UK drama producer Left Bank Pictures and China International Television Corporation (CITVC) have signed a co-development deal for an English language drama for the Chinese and international market, it was announced at the China International Film & TV Programs Exhibition. Under the deal, both parties will take ideas to the table over the coming months with a view to selecting one high end English language television series to go into production by next year to then air in China. Sony Pictures Television will distribute the developed project worldwide outside of mainland China.
Xue Jijun, chairman and president of China International Television Corporation, said: “Left Bank is a world-class television production company and we are glad to have this opportunity to cooperate with them. China’s culture is extensive and profound, and has gained more and more love and attention around the world. We hope we can discover and create more and better film and television content, and distribute them to audiences around the world through collaborating with outstanding companies such as Left Bank and Sony Pictures Television.”
Andy Harries, chief executive of Left Bank Pictures, said: “China is in many ways the last frontier of television and we have been looking for opportunities in this vast market for some time. It is the ultimate challenge to get into a successful partnership that makes programmes which reflect both our and the Chinese culture, and we believe CITVC is the ideal partner to attempt just that.”
CITVC is one of China’s biggest media companies and a subsidiary of China Central Television (CCTV), which operates a network of 45 channels available to more than one billion viewers.
Left Bank Pictures, a joint venture with Sony Pictures Television, is one of the UK’s leading producers of scripted television programmes and has developed international co-productions with partners including HBO and Mediaset. Its impressive track record includes The Crown for Netflix, Mad Dogs for Sky, Wallander for the BBC and Strike Back for Sky/HBO Cinemax.
