ITV Studios Announces Series Of Sales To Bell Media

ITV Studios has announced a series of significant sales to leading Canadian media and entertainment company, Bell Media, across its world-class drama and non-scripted slate.

The deal brokered by Craig Bohland, VP Sales, Canada, ITV Studios and Bell Media includes the exciting new scripted titles from critically acclaimed producers: Coldwater from SISTER (Black Doves, Eric, This Is Going to Hurt); What it Feels Like for a Girl from Hera Pictures (I Fought the Law, Mary & George) and The Gathering from World Productions (Unitil I Kill You, Line of Duty, Vigil), part of ITV Studios, will launch on Bell Media’s streaming service Crave, and leading television network CTV.

Also secured for Crave and CTV are the upcoming season of Love Island All Stars from ITV Studios and GroupM Motion Entertainment, plus new seasons of The Voice and Hell’s Kitchen from ITV America (Queer Eye, Love Island USA) .

Katie Buchanan, EVP Americas Global Partnerships at ITV Studios, said: "We're thrilled to continue our greatly valued partnership with Bell Media, and can't wait to see this standout mix of scripted and non-scripted titles become some of the most talked about shows on their platforms. From gripping, character-led dramas, including the highly talked about thriller Coldwater, which is set to air in over 40 countries, to returning entertainment juggernauts, like Love Island, The Voice and Hell’s Kitchen, this deal showcases some of the best of ITV Studios’ slate."

In Coldwater (6x60) Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead, Teachers) stars as John, a repressed man who is shocked to find himself in middle age, secretly raging at his life as a stay-at-home dad. When his failure to intervene in a violent confrontation in a playground brings his identity crisis to a head, John ups and moves his family to the rural idyll of Coldwater, as far away from London as possible. Upon arrival, John is quickly befriended by next-door neighbour Tommy, but John remains blissfully unaware that Tommy is harbouring horrifying secrets, and it’s only after a series of unsettling incidents start to occur that John begins to wonder who the real Tommy actually is.

What It Feels Like For A Girl (8x60) centres on 15 year-old Byron (Ellis Howard), who’s from a small town just outside of Nottingham. The show tracks their escape to the big city and exploring Nottingham’s underworld in the UK's early 00s club scene. Life explodes for Byron when they discover drink and drugs and are adopted by Lady Die (Laquarn Lewis) into her family of troublemakers, known as “The Fallen Divas”. What It Feels Like For A Girl is a raw, heartbreaking and hilarious drama which explores escape, self-discovery and self-destruction. It delves into everything from drug abuse to underage sex work, abusive parents, transphobia and homophobia.

From the producers of Line of Duty and Vigil, The Gathering (6x60) centres around a violent attack on a teenage girl during a rave on a tidal islet. Set on Merseyside, the drama focuses on a group of teens from disparate backgrounds, each of whom could have committed the crime, along with their parents - who give equal cause for suspicion.

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