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ITV Studios Launches Thunderbirds Are Go Around The Globe

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ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) has signed a raft of global TV sales and appointed a host of international licensing agents for Thunderbirds Are Go, ITV Studios and Pukeko Pictures’ major new reinvention of the iconic children’s series, following its triumphant debut on ITV and CITV earlier this year.

In France, Thunderbirds Are Go premiered this month on Canal J and the full series will air on Gulli later this year. The French licensing agent is Nelvana, with Vivid taking the French master toy rights. Thunderbirds Are Go has been acquired by all of the Nordic countries: Sweden’s SVT, Norway’s NRK Super, Denmark’s DR and Finland’s MTV Juniori, with Alicom appointed as the Nordic licensing agent. The series will broadcast on Ketnet in Flemish Belgium and ZAPP in the Netherlands, with License Connection appointed as the agent for Benelux and Vivid France and Vivid Holland acquiring the respective master toy rights. In Turkey, the show will air on Minika TV.

ITVS GE has also signed the first deals in the Americas for the show; Thunderbirds Are Go will launch on Gloob, Globosat’s kids’ channel in Brazil and on Télé-Québec in French-speaking Canada. In Asia, the show will air on Japanese terrestrial broadcaster NHK, in a deal negotiated by ITVS GE’s Japanese agent, Tohokushinsha, with the toys distributed by Takara Tomy. Meanwhile, Roadshow has acquired the home entertainment rights in Australia and New Zealand.  

These latest deals follow sales to Australia’s Nine Network, TVNZ in New Zealand, Noga in Israel (with LDI as the agent) and pan-Arab broadcaster and agent MBC, bringing the total number of international countries airing the series to 40, with over 45 licensees already on board the consumer products programme globally.

Thunderbirds Are Go premiered on ITV and CITV in the UK in April, 50 years after Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s classic Thunderbirds series first aired. The premiere attracted a consolidated audience of close to three million viewers and CITV has already ordered a second 26 x 30’ series to air in 2016 and 2017.