The BBC will air Channel 10's "Hostages", after buying it from the distributor Armoza Formats Ltd. "Hostages" is the second Hebrew-language show with subtitles to be aired in Britain, and the first to be aired by the BBC, following the broadcasting of "Hatufim" ("Prisoners of War"), which is the basis for the US series "Homeland".
"Hostages" was created by Rotem Shamir and Omri Givon, and produced by Haim Sharir
"Hostages" was previously sold to the US network CBS when the format was still in development and before it was aired in Israel. The weekly episodes of the CBS version have 18 million viewers. The format has also been sold to French and Russian networks.
BBCs head of program acquisitions Sue Deeks said, "'Hostages' is a taut, spare and authentic Israeli thriller."
Armoza Formats CEO Avi Armoza said, “With its powerful universal storyline, and the success it has achieved in Israel, we look forward to continue bringing Hostages to the international market. We are proud to represent the first ever Israeli series to air on the BBC, and believe that the BBC is the perfect home for this highly acclaimed drama."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 12, 2013
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2013