Starzplay Pakistan strikes Espresso deal for factual expansion

Big Sonia

Starzplay in Pakistan has struck a factual content deal with Espresso Media International for more than 100 titles to help launch a new dedicated documentary section on the streamer.

The 150-hour package covers genres ranging from crime and environmental stories to sports and social issues documentaries, with titles including Big Sonia (1 x 52-minute), exploring what it means to be a survivor, over 75 years since Sonia’s stay at Auschwitz and later liberation from Bergen-Belsen.

Other titles include: My Beautiful Stutter (1 x 52-minute), executive-produced by Paul Rudd, and following the stories of five kids who stutter; Eating Up Easter (1 x 53-minutes),  a character-led documentary exploring how the environment of Rapa Nui is suffering due to tourism, globalisation and trash; and Swim Team (1 x 52-minutes), in which a diverse range of autistic young people form a competitive swim team.

The package also includes 21 hours of true crime content, 31 hours of educational documentaries, and 23 hours from Espresso’s science and space catalogue.

“We couldn’t be prouder that Starzplay has chosen Espresso’s catalogue from which to launch their documentary offering, with 100 titles curated to span multiple genres of our content and birth their factual state, especially given their popularity as Pakistan’s most rapidly growing streaming service,” said Jess Reilly, head of sales and acquisitions at Espresso.