STV Player tunes into 'hugely exciting' partnership with fellow streaming service

STV Player has teamed up with a TV streaming service in a move it says is the first of its kind in the UK, and marks a “win-win” for viewers, giving them access to more “gripping” dramas.

The streaming service of Glasgow-based STV said the partnership means its viewers across the UK can watch premium Acorn TV Original dramas for free, while also introducing STV viewers to Acorn TV, AMC Networks’ home of British and international TV that launched as a subscription-based service in the UK in 2020.

Three Acorn TV dramas will be launched on STV Player from this week to mark the start of the deal. They comprise psychological mystery Blood, starring Line of Duty’s Adrian Dunbar as a bereaved doctor in a small Irish town; The Sounds, set in New Zealand, that follows a couple who move to escape an oppressive family; and Straight Forward, a “gritty” thriller centred around a Danish con woman plotting revenge on a crime kingpin.

Richard Williams, head of digital at STV, said: “This is a hugely exciting new partnership with Acorn TV, as it will bring an array of gripping new dramas to STV Player for viewers to enjoy for free for the first time, whilst also raising awareness of the great content available on Acorn’s own platform.

"For TV lovers, it’s a win-win arrangement, and I’m delighted that this unique collaboration will maximise the reach of both streaming brands.”

The collaboration will be promoted through an extensive multi-channel marketing campaign, and comes after STV in March broadcast its highest revenue and adjusted operating profit on record, cheering an “exceptional year of growth” in 2021.