Japanese broadcaster WOWOW has acquired the spy thriller for its linear TV and on-demand streaming service. The award-winning series produced by multi service provider Elisa Estonia and Estonian public broadcaster ERR is written by playwright and screenwriter Martin Algus and directed by Ergo Kuld. 

The series stars Tambet Tuisk, winner of the Best Actor Award for Traitor at the Estonian Film and Television Awards 2020.

Inspired by recent spy scandals in Estonia, Traitor is set in 2004 just before Estonia joined NATO and became a top target for Russian intelligence.  Greed and the need for recognition leads new recruit Alfred Vint (Tuisk) to co-operate with Russian intelligence, leading to a cat-and-mouse game with determined young Estonian counter-intelligence officer Marko Arrak (Veiko Porkanen) as they navigate the challenges faced in their personal lives.

Chinatsu Otsuki, acquisition Manager at WOWOW, said: “We are very excited to close the first deal with GoQuest Media. Traitor is a superb spy thriller, and the story is very twisting. Our viewers love to watch ‘rewarding good and punishing evil’. However, we all know that reality is a lot more different from what is portrayed in fictional drama. This Estonian spy drama is very realistic in that way that is inspired by true events.”

Vivek Lath, managing director at GoQuest Media, added: “We are delighted that Traitor will make its debut in Asia, and we couldn't have asked for a better launchpad than WOWOW. As Japanese audiences watch the unravelling of a brutal but charming government servant who will betray everyone, including his country, to amass power and wealth, we promise that this compelling spy scandal drama may leave them shaken, but they won't stop watching. Alfred Vint has that effect on you!”