Distributor Cineflix International has secured the rights to defunct indie Steadfast Television’s back catalogue and is already close to securing sales in a number of territories.
The deal, tipped by Broadcast in January, hands Cineflix the exclusive rights to distribute up to 185 hours of programming, which includes substantial runs of BBC1’s Sky Cops and Sky 1’s UK Border Force.
Five series of Brit Cops are also part of the deal and October Films agreed last year to take over the sixth 10 x 60-minute series of the show, which is expected to air on Sky 1 after BSkyB’s acquisition of Virgin Media TV.
Paul Heaney, Cineflix president and managing director, said the content was a natural fit with the company’s current catalogue, which includes Border Security.
He revealed that the distributor is on the cusp of agreeing sales for Steadfast’s shows in Australia, Scandinavia and France. These deals will immediately cover the cost of acquiring the back catalogue - an amount Heaney declined to reveal.
It is “too early” to say if some of the brands will be revived through the company’s production arm, he added.
The content will form a key part of Cineflix’s MipTV offering, where Heaney’s sales team will target emerging territories such as Latin America. He said that broadcasters are looking for strippable formats in particular.
Steadfast Television and Steadfast International were put into administration in November last year after struggling to win new commissions.
Following the Cineflix deal, Glyn Mummery, the administrator for FRP Advisory, said the “adverse market conditions” meant there was “no possibility of rescuing the company as a going concern”.
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