miles. 'We're starting to see that business growing.'
Miles added: 'The US continues to be a growth area for us. Middle America is now accepting British accents and the cable channels are now much more accessible in terms of acquiring British content.'
ID has sold 40 hours of UK and Canadian content to US cable networks in the first six months of 2006 and is close to announcing further deals, including a brand new gameshow and two formats for original production. It also represents over 500 hours of HD programming from Rainbow's Voom HD channel and over 100 hours from fellow US cable networks WE and the Independent Film Channel.
'We are working with more US companies,' said Miles. 'What's great is it's creating opportunities as well for our UK companies, both in terms of formats that we can get off the ground in the UK, or co-production opportunities.'
Launched at Mipcom 2004 with the backing of Ingenious Ventures, ID now has a catalogue of 1,800 hours of programming and first-look deals with such UK indies as Betty TV, Twofour and most recent addition True North. The latter deal is for two year and includes BBC1 series Animal 24/7and ITV's Trapped Inside My Body(2 x 30-minutes).
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