ASIA-PACIFIC, NOVEMBER 8, 2010 – FOX International Channels (FIC) premiered last Friday its first original production, The Walking Dead, reaching up to 450 million homes of FIC audiences in 13 markets across Asia via FX, STAR World and Channel [V] within a week of its successful US launch. The Walking Dead is a partnership between FIC and AMC, where FIC has picked up all international television and Home Video rights for AMC’s first wholly-owned production series.
After debuting in 120 countries, The Walking Dead delivered ratings as strong as those achieved by the US premiere. In most countries where ratings were available at press time, The Walking Dead was the highest rated program on pay television on that night. Critics from UK newspapers The Guardian, The Observer and the Daily Telegraph have heaped praise on the series.
“At FOX International Channels, we strongly believe in great content that transcends media. The Walking Dead will not only be a groundbreaking TV campaign that will be shown on-air but we have the scale and rights to engage with fans online, on-the-ground and via many other innovative media platforms.” said Mr. Ward Platt, President, Asia Pacific and Middle East, FOX International Channels.
A television production from some of America’s top-rated film-makers, including Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) and Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator, Aliens, Armageddon, The Incredible Hulk), and based on Robert Kirkman’s best selling graphic novel, The Walking Dead has received rave reviews and was a trending topic on Twitter.
Starring Prison Break actress Sarah Wayne Callies and British actor Andrew Lincoln (This Life, Love Actually), The Walking Dead takes place in the weeks and months that follow a pandemic zombie apocalypse and tells the story of County Sheriff Rick Grimes as he travels with his family and a small group of survivors in search of a safe home.
FIC staged a worldwide zombie invasion stunt which kicked off at daybreak in Taipei and Hong Kong on Tuesday, October 26, and moved across 26 cities worldwide before arriving at the show’s Los Angeles premiere. Hong Kong zombies were filmed taking over the streets of Mong Kok: http://thewalkingdead.foxinternationalchannels.com.
