Fantastic news for SSIWers in a bunch of different countries, especially those in Belgium & Brittany, from an S4C press release on 21 May (link below):
"ARD Degeto, the licensing and production subsidiary of leading German public broadcaster ARD, has acquired rights to broadcast the series in Germany.
"The series, shot on location in Ceredigion, west Wales, has also been sold to Australia (BBC Global), Iceland (RUV), Holland (KRO), Belgium, France (DIZALE), Finland, Norway (NRK) and New Zealand. And as reported in the UK national press, the series will be playing on VOD platform NETFLIX in the USA â as well as on its feeds in Canada and Scandinavia.
"Viewers in both Brittany and Belgium will be able to enjoy the original Welsh language version of Y Gwyll (the Welsh name for the series) on local French broadcaster DIZALE and VRT Belgium respectively.
âThe Belgian screening will be part of the channelâs summer Crime Festival which will see Y Gwyll premier at the start of a season of eight different crime series from around the world. The series will go out in English on the channel later in the year.â
I know âHinterlandâ is coming out on DVD next week, S4C told me a while ago that âY Gwyllâ would be coming out separately, but I have seen no sign of it so far. Disappointing.
I know S4C programmes are made by other companies, so itâs probably outside their control, but the number of them which are ever released on DVD is very low. They, and we, are missing out!
And all the time I was thinking, while watching it on BBC4: âThis would be something VRT might broadcast, and if they do it, itâll probably be the Welsh version.â And there you goâŚVery happy about it
DavidHT: I know S4C programmes are made by other companies, so itâs probably outside their control, but the number of them which are ever released on DVD is very low. They, and we, are missing out!
If youâve ever seen the bargain buckets full of unsold DVDs at national eisteddfodau youâll understand why some companies are reluctant to invest in designing and pressing up a couple of thousand copies of a TV series. Itâs a shame, a real shame, but the audience is not really guaranteed to be there.
Having said that, on-demand streaming, which could lessen the up-front capital investment considerably, would be a way forward.
However . . . Hinterland is also coming out on 1 July 2014 in the US on Region 1 DVD. On Amazon US, the listing says itâs 4 disks (398 minutes), for $38.49 (list price $59.99). Itâs being put out by Acorn Media, which does lots of UK series here.
So . . . given the difference in the number of disks listed, and the price difference, is it at all possible that the US set will include both Hinterland (English) and Y Gwyll (Welsh)?
Diane wrote: So . . . given the difference in the number of disks listed, and the price difference, is it at all possible that the US set will include both Hinterland (English) and Y Gwyll (Welsh)?
If thatâs the case, I will get the US version! I hope it does include both versions. I really want, Y Gwyll; Iâm not that bothered about Hinterland.
The US version is probably just more expensive because of the import costs and possibly a perceived lower demand.
Looking at the descriptions the UK version specifically says itâs in Welsh & English, whereas the US one only mentions English. Even though thereâs a difference in the number of discs theyâre both essentially the same length.
Just visited the Acorn Media website. They list the contents, and each episode is on its own disc. Not sure why, except they do list âExtrasâ including âbehind-the-scenes clipsâ âPhoto galleryâ and âWelsh show reelâ (promo reel, Iâm sure, not the actual Welsh version of the show!). So Iâm going to have to guess theyâve just put enough âextrasâ for each episode to make it so that two episodes wonât fit on a single disc⌠thus total of 4 discs instead of 2 as on the UK release. No mention at all on their pages about Welsh language versions.
I noticed the DVB description when Hinterland was aired mentioned âWelsh and Englishâ, presumably because it included sections of Welsh dialogue among the English. So Iâd advocate waiting and seeing before assuming we also get Y Gwyll on the English disc.
To anyone wondering about this, I just got the âHinterland/Y Gwyllâ DVD (the UK release). It is as you suggest - English, with smatterings of dialog in Welsh with subtitles. Thereâs not a lot of the Welsh dialog, unfortunately. Mostly, someone says the occasional one line in Welsh at the beginning of a scene, then switches to English.
Agreed itâs a waiting game. But I donât think the Acorn release is the one to wait for. The most positive sign Iâve seen for Y Gwyll is a mention (I think on a Facebook page) that Arrow (who did the Hinterhand DVD) will release Y Gwyll âsoonâ.
I received an email from Sion today saying thereâs hope for fersiwn Gymraeg:
"Annwyl Luis,
Diolch i chi am gysylltu.
Y manylion yr ydym ni wedi ei dderbyn gan y cwmni cynhyrchu yw eu bod nhw am ryddhau fersiwn Gymraeg o Y Gwyll ar DVD ond ar hyn o bryd nid ydynt wedi cadarnhau pryd y bydd hyn yn digwydd.
Its fame is spreading, there is a letter praising the programme in this weekâs edition of âCycling WeeklyââŚthere has been a weekend cyclefest there.
Louis: I received an email from Sion today saying thereâs hope for fersiwn Gymraeg:
Ahhh newyddion ardderchog Louis, da iawn ti! Wiân disgwl mlaen at y cyfle pan galla i brynu fe. Wna i wir yn hoffi i wylio e eto ac wiân grac gyda fy hunan am peidio cadw e ar fy blwch Sky+. Diolch boi!
I am keen to get the Welsh version. I hope they make one. Direct online purchasing would be helpful. Then we could just cough up and enjoy. At the moment, I feel synpathy towards video pirates.
And all the time I was thinking, while watching it on BBC4: âThis would be something VRT might broadcast, and if they do it, itâll probably be the Welsh version.â And there you goâŚVery happy about it 