LONDON – Shine International announced on August 12 a significant new territory deal for (2 X 60) INXS: Never Tear Us Apart with U.S. Premium Cable Channel Showtime.

In an exclusive collaboration with the band and those who knew them best, the Shine Australia-produced drama INXS: Never Tear Us Apart tells for the first time the extraordinary and uncensored story of INXS, who, with over 30 million records sold worldwide, are one of Australia’s most successful rock bands ever. 

The band enjoyed huge popularity in the U.S. in the late 1980’s, where their album Kick charted at number three, produced four U.S. top 10 singles and went six times platinum.

Delivering huge ratings on its premiere for Network Seven in Australia episode, one achieved a consolidated audience of 2.24 million viewers. Both episodes ranked as the highest rated show of the day and prompted all 10 albums re-entering the iTunes chart overnight. With an accumulative audience of over 5 million viewers across both nights, INXS: Never Tear Us Apart is currently the top rated Australian drama of 2014. 

Nadine Nohr, CEO, Shine International said, “I’m delighted Showtime is bringing such an extraordinary tale to U.S. audiences, a country where the band still has so many fans.”

Mark Fennessy, CEO, Shine Australia said, “The timeless music and Shakespearean adventures of INXS touched a generation during the decadent 80’s. I’m thrilled U.S. audiences will have the chance to re-live the wildest of rides to the top.”

INXS: Never Tear Us Apart is Executive Produced by Mark Fennessy and Rory Callaghan, with the band’s manager Chris Murphy and band member Tim Farriss as Co-Executive Producers and Kerrie Mainwaring and Andrew Prowse as Producers. The two-part series is directed by Daina Reid and written by Justin Monjo and Dave Warner.

INXS: Never Tear Us Apart was filmed in Melbourne with full access to the INXS archive of music, photography and stories.