International broadcasters are maxing out on Máxima. The Dutch royal drama series continues it global rollout, with sales outfit Beta Film closing deals in 50 territories, including with Australia’s public broadcaster SBS.
The drama, which premiered at TV festival Canneseries earlier this year, is a Dutch-style The Crown, a dramatization of real-life events surrounding the Dutch royal family. Adapted from Marcia Luyten’s 2022 novel Máxima Zorreguieta: Motherland, the series revolves around the romance between the Argentinan Máxima Zorreguieta and Willem-Alexander, the future King of the Netherlands. Zorreguieta, of course, will go on to marry Willem-Alexander to become Queen Máxima.
Beta has sold the first, 6-episode season of Máxima across Scandinavia, with deals with Denmark’s TV2, TV4 in Sweden, Finland’s MTV, to the YES network for Israel, and did a multi-territory deal with the FOX Network for the central European region.
Máxima premiered on RTL Netherlands streamer Videoland and has been a ratings hit in Italy on public broadcaster Rai and in Spain on Atresmedia. In Latin America, it was a top 10 show on HBO Max.
The second season of the show will begin shooting this year in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, and Austria. The plot follows Máxima from her wedding preparations up to the coronation ten years later, when Willem-Alexander becomes King, following the abdication of his mother, Queen Beatrix. Along the way, she struggles between family dynamics at court and her own career ambitions. Saskia Diesing and Joosje Duk return to direct season two from scripts by Rifka Lodeizen and Daan Gielis.
Beta will be shopping both seasons of Máxima to international buyers at the global television trade fair Mipcom Cannes later this month.
Maxima is produced by Rachel van Bommel of Millstreet Films, in co-production with FBO and Beta Film.
