Drama Series Streamer Walter Presents Makes Russia Start
Click here to read the full article.
Boutique international streamer Walter Presents has inked a two-year deal with Russian premium SVOD service Start, and will be available in the territory from early July.
Walter Presents, which specializes in non-English language programming, will launch on the service with a 100-hour collection encompassing 11 first-run series. This will grow to 400 hours. Shows available to Russian viewers include Belgian comedy crime drama “Professor T,” International Emmy-nominated Chilean HBO thriller series “Fugitives,” French psychological thrillers “Kepler(s)” and “Stalk,” Swedish thriller “Box 21,” Norwegian drama “Young and Promising,” Dutch crime drama “The Blood Pact” and gritty Belgian thriller “Code 37: Sex Crimes.”
More from Variety
Walter Presents Takes U.K. to Russia's Top TV Show 'Russian Affairs' (EXCLUSIVE)
International Drama Streamer Walter Presents Launches in New Zealand
Walter Presents Nabs U.K. Rights to Hit Danish Show 'When The Dust Settles'
Start is a part of Russian independent studio the Yellow, Black and White Group that also produces its own dramas via Start Studios. Walter Presents recently licensed one of Start Studio’s biggest hit series, “Gold Diggers” (aka “Russian Affairs”) for the U.K.
“I am hugely excited to be launching in Russia, which has seen something of a revolution in scripted content in the past few years, producing contemporary drama which is sharp, glossy and seriously sophisticated,” said Walter Iuzzolino, co-founder and curator of Walter Presents. “Start has been at the epicenter of this content revolution and Walter Presents hopes to help fuel their impressive growth trajectory with this roster of proven global hits.”
Start CEO Julia Mindubaeva said: Like Start, at the heart of Walter Presents is storytelling, and Walter’s approach of selecting award-winning, popular international drama series complements our approach. We’re delighted to extend our reputation as the home of drama in Russia by bringing Walter Presents to Russian audiences.”
Walter Presents is a unit of the U.K.’s Channel 4 and Global Series Network. In the U.S., the service has partnered with PBS Distribution to make content available on the PBS Masterpiece strand on Amazon Prime Video. Walter Service content is also available on Comcast Xfininity X1 and Roku. Other territories where it is present include Australia, via Foxtel, and Italy on Discovery’s Nove, Giallo and Dplay channels.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
