Starlings Entertainment’s Sherlock & Daughter is using its UK launch as more than a premiere. Days before the series lands on HBO Max in the UK and Ireland on 5 November, it has closed a fresh wave of international sales across Europe and Israel.
The new territory map
New buyers include public broadcasters RTP in Portugal and CT in the Czech Republic, AB1 in France, Viasat in Poland and Magenta TV in Germany. On the streaming and pay-TV side, Belgium’s Streamz has taken SVOD rights, Canal+ has acquired the show for Austria and Switzerland, and YES has taken Israel.
- New: RTP Portugal, CT Czech Republic, AB1 France, Viasat Poland, Magenta TV Germany, Streamz Belgium, Canal+ Austria/Switzerland, YES Israel.
- Earlier: SBS Australia, NRK Norway, SVT Sweden, DR Denmark, YLE Finland, RUV Iceland, Amediateka CIS.
- Launch: HBO Max UK and Ireland, 5 November.
In the US, the series airs on The CW and streams on HBO Max.
A homecoming timed as a sales window
The sequence is deliberate. The London-set Holmes story is returning to the market where it was made—Dublin and London—at the same moment new territories are closing. For Starlings, the UK and Ireland launch becomes a live merchandising moment: a high-profile premiere that gives remaining buyers a reason to move.
Series creator Brendan Foley framed the show as a cross-generational property, one that can attract younger viewers while serving longtime Holmes fans. That dual positioning helps explain why the buyer list spans public broadcasters, pay TV and streamers rather than one type of outlet.
“Sherlock Holmes may belong to London but it took a global audience to make this homecoming truly extraordinary,” Starlings CEO Karine Martin said.
What the announcement does not say
There are no viewership numbers attached to the new deals. For now, “international hit” is a sales positioning claim, not a measured performance figure. The real test will be retention on HBO Max in the UK and Ireland after the 5 November launch.
For buyers and planners, the strategic point is the packaging: Holmes is public-domain IP, so the value sits in the cast, showrunner and cross-generational take rather than exclusivity over the character. The breadth of the buyer list depends on that package travelling across both ad-supported and subscription markets.
Source: Deadline
