BBC Studios strikes AVoD deal with Screen Media for 2,500 hours of content

Mystery series Ripper Street

Screen Media Ventures, the distribution company owned by US-based Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (CSSE), has inked a multi-year AVoD deal with BBC Studios for 2,500 hours of content including Ripper Street and A Life in Ten Pictures.

Under the agreement, the BBC Studios content will be made available on CSSE-owned streamer Crackle Plus’s various AVoD platforms including Crackle, Popcornflix and Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Around 300 hours of programming is set to launch via Crackle Plus next month, including multiple seasons of mystery series Ripper Street. As well, documentary series A Life in Ten Pictures will have its exclusive US premiere on Crackle Plus in June.

Also included in the deal are all seasons of crime drama Happy Valley, crime miniseries From Darkness, the first five seasons of Silent Witness, action drama The Musketeers and drama series The Coroner.

The agreement comes after Crackle Plus recently acquired exclusive US rights for Sherlock from BBC Studios.

“The BBC has been producing highly sought-after content for years and we expect this content to perform exceptionally well on our streaming services,” said CSSE CEO William J Rouhana Jr.

“The long-term nature of this agreement enables us to plan ahead to maximise the value of the content to our viewers, as well as to our advertisers, the BBC and us.”