Every night around the world, they’re watching Thames Television. Why?

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The best Thames programmes are seen around the world boasts this advert from 27 July 1977

From its beginning only nine years ago, Thames Television has become one of the world’s biggest exporters of television programmes. There are several reasons.

First, we attempt the impossible. That’s how we took over a New York TV station for a week. That’s how we’ve managed to turn our British success Man About the House into a new American network show called Three’s Company, joining ABC TV in the production and retaining world sales rights. It’s also how we managed to sell a British gardening series on the somewhat unpromising soil of Kuwait.

Secondly, we offer a service, not just a sale. When we sold the format of our award-winning children’s series Rainbow to Iran, for example, we had producer Pam Lonsdale fly out to act as production advisor.

Thirdly, we think our market is bigger than the TV entertainment stations of the world. Universities are among our most regular international customers; The World at War, now seen in 64 countries, was acquired by the US Army and Navy for their education divisions; and our factual documentary on the French DC10 disaster found buyers amongst the top world airlines.

Those are three reasons. But the underlaying fact is one that should lie behind all successful exporting: we make products of unrivalled quality that the world wants to buy.

Thames Television International:
British programmes for the world

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Transdiffusion: the independent broadcasting authority since 1964

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