Drama News & New Dramas
Britain’s ITV agrees to Sky buy
Sky and ITV have confirmed that Comcast's Sky has agreed to buy the broadcast channels and streaming service of ITV for £1.6 billion ($2.1B). Reuters reports that the merger of ITV’s public service channels and Sky’s pay-TV business would control 70% of the UK’s linear television ad market. The deal will likely face lengthy antitrust and public interest reviews.
Tosh leaving Shetland after 13 years
BBC reports that Alison O'Donnell, an original cast member of the crime drama, will leave at the end of the current series, which is under production and is expected to air later this year. O'Donnell's has played Det Sgt Alison (Tosh) McIntosh, who worked with Det Insp Jimmy Perez (Henshall) to solve crime in Shetland. The show is based on the award-winning novels by crime writer Ann Cleeves.
Blue Murder Motel opening for business in U.S., Canada, and the UK
Blue Murder Motel, a cozy crime show about a pair of career cops who retire to a beachside town in New Zealand. has been picked up by Acorn TV for the U.S. and Canada and ITV for the UK. In the series, married couple Vinny and Cole, retire to run a motel in a sunny beachside town. But the early retirees find themselves drawn into investigating crimes, with a new case in each episode.
