All the latest news from the global content industry on Thursday, 3 September

 

WBD strikes scripted partnership for Turkish shows

Warner Bros. Discovery has struck a co-finance and co-broadcast pact with Doğuş Media Group in Turkey.

The pact covers scripted series, with the first title - romcom Tuzlu Kahve (aka Salted Love) - set to premiere on Star TV before becoming available exclusively on HBO Max in Turkey 24 hours after each broadcast.

The show, which is being produced by Poll Films, will also be available on HBO Max globally, with the move part of WBD’s strategy to finance local series that can go on to travel.

WBD will also air the series as a second window on its linear channels in Italy, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria.

 

Yes Studios strikes deal for NZ short-form series

Israel’s Yes Studios has picked up rights to Alibi, a seven-part, short-form crime drama and format from New Zealand.

The show is produced by Plus6Four Entertainment for TVNZ and is described as a non-linear murder mystery, set in a small fictional town where a 17-year-old girl is murdered.

Six of the 15-minute episodes are dedicated to each of the six main suspects, with each giving their versions of what happened.

Viewers can watch the episodes in any order, with the seventh and final episodes revealing the truth. Alibi was created by Hannah Marshall (Settling), David de Lautour (Ms. X) and Gareth Williams.

 

Netflix US orders Mettlemouse show

Sarah Tyekiff’s indie Mettlemouse has landed a Netflix US reality format.

Romance-infused social experiment Playing with Matches (w/t) is a competition set in a Big Brother style house, following a group of couples who are trying to keep their relationships secret while guessing at who else is in a union.

Broadcast understands it will be an American cast and that Netflix and Mettlemouse are currently crewing up for production. Tyekiff and Mettlemouse’s creative director Shaun Parry will exec producer the series. 

The indie, which is backed by BBC Studios, had its debut commission last year with The Honesty Box for E4. The reality dating competition was licenced to Spain’s Telecinco earlier this year, after becoming E4’s most watched debut series launch on linear since 2022. Read more

 

 

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