Starzplay has landed the rights to bring the second season of Hulu’s “Ramy” to European territories, Deadline reports. The Lionsgate-owned streaming service will bring the hit show to the UK, Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland on August 6.
“Ramy” follows the titular character Ramy Youseff as he embarks on a spiritual journey and feels divided between his Muslim community, God and the friends in his local neighborhood in New Jersey, who see endless possibilities. The show premiered on Hulu in May 2019 and added Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali for season two, which premiered on May 29.
The series also features Mohammed Amer, Hiam Abbass, Amr Waked, May Calamawy, Dave Merheje, Laith Nakli and Steve Way. Youssef writes and executive produces the show.
In May, during their fiscal fourth quarter earnings call, Lionsgate reported that Starzplay’s viewership had spiked by 20 percent, “driving international subs — including StarzPlay Arabia and Canada — past the 5 million mark.” The company also revealed that Pantaya — the Spanish-language premium streaming service for their LatinX audience — saw a more than double subscribership leap as it went from 315,000 to nearly 700,000 paid subscriptions.
Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer also predicted that the company’s streaming services — Starz, Starzplay and Pantaya — are bound to see a boost as the coronavirus continues to force people to stay home. According to Deadline, Feltheimer believed the company will amass 13 to 15 million paid OTT subscribers by the end of its fiscal year, with Starz leading the pack.