BBC Worldwide announced a deal with one of China’s largest providers of Internet value added services, Tencent Holdings Limited (“Tencent”, SEHK: 00700) for The Collection. The announcement was made on the second day of the Asian Television Forum in Singapore.
The eight-episode drama, set in the world of French haute couture after the Second World War from writer, creator and award-winning showrunner Oliver Goldstick (Pretty Little Liars, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives) features Tom Riley (Da Vinci’s Demons, Kill Your Friends), Mamie Gummer (The Good Wife, Ricki and the Flash), Richard Coyle (Crossbones, Life of Crime, Going Postal) and Alix Poisson (Disparue, 3xManon, Parents mode d’emploi).
In January 2017, it will air exclusively on Tencent’s qq platform, available to over 830 million active QQ accounts. Tencent also has the distribution rights for the series in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China.
“We are very excited to partner with Tencent on The Collection. We have a great relationship with them, most recently co-producingPlanet Earth II which has been incredibly popular in China, with 28 million views for its first four episodes in just four weeks,” said Kelvin Yau, BBC Worldwide, GM, Greater China. “We are confident that The Collection, with its a story about the price of success, set during a pivotal moment in France’s history when fashion became a vehicle for transformation and reinvention, will resonate with viewers in Greater China.”
“We had previously worked together to bring Doctor Who and Orphan Black, successfully to Chinese audiences. We are now very excited that Chinese audiences will be part of The Collection, which is fast becoming a global phenomenon, said Jeff Han, Vice President, Tencent Online Media Group and General Manager, Marketing & Video Content Co-operation. “Our partnership with BBC Worldwide has been a fruitful one so far, and I look forward to working with them to bring more great content to China.”
The Collection, also starring Frances de la Tour (The Lady in the Van, Vicious, Into the Woods, Hugo), Jenna Thiam (The Returned) and Irène Jacob (The Affair, La Habitación, Three Colours Red), tells the story of an illustrious Paris fashion house emerging from the dark days of the Occupation. This gripping family saga, centred on two very different brothers, exposes the grit behind the glamour and the treachery beneath the trappings of this empire, and all who work there.
The Collection is a Lookout Point and Artis Pictures Production co-produced with Amazon Studios, Federation Entertainment, MFP and Masterpiece with the participation of France Télévisions and BBC Worldwide Ltd in association with Tencent Distribution.
