ITV Studios is digging into the Indian content market after striking a deal with Rarefied Studio for unscripted shows in India, Malaysia and Japan.
The co-production partnership will see the development, production and distribution of new unscripted shows in the three crucial regions by Rarefied, with a focus on India. ITV Studios and Rarefied did not detail how many shows will come from the deal and how long it will last for. The shows will be new IP, rather than pre-existing.
Headquartered in L.A. with offices in Mumbai, New York and London, Rarefied was founded three years ago by Kalpana Malviya, a former Zee Entertainment content exec who previously launched Zee Entertainment Originals. Malviya struck the ITV deal with Ella Umansky, VP of Format Acquisitions at ITV Studios.
“A well-executed development deal like this can better position India as a key player in the global entertainment industry,” said Malviya. “It helps Indian studios and professionals gain international experience, increases investments, and showcases Indian storytelling to the world and vice versa.”
Umansky said India is a “really exciting market, and Kalpana has strong experience and relationships there.”
ITV recently inked similar splashy partnerships with Vice Studios and China’s Zhejiang Media Group. It previously had a scripted deal in India with BBC Studios, which has now run down as BBC Studios exits production in the nation.
