SPI International has signed an extensive deal with BBC Worldwide acquiring TV and VoD rights to such British hits as Doctor Who, Wolf Hall and War and Peace in addition to a number of other series and films which the global pay TV operator will air on its FilmBox brand channels across Central and Eastern Europe, Turkey, Africa and the Middle East.

In the first part of the deal with BBC Worldwide, SPI International acquired rights to Wolf Hall, a historical drama chronicling the rise of Thomas Cromwell, the son of a humble blacksmith who became King Henry VIII's chief minister, as he navigated the corridors of power in the Tudor court. The agreement also includes War and Peace, a six-part adaptation of the vast novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy as well as Miss Marple, Jekyll, the first three seasons of the popular Sherlock series and the 9th season of Doctor Who. The agreement covers the following territories: Poland, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia, Slovenia, Kosovo and Montenegro.

SPI International has also acquired rights to air BBC content on the FilmBox Africa movie channel, which is carried by multiple digital platforms and cable networks in Africa and the Middle East. Some of the titles secured for these territories include the 2015 British thriller television film An Inspector Calls, Sally Lockheart Mysteries, several seasons of Doctor Who as well as the first season of The Musketeers.

Commenting on this deal Mr. Berk Uziyel, Executive Director of SPI International / Filmbox International said: “We are excited to further develop our partnership with BBC Worldwide to provide high quality programming to our FilmBox channels’ viewers. With content from BBC Worldwide, we are confident that our movie channels across Eastern Europe, Turkey, Africa and the Middle East will continue to deliver the best selection of television content from one of the world’s most prolific suppliers.”

The deal was signed by the Warsaw-based media company Kino Polska TV S.A. whose majority stakeholder is SPI International BV.