WP TV, RTL round up NTV’s Shepherd

Crime drama Shepherd airs on NTV in Russia

MIPCOM: Broadcasters in Poland and Hungary have acquired the first season of Russian crime drama Shepherd from Israeli distributor Dori Media Group.

WP TV in Poland and RTL in Hungary have both picked up the first 20 episodes of the series, which runs to four seasons and 108×50’ episodes in total.

The series is produced by NTV Russia and airs on NTV in the country.

Shepherd follows an ex-homicide detective with a troubled private life who starts a private investigation bureau together with a German Shepherd dog he saved from being shot.

Nadav Palti, CEO and president of Dori Media Group, said: “Shepherd was a tremendous hit in Russia and we expect its success to repeat across multiple territories given the format’s flexibility and appeal as a crime drama that has multiple strands running through its plot.”

Timur Weinstein, NTV’s general producer, added: “For four seasons now, Shepherd has simply thrashed content on other channels to the extent that nobody risks pitting any expensive primetime product against it. Moreover, Shepherd achieves great ratings not only for the first time on air but also in reruns.

“The series’ success lies in a solid script, detailed character types and in genre combination, making a crime story family-friendly. And, of course, the language of man and dog communication is easy to understand for any country’s audience. Season five is in production now and will go on air soon.”

Shepherd drew a viewing share high of 20.5% during its run on NTV, while it has also pulled in 330 million views on NTV’s YouTube channel and the show’s official site. The series has also aired on KTK in Kazakhstan, reaching a similar 20.5% share.

Dori Media previously sent Israeli neo-noir drama Losing Alice to tech giant Apple’s streamer AppleTV+. The series is being screened in competition during Canneseries this week.