Following its rare acquisition of a hit BBC comedy, Apple TV has now bought the six-part crime mini-series "Dustfall" from Australia's ABC network. Broadcasters once all had acquisitions departments that bought US shows for worldwide audiences, while US networks only rarely acquired overseas programming. Apple TV appeared never to have done so until now.
Apple TV has made deals before. The BBC, for instance, made "Trying" for Apple first before it was screened later. In 2020 Apple took over production of the existing Israeli spy thriller "Tehran" and commissioned two further seasons. The September 2026 acquisition of the BBC's "Small Prophets" comedy, however, was the first time Apple TV had outright bought an existing, completed, and transmitted show.
Now it is doing the same with "Dustfall." Apple TV bought the completed series as it begins transmission in Australia, where it premieres on ABC on October 11, 2026, with all six episodes available on ABC iview from that date. Apple says it will premiere the show worldwide in 2027, excluding Australia. Written by Dianne Taylor and based on Vikki Petraitis's novel "The Unbelieved," it follows a detective investigating a sexual assault case in which a key suspect is murdered and "long-buried secrets" are uncovered. The show is made by Soapbox Pictures and Moonriver, in association with the BBC, ZDF, and Screen Australia.
Apple TV did not buy the show from these companies. It acquired it from international distributor Federation International, suggesting it is actively seeking more international shows. This may be motivated in part by local quota laws, chiefly in Europe, which require a proportion of a streamer's catalog to come from the region. Because "Dustfall" also has German and British investment, such rules are difficult to apply precisely.
Source: AppleInsider · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing