Oz drama ANZAC Girls finds US VOD home

North American streaming service Acorn TV has acquired Australian war drama miniseries ANZAC Girls from UK-based distributor All3Media International.

ANZAC Girls is currently airing on ABC in Australia, where it has been a critical and ratings success, and will now run on Acorn TV, which is distributed via iTunes and through Roku connected TV sets.

RLJ Entertainment-owned Acorn TV is billed as a British-focused service, but has found success with Australian dramas including Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and Jack Irish.

The six-part ANZAC Girls tells the story of Australian and New Zealand nurses working at Gallipoli and the on the Western Front during World War I. It draws on accounts from Peter Rees’s book The Other ANZACs.

Acorn TV will begin rolling it out from October 6, launching a new episode each week until its conclusion on November 10.

“Acorn TV’s subscribers love Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, so we’re thrilled to be working with All3Media International to bring another highly anticipated new Australian production to North American audiences,” said Acorn Brands president Mark Stevens.

In early 2015, Acorn will release the show as a DVD and syndicate it to public television stations across the US.

Last month, RLJ hired ex-Miramax exec Stuart Shaw to replace Paul Holland as managing director of its international division.

RLJ owns TV brands such as Poirot and Miss Marple, and its Acorn TV service costs US$4.99 a month thereafter, or US$49.99 a year.