MGM International Television Productions, MBC Group Sign Co-Production Pact for Premium Series (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentFurther expanding its global reach, MGM International Television Productions has signed a multi-year deal with MBC Group, a leading media company in West Asia and Northern Africa, to develop and co-produce premium original series.MBC Group will air these series exclusively on MBC’s Shahid VIP streaming service, with MGM handling co-production and distribution for the rest of the world.

The two companies already have a well-established relationship and recently partnered on MGM’s anticipated shows “Last Light” and “Billy the Kid,” which will air on MBC.“MBC Group is uniquely positioned to tell stories that will combine regional focus with global interest,” said Sheikh Waleed bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, chairman of MBC Group.

The exec said the deal marks “a major step forward in diversifying the group and building on its current strengths.” Sam Barnett, MBC Group’s CEO, noted that the partnership marks the banner’s “first big co-production deal with a major studio” and prompts the company’s “entrance into the global scene.”“We have 30 years of experience telling stories that touch the lives of hundreds of millions of people across the Middle East and North Africa,” added Barnett. “Now with a great and global partner like MGM, we’re extending our reach beyond this region.”“Last Light,” the anticipated dystopian thriller starring “Lost” actor Matthew Fox and Emmy-nominated Joanne Froggatt (“Downton Abbey”) wrapped production in Abu Dhabi on Jan.

20 after shooting in Prague and Paris. The mini-series revolves around a family whose lives are upended when oil supplies are contaminated by an infectious agent, causing society to implode in the face of global disaster.