It may have received very mixed reviews in the UK for its denouement, but record-breaking series six of Line of Duty is on its way to China after a deal struck by ITV Studios with video app Pumpkin Film in China.
The award-winning crime drama - written and created by Jed Mercurio and produced by ITV-owned World Productions for BBC One - follows a police anti-corruption unit AC-12 and series leads Vicky McClure, Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar all return to reprise their iconic roles. It also features Kelly McDonald (Trainspotting, Boardwalk Empire, Giri/Haji) guest starring in a new leading role as Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson - a senior investigating officer on an unsolved murder, whose unconventional conduct raises suspicions at AC-12.
The first episode of this series was watched by 9.6 million overnight viewers on BBC One in the UK, with a consolidated audience of 13.8 million. The live audience figures surpassed the show's previous record of 9.1 million for the finale of series five in 2019. The day night’s finale saw a consolidated 16 million after 12.8 million viewers had tuned in live.
The show is also set to launch on BBC/ITV joint venture SVOD service BritBox in North America and has also been picked up in a slew of deals worldwide with both linear and streaming platforms. Buyers include TVNZ in New Zealand, KT Corp in South Korea, Movistar in Spain, Scandinavian pubcasters Denmark’s DR, NRK in Norway, SVT in Sweden and Finland’s YLE, as well as VRT in Belgium, NPO in the Netherlands and LTV in Latvia. BritBox Australia also picked up the rights to the series, the show having launched there in April.
Commenting on the deal, Julie Meldal-Johnsen, EVP global content, ITV Studios said: “Line of Duty is a phenomenon and we’re delighted to be able to take the show to an even wider audience as a result of these sales. It’s great that fans everywhere from Finland to China will be able to watch this thrilling season of the show. I’m sure there will be more countries on the horizon too, which can only be a good thing for audiences across the globe.”
The first episode of this series was watched by 9.6 million overnight viewers on BBC One in the UK, with a consolidated audience of 13.8 million. The live audience figures surpassed the show's previous record of 9.1 million for the finale of series five in 2019. The day night’s finale saw a consolidated 16 million after 12.8 million viewers had tuned in live.
The show is also set to launch on BBC/ITV joint venture SVOD service BritBox in North America and has also been picked up in a slew of deals worldwide with both linear and streaming platforms. Buyers include TVNZ in New Zealand, KT Corp in South Korea, Movistar in Spain, Scandinavian pubcasters Denmark’s DR, NRK in Norway, SVT in Sweden and Finland’s YLE, as well as VRT in Belgium, NPO in the Netherlands and LTV in Latvia. BritBox Australia also picked up the rights to the series, the show having launched there in April.
Commenting on the deal, Julie Meldal-Johnsen, EVP global content, ITV Studios said: “Line of Duty is a phenomenon and we’re delighted to be able to take the show to an even wider audience as a result of these sales. It’s great that fans everywhere from Finland to China will be able to watch this thrilling season of the show. I’m sure there will be more countries on the horizon too, which can only be a good thing for audiences across the globe.”
