Channel 5 has picked up the free-to-air rights to The Walking Dead, the hit US zombie drama starring British actor Andrew Lincoln.
The Richard Desmond-owned broadcaster has acquired the 6 x 60-minute drama from distributor Entertainment One and will air it next spring.
C5 head of acquisitions Katie Keenan handled the deal.
Based on a graphic novel, the drama follows Rick Grimes, a sheriff’s deputy played by Lincoln (Teachers, This Life), who wakes from a coma only to find that the country has been overrun by zombies.
The series, which originally aired in the US on cable broadcaster AMC, is currently being shown in the UK on digital channel FX where it has so far delivered an average audience of 209,000 (1.04%) in a 10pm Friday night slot across the first five instalments.
Fox International Channels claimed the 5 November debut has already been seen by 659,000 in the UK. This comprises 314,000 who watched its premiere on FX and FX+1, a further 101,000 who watched the Sunday night repeat and an additional 243,800 that have watched the episode on playback.
FIC said it expected the total audience to rise above 1 million when full consolidated figures are taken into account.
It delivered the biggest audience for a series premiere on any US cable network when it launched on Halloween this year.
The 90-minute opener, managed to draw an audience of 5.3 million viewers to AMC, also home to Mad Men and Breaking Bad.
AMC has since ordered a 13-episode run for next year – more than double the six-episode run that debuted on Halloween.
Other recent international sales have seen DBS Satellite acquire the pay TV rights for Israel, while Orange has picked up the premium pay rights for France.
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