Best of British SVOD service Cirkus cuts Nordic deal

UK content-based VOD service Cirkus has inked a deal with Nordic pay TV service Boxer, TBI has learnt.

Cirkus is operated by Content and Co., the UK-based consultancy run by TV industry veterans Mark Bradford and Hugh Williams.

The deal with Boxer means the Cirkus service will be made available to the DTT pay TV operator’s subs in Sweden and it also has the option to extend it to its customers in Denmark. Across both territories it has about 600,000 customers.

The branded subscription VOD service aggregates UK-centric programming from suppliers including All3Media, BBC Worldwide and ITV Studios meaning Boxer’s subs will get on-demand access to drama series including Luther and Accused and factual series including Blue Planet.

Cirkus has already agreed a Swedish deal, with pay TV operator Com Hem taking the service.

Content and Co pitches Cirkus as way for established pay TV players to fend off competition from Netflix and the other new OTT players.

“We now have distribution on both the biggest and third biggest pay TV platforms in Sweden with an additional option to launch in Denmark later,” said Hugh Williams. “Cirkus is now a reality and will be available to Swedish viewers by the end of this year. We expect Cirkus to be rolled out in other Nordic territories during 2014.”

Andrea Gisle Joosen, the CEO for Boxer in Sweden, said: “We’re very pleased to have reached an agreement with Cirkus, allowing us to give our on demand-customers an even better viewing experience.”