Endeavor Content has unveiled a slew of international deals for Hulu and BBC Three’s hit drama “Normal People.”
Lionsgate-owned international streamer Starzplay has bought exclusive rights to the adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel for Germany, Austria, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Latin America and Japan.
Endeavor Content has also sold the Element Pictures production to multiple other territories, including Australia (Stan), Canada (CBC’s streaming service, CBC Gem), Denmark (DR Denmark), Greece, Cyprus and Malta (Fox Life), Iceland (Siminn), Ireland (RTE), Finland (YLE), New Zealand (TVNZ), Norway (NRK), Russia and CIS (Kinopoisk) and Sweden (SVT).
Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones as Marianne and Paul Mescal as Connell, the 12-part series is directed by Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald. It tracks the tender but complicated relationship of Marianne and Connell from the end of their school days in a small town west of Ireland to their undergraduate years at Trinity College.
Since launching April 26 as a box set on digital channel BBC Three in the U.K., the series has won acclaim from critics and drawn viewers en masse to catch-up service BBC iPlayer. The BBC reported earlier this month that it had had more than 16.2 million requests for the series in its first week.
“Normal People” was released in the U.S. on streaming platform Hulu on April 29.
“‘Normal People’ is a magical combination of incredible storytelling, talented acting, best in class production and intimate and thoughtful direction. It’s an absolute gem and adored by so many fans around the world,” said Prentiss Fraser, EVP for international television sales at Endeavor Content.
Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe, executive producers of “Normal People” and co-founders of Element Pictures, added: “The response from audiences in the U.K., Ireland and the U.S. to ‘Normal People’ has been overwhelmingly positive. We are delighted that audiences around the world will now have the opportunity to see the show for themselves.”