More4 signs The Emergency Ward deal with Fred Media
May 4, 2023
Fred Media, the Australian independent content distributor, has confirmed a new deal with More4, which sees the UK broadcaster acquiring three seasons (30 x 60) of its raw and gritty obs-doc title The Emergency Ward (originally titled Emergency). The series will premiere on More4 on May 7th.
The Emergency Ward is produced by Fred Media’s parent company WTFN Entertainment and has proved a critical and ratings success for its commissioning broadcaster, Australia’s Nine. The programme follows a team of real-life medical heroes at The Royal Melbourne, one of Australia’s biggest and busiest emergency hospitals, as they fight to save patients suffering from a wide range of life-threatening injuries. It offers behind-the-scenes access, capturing each step of a patient’s journey on roving and fixed-rig cameras in the trauma bays, examination rooms and triage, and features interviews with doctors and nurses who tell the gripping story of each case, revealing challenging procedures, critical decision-making, and the emotional toll it all takes.
The deal, negotiated between Fred Media’s Mem Bakar and Channel 4’s senior acquisitions manager Polly Scates, is for 30 hours across season one, season three and the upcoming season four, which is currently in production and due to deliver later this year.
Baker commented: “This series has proved a massive success in Australia, and I have no doubt that British viewers will soon be equally hooked and regularly checking-in with their favourite medics in The Emergency Ward. Through the acquisition of two existing series and another one in production, More4 has made a significant commitment to this title, and we are delighted to partner with Polly and the team to give this remarkable show such a brilliant home in the UK.”
This latest contract follows last year’s deal which saw More4 acquire two seasons of WTFN-produced Space Invaders (20 x 60) from Fred Media. Also broadcast on More4, Space Invaders is a new type of hybrid property show that offers an emotional mix of de-cluttering, renovation and transformation to change the life of a house’s inhabitants.