Banijay Group, the world’s largest independent content creation group for television and multimedia platforms, today announced brand new multi-national drama co-production Straight Forward.  The 8 x 1 hour series will be co-created by leading Banijay production companies Screentime New Zealand and Mastiff Denmark and will be co-produced by broadcasters Viaplay and TVNZ, in association with Acorn Media Enterprises and Acorn TV, the premier North American streaming service for world-class TV.

The agreement sees leading Scandinavian streaming service Viaplay retain all rights to Straight Forward in Scandinavia and national broadcaster TVNZ taking first window rights for New Zealand. Acorn Media Enterprises will hold rights for North America, UK and Australia (second window) and New Zealand (second window) in a deal brokered by Banijay Rights.

Banijay Group’s international distribution arm, Banijay Rights, will license the series worldwide in all remaining territories.

Created by the award winning writer John Banas and using the stunning backdrops of Queenstown and Copenhagen, Straight Forward is an intricate and entertaining mix of crime caper and a voyage of discovery, as a Danish woman attempts to leave her criminal past behind her by moving to a small New Zealand town to start a new life – going straight. The series is a ‘Viaplay Original’ produced by Philly de Lacey, Riccardo Pellizzeri, and Bridget Bourke at Screentime NZ, and Line Funch and Mia Marie Borup at Mastiff, Denmark. Straight Forward will premiere on Viaplay later in 2018.

Takis Candilis, Head of Scripted at Banijay Group, comments, “This is a compelling story that delivers an enticing and unusual blend of New Zealand and Scandinavian narrative and will have wide appeal to viewers around the world.  We are very pleased to see such like-minded partners on board at the outset and to have three Banijay Group production companies working seamlessly together to create a true international co-production.”