HBO Europe buys Breakthrough, Lionsgate dramas

Pay TV business HBO Europe has acquired dramas from North America’s Breakthrough Entertainment and Lionsgate.

HBO Europe has tapped Santa Monica-based Lionsgate for a package of programming that will air across the Central and Eastern Europe region, the Nordics and Spain.

These include high-rating Starz drama The White Princess, The White Queen and Graves.

An earlier deal handed HBO Europe Casual, American Lion and Dimension 404.

“With this package of very strong titles from Lionsgate we are pleased to be providing our dedicated series fans with a new batch of wide-ranging premium programming,” said Ragnhild Thorbech, senior VP of programming and acquisitions at HBO Europe.

From Toronto-based Breakthrough, HBO’s European arm has bought the first installment of L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables (pictured) for 14 territories across Central Europe.

These are Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo,Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.