James R | On 19, Jan 2016

Walter Presents has acquired five new Latin American shows for its streaming line-up.

Channel 4’s VOD channel, which is part of its All 4 on-demand site, launched at the beginning of the year, with seven box sets available to watch online. From poker thrillers to vampire dramas, the selection spans countries as wide-ranging as Denmark, France and the Czech Republic, with over 60 hours of Dutch drama and over 50 hours of German drama on the way.

Now, Walter (and its partner Global Series Network) is expanding its reach even further with a range of new Latin American shows from HBO Latin America and Globo.

Five dramas have been signed in total, from Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Brazil, reports Broadcast Now.

The deal with HBO Latin America includes Prófugos, which follows four men as they try to escape Chile after a drug deal goes wrong. The Emmy nominated series is directed by Pablo Larrain and Jonathon Jakubowicz.

Fdp, also from HBO, is a half-hour comedy about a football referee who dreams of reaching the World Cup, with a range of Brazilian football stars appearing in the cast and the co-director of City of God, Katia Lund, at the helm.

Magnifica 70, the second highest-rating Brazilian original production in the last decade, follows a married man in the 1970s, who is tired of his job of censoring films for the São Paulo Government, and Sr Avila, a Mexican family crime drama about a hit man with a day job selling life insurance.

Walter’s deal with Globo has given it the streaming rights to Merciless, a Brazilian psychological thriller by Glória Perez, which also has hefty ratings behind it – the series has attracted more than 22 million viewers for each episode in its home country.

They all join Argentina’s Pure Evil, which was acquired from SpaceWoW and is already available to stream.

GSN CEO Jason Thorp explained why Latin America is a goldmine for quality television: “Although best known for producing great telenovelas, Latin America has been quietly producing world class drama for some time, led unsurprisingly by HBO. With their distinctive visceral tones these innovative and gutsy dramas will undoubtedly appeal to British tastes.”

For more on Walter Presents, see our guide to the service – or for recommendations of what to watch, read our reviews of the shows available.

Add to Watchlist