The latest data from Show Tracker reveals the UK dramas from this year with the most international premieres - 'King & Conqueror', 'Dope Girls', 'A Cruel Love', 'Bookish' and 'Playing Nice'. But who’s acquiring them? And what does this reveal about the evolving shape of the global content market?
A broad range of buyers are acquiring these titles. BVOD services including SVT Play in Sweden, SBS On Demand and 7Plus in Australia, and NPO Plus in the Netherlands have acquired one or more of these titles. Looking beyond them, NPO Plus has also picked up 'Out There' from All3Media, while SVT has added several other UK dramas to its schedule, including 'Code of Silence' (ITV Studios), 'This City is Ours' (Sony), 'Virdee' (Cineflix), and 'Bergerac' (Banijay). This represents only one small part of the BVOD strategy.
Among Studio owned SVODs, HBO Max is the most active buyer, having taken rights to Paramount’s ‘King and Conqueror' in five territories as well as Sony’s ‘Dope Girls’ in Latin America. Paramount+, while less visible in first window acquisitions, continues to invest in UK commissions such as 'The Crow Girl' and 'Little Disasters', with ITV Studios and Fremantle handling distribution outside the UK respectively for these.
Pay TV platforms also remain key players. Showcase in Canada acquired 'Dope Girls', adding to the titles it receives through its output deal with NBCUniversal for Peacock Originals. Other notable buyers include M-Net in South Africa, and in Europe, Movistar+ and Canal+ continue to secure premium UK drama for their schedules. Although in Spain FilmIn also remains a prominent buyer of UK drama. Meanwhile in Korea, 'A Cruel Love' was licensed to Pay TV service Channel U, alongside two local SVODs - Wavve and TVING - in a co-exclusive deal.
The largest global SVOD services are largely absent from first window acquisitions of UK series. Netflix does not appear among the buyers of 2025 titles, and Amazon has only bought 'Playing Nice’ for the US only. However, both platforms continue to engage in second window deals, picking up titles post-broadcast and after studio SVOD.
This distribution picture underscores a fragmented but resilient market for the latest British drama. While no single route dominates, the variety of buyers and platforms involved highlights the continuing international appeal of UK scripted content - and the importance of flexible release strategies in an increasingly complex landscape.
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