Deadline reports that Babylon Berlin has found a new home in the United States, now part of a newly-merged streaming service resulting from the combination of film distribution company Kino Lorber’s MHz Choice and Topic.
Kino Lorber, when talking about the new streamer, said “combine the best European dramas and mysteries with Nordic noir crime and thrillers under the MHz Choice brand.”
The rebranded boutique streamer, now known as MHz Choice, will offer a diverse selection of content, including acclaimed series such as The Killing, The Bridge, Detective Montalbano, The Sea Beyond, Pagan Peak, and the widely-popular Babylon Berlin. The latter makes its transition from Netflix, where it enjoyed three successful seasons.
The distributor of The Four Daughters owns MHz Choice and Topic. Topic is in a joint venture with First Look Media, in which Kino Lorber holds a majority stake and provides management oversight. This announcement follows closely after Deadline’s previous report on layoffs at Topic Studios, a production subsidiary of First Look Media.
Viaplay has withdrawn from the U.S. market after a challenging 12 months marked by strategic retreats in its primary European markets. This decision paves the way for a new streaming service that aims to unite Scandinavian noir with other European content. Additionally, Kino Lorber operates the movie streaming platform, Kino Film Collection.
“MHz Choice is now the ultimate destination for those who love international series, and especially European mysteries and Nordic noir,” said Ed Carroll, President, Kino Lorber Media Group. “Babylon Berlin is one of the crown jewels of television, a period drama whose timeless themes transcend geography and language in the way shows like A French Village, Downton Abbey or Mad Men have all around the world. We anticipate our subscribers will enjoy the early seasons of Babylon Berlin as well as the premiere of season four.”
The neo-noir series produced by Sky/Ard Degeto and created by Tom Tykwer will now be available in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand after its departure from Netflix.
Babylon Berlin marks the third show in the past six months for which MHz has acquired the U.S. rights. These projects initially gained prominence on Netflix, starting with The Sea Beyond, followed by Bordertown.
Starring Volker Bruch (The Reader, The Girl in the Spider’s Web) and Liv Lisa Fries (Counterpart, Zurich), the show follows Gereon Rath, a police inspector from Cologne on a covert mission to dismantle an extortion ring. Alongside him is Charlotte Ritter, a police clerk by day and a prostitute by night, who dreams of becoming a police inspector herself.
Last year, when Sky Deutschland discontinued its scripted originals, concerns arose regarding the future of the show. However, German major Beta and X-filme have stepped in to keep it going, and a fifth season is currently in development.