TV2 Norway has notched another drama record on Sunday with the opening episode of the local political thriller Occupied based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø. The premiere secured 663,000 viewers and a share of 53.4 % in the commercial target demo group 20-49 and 44.8% in the 12+ age group.
The premiere of Occupied (Okkupert) topped TV2 Norway’s previous record of 660,000 viewers registered with the Norwegian drama Acquitted (Frikjent) broadcast last March.
“We are of course very pleased with the numbers,” said Christopher Haug, TV2 Head of Drama to nordiskfilmogtvfond.com. “Our goal is to become the best at modern TV drama. These excellent figures and the good feedback from the viewers prove that we are on a right path."
International distributor Zodiak Rights closed a major deal on the series with Sky Arts just before MIPCOM and announced another sale to Poland’s Ale Kino+ during the market. Previous sales were closed with SVT, DR, MTV, Lumiere for Benelux.
Occupied was produced by Sweden’s Yellow Bird and France’s GTV in co-production with TV2 and ARTE that will air the show in November.
Check our interview with co-writer and director Erik Skoldbjaerg CLICK HERE.