Topic Nabs Exclusive U.S., Canadian Rights to Beta Film Crime Series (EXCLUSIVE)

Ed Meza
·3 min read
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U.S. streaming service Topic has inked an exclusive U.S. and Canadian rights deal with Germany’s Beta Film for four European crime series ahead of this year’s Mipcom TV programming mart in Cannes.

Dedicated to crime and suspense, Topic, part of First Look Entertainment, picked up the third season of critically acclaimed Austrian-German series “Pagan Peak”; Finnish title “Helsinki Syndrome”; “Silent Road” from Greece; and Croatian-Ukrainian co-production “The Silence.”

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The agreement also includes renewals of Italian political thriller “1992” and follow-up seasons “1993” and “1994.” Described as Italy’s “House Of Cards,” the show  examines how Italian politics were shaken to the core by a major criminal investigation against widespread corruption in the 1990s.

Arriving on the eve of its third anniversary, the deal fortifies Topic’s drive to elevate crime and suspense thrillers from around the globe for its North American subscribers, the company stated.

“Pagan Peak”
“Pagan Peak”

Inspired by Nordic series “The Bridge” and produced by Wiedemann & Berg Television in co-production with Epo-Film for Sky Germany, “Pagan Peak” follows German detective Ellie (Julia Jentsch) and Austrian colleague Gedeon (Nicholas Ofczarek), who, in Season 3, have become bitter enemies but are nevertheless forced to deal with a string of mysterious murders on both sides of the German-Austrian border.

“Beta has been an invaluable partner to work with since Topic’s launch, and we are delighted to continue collaborating with them as we approach our third anniversary as the premier curator of elevated crime and suspense programs from around the world,” said Jennifer Liang, Topic’s vice president of programming strategy, acquisitions and sales. “These hit crime-themed miniseries and series, including ‘Pagan Peak,’ one of Topic’s most-watched franchises, will help us continue our promise to our subscribers to deliver the world’s best in crime programming.”

In “Helsinki Syndrome,” Elias Karo (Peter Franzén), a caring husband and father, takes four journalists hostage and forces them to expose the bank executives and district court judge who conspired against his family and caused them to lose everything, resulting in the death of his father. The eight-part series, which also stars Oona Airola (pictured), is produced by Fisher King, Panache Productions, YLE, Arte and NDR.

The disappearance of a school bus carrying nine elementary school students leaves one of Athen’s most affluent neighborhoods in shock in “Silent Road.” The series follows the detective investigating the case and a young journalist who becomes the only person with whom the kidnappers will speak. The 13-episode “Silent Road” is produced by Mega TV in cooperation with Filmiki Productions.

Exploring the depths of underage trafficking in Eastern Europe, “The Silence” revolves around the mysterious deaths of a number of young women in the Croatian city of Osijek. While investigating the homicides, Inspector Vladimir Kovač meets Stribor, a journalist, and Olga, the Ukrainian wife of a powerful politician who discovers that her niece is one of the victims, forming an unlikely team. The six-part series is produced by Drugi Plan and HRT in coproduction with Beta Film, Star Media, OLL.TV and ZDF/Arte.

“Our fruitful partnership with Topic has made it possible to bring an immense variety of our high-end European content across the pond to North America,” added Jeffrey Engelen, Beta’s international sales manager for North America.

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