Breaking New Ground: News UK’s Venture into Licensed TV Productions
EXCLUSIVE: Rupert Murdoch’s News UK is currently developing an impressive array of over a dozen television projects, drawing inspiration from its own journalistic sources.
Under the ownership of The Times, Sunday Times, and The Sun, News UK initiated a collaboration last year aiming to transform its extensive journalistic archives into potential scripted series suitable for its American counterpart, Fox. Richard Halliwell, who oversees film and TV IP development at News UK, reported that their scope has substantially widened in recent months, now encompassing more than just Fox and scripted content.
One of News UK’s premiere ventures under Halliwell’s guidance, a documentary titled Poisoned: Killer in the Post on Channel 4, is set to premiere tonight. Halliwell disclosed that News UK’s licensing division is actively working on 14 additional projects, which are at various stages of development and feature a “deeply extensive slate.” About half of these are intended for Fox, while the others are being developed with UK producers.
“News UK houses a vast repository of rich content,” Halliwell commented to Deadline. He noted that there are numerous ongoing collaborations with writers and independent UK producers. Poisoned: Killer in the Post marks the beginning of what promises to be a series of productions under News UK’s banner, with ambitious plans set for the next three to five years.
Upon his appointment at News UK last year, Halliwell mentioned a “mature discussion between us and Fox executives” led to a more structured approach to collaboration, utilizing the abundant intellectual property emerging from their UK base alongside the extensive studio operations in Los Angeles.
Although Fox holds a preliminary agreement to review licensed News UK articles, the team at News UK is keen on broadening their horizons. “We realized that we shouldn’t restrict ourselves to a single genre. Another important insight was considering what to do when Fox opts not to advance a project,” Halliwell explained. Poisoned: Killer in the Post was an ideal candidate for Channel 4, not fitting the scripted profile Fox typically seeks, thus highlighting the dual role of serving Fox while also redistributing IP or finding alternative platforms for projects that don’t align with a U.S. studio’s criteria.
Initially, the search was on for a development executive to adapt News UK’s newspaper stories into scripted TV projects, but this role has essentially been absorbed by Halliwell, who previously managed TV distribution for DRG and Nent Studios in the UK and is an executive producer on the upcoming series King and Conqueror.
Halliwell elaborated that News UK already operates three business units that generate original content, from podcasts to YouTube series, including a recent documentary on Madeleine McCann in collaboration with ITN and Channel 4. However, it is the licensing division that is “opening new avenues for collaboration with production companies to create original programming based on our unparalleled archive of award-winning journalism.”
“We encountered highly talented program creators who were more inclined towards creative development, but what we really needed was someone who could lay the groundwork,” he stated. “My broad experience helps me identify commercial opportunities and understand how producers operate. We chose a licensing model over a production model.”
Nevertheless, Poisoned: Killer in the Post, premiering tonight and distributed by ITV Studios, represents more than just a licensing arrangement according to Halliwell.
The documentary, produced by David Abraham’s Wonderhood Studios and hosted by The Times journalist James Beal—who also penned the original investigation and produced a related podcast—focuses on the shocking case of a Canadian chef accused of mailing over a thousand poison packages to vulnerable youths worldwide, resulting in numerous fatalities.
“Not all our projects aim for broad commercial appeal, but with this one, we’re deeply involved beyond just providing a headline,” Halliwell added. “We’re not setting out to be program makers but to secure our place at the table in other meaningful ways. Around me are 400 journalists delving deep into stories, a resource unmatched by any production company.”
According to Halliwell, this strategy reflects a broader industry trend where the focus on intellectual property has significantly expanded beyond adapting novels. “It’s become an integral part of the commissioning process. Perhaps we’ve focused too heavily on book publishing and not enough on the potential within the newspaper and journalism sector,” he noted. “Previously, we licensed articles to producers looking to develop shows, but now we’re taking a more proactive approach. My network allows me to facilitate these opportunities more effectively.”
Details on the 14 projects currently in development will be announced in due time, Halliwell promised.
Daniel Hayes is a business journalist with a focus on market trends, startups, and corporate strategies.
His sharp analysis and investigative reports make complex financial topics accessible to all readers.
