DIRECTV acquires the highly anticipated drama series Hit & Miss for the U.S. Audience Network

Audience Network will initially be the exclusive U.S. network home of this highly anticipated new series, created by Emmy and BAFTA Award winner Paul Abbott (State of Play, Shameless), for Sky Atlantic in the UK, and starring Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Chloë Sevigny (Big Love, Boys Don’t Cry).

High concept and ambitious, Hit & Miss follows Sevingy’s Mia, a contract killer with a secret: she’s a pre-op transsexual. Mia’s life is sent into a tailspin when she receives a letter from an ex-girlfriend dying from cancer revealing that Mia fathered a son eleven years ago. Faced with a difficult decision, Mia becomes the guardian to a new family, a choice that forces her to mix her killer instincts with her newly acquired maternal ones. Hit & Miss tells the story of a lethal killer at the heart of a troubled family and how all of their lives will be dramatically changed forever.

“DIRECTV is incredibly proud that Hit & Miss will be airing exclusively on Audience Network,” said Chris Long, SVP Entertainment and Production, DIRECTV. “We are always looking for daring, intelligent programming to bring to our viewers and Hit & Miss certainly fits the bill. We have long been admirers of Paul Abbott’s work and are thrilled to be able to work with him on this project.”

“Since the launch of our global drama strategy two years ago we have delivered a range of high-quality scripted content to audiences around the world, and are delighted now to be taking Hit & Miss to the 19 million-plus DIRECTV customers across the US,” said David Ellender, Global CEO, FremantleMedia Enterprises. “FME’s collaborations with leading talent such as Paul Abbott have resulted in compelling, cutting-edge programming that underlines our reputation as leading developers, co-producers and distributors of globally popular content.”

Hit & Miss is the first original series commissioned by Sky Atlantic in the UK and is a co-production by AbbottVision and Red Production Company. Written by Sean Conway (Kings of London, Brilliant Love), the series is executive produced by Paul Abbott (AbbottVision), Nicola Shindler (Red Production Company) and Huw Kennair-Jones (Sky Atlantic), produced by Juliet Charlesworth and directed by Hettie Macdonald and Sheree Folkson.

Hit & Miss is the latest project to come out of the relationship between FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME), the commercial division of FremantleMedia, and AbbottVision. FME provides development funding to AbbottVision and distributes its programmes around the world. FME launched the first AbbottVision title Exile in April this year as part of their wider portfolio of high-quality, compelling drama from around the world.

About DIRECTV:

DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV) is one of the world’s leading providers of digital television entertainment services delivering a premium video experience through state-of-the-art technology, unmatched programming and industry leading customer service to more than 30 million customers in the U.S. and Latin America. In the U.S., DIRECTV offers its 19.4 million customers access to more than 170 HD channels and Dolby-Digital® 5.1 theater-quality sound, access to exclusive sports programming such as NFL SUNDAY TICKET™, Emmy- award winning technology and higher customer satisfaction than the leading cable companies for eleven years running. DIRECTV Latin America, through its subsidiaries and affiliated companies in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, and other Latin American countries, leads the pay-TV category in technology, programming and service, delivering an unrivaled digital television experience to more than 10.6 million customers. DIRECTV sports and entertainment properties include three Regional Sports Networks (Northwest, Rocky Mountain and Pittsburgh) as well as a 60 percent interest in Game Show Network. For the most up-to-date information on DIRECTV, please visit www.directv.com.

About Audience Network:

The Audience Network is a unique and exclusive television experience available only to DIRECTV subscribers. The channel first made its mark in 2008 (as The 101 Network) by partnering with NBC to produce and air three additional seasons of the Emmy Award-winning series Friday Night Lights and more recently became the exclusive home of the critically-acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning drama Damages starring Glenn Close. The network has become the premier destination for smart, innovative and critically acclaimed TV fare as we search the globe for the best new series such as Hit & Miss (United Kingdom), Rake (Australia), Call Me Fitz and Less Than Kind (Canada). The Dan Patrick Show, and its companion series The Box Score, keep sports fans up to date with the latest sports talk. Viewers also enjoy major events such as the annual DIRECTV Celebrity Beach Bowl and DIRECTV Old School Challenge.