Format

Leading independent distributor all3media international has concluded a new deal with HBO Max in the US for ratings-winning non-scripted series The Dog House. The acquisition is part of a range of new signings for the recently recommissioned Five Mile Films production for Channel 4.

The eight-part first series of The Dog House – which follows the joy, comedy and pathos of the human-dog dating experience at a British dog rescue centre – will be available on WarnerMedia’s upcoming SVOD service HBO Max in the US. Broadcast rights to the series have also been picked up by VRT for Flemish Belgium, SVT in Sweden, Yleisradio Oy-TV1 in Finland, TV2 in Denmark and Sýn hf for Iceland.

TVNZ in New Zealand and Network 10 in Australia have secured TV rights to the first series, while Canada’s CBC has acquired the first series as well as the recently commissioned new series at pre-sale. Also in Canada, Société Radio-Canada has signed digital rights to the first series.

all3media international is shopping format rights to The Dog House, and deals are under discussion in France, Sweden, Finland and Portugal.

The first series of The Dog House launched on Channel 4 in the UK in September 2019, earning critical acclaim and ratings success. The show was the broadcaster’s second highest rating new series launch at 8pm among the 16-34 age group in 2019 and the fourth biggest in its time slot for all viewers. Channel 4 announced its commission of a further 18 x 60’ episodes earlier this year.

Sally Habbershaw, EVP Americas at all3media international, commented, “Five Mile Films’ The Dog House offers the ultimate in feel-good television, exploring this heart-warming – and often heart-rending - experience from both sides by featuring the stories of the rescue dogs as well as their prospective owners, which proved to be a huge hit for co-viewing, earning “family-appointment - to-view” status. The first series proved a huge hit on Channel 4 we’re very pleased to see this UK success now translating into sales on the global stage – with HBO Max in the USA embracing the story of how home-life can be transformed by the addition of the (right) hound! HBO Max were looking for a series that commanded positive emotional engagement from a family audience - and The Dog House, which is available for broadcast immediately, delivers this and so much more.”

There are nearly nine million dogs in Britain – but finding the right homes for them isn’t always easy. Set inside a rural British Dog Rescue Centre famous for its commitment to matching homeless dogs with new owners, The Dog House bears witness to the joy, comedy and pathos of the human-dog dating experience. Each of the eight programmes records the arrivals of unwanted pets complete with heart-rending tales of abandonment. At the same time, they tell stories of dog-hungry humans – families, couples, singletons – all carrying their own baggage of poignant and touching backstory and hoping their lives might be transformed by the introduction of a new four-legged friend. The climax of each story is the theatre of the meet. Multiple fixed cameras mounted inside a special pen observe every beat of the first meetings between the dogs and their prospective new owners. Will the nervous dog come out of its shell? Will there be a connection? Will lives be changed forever?