SBS Acquires Icelandic-Portuguese Crime Thriller ‘Cold Haven’ for SBS On Demand, Launching July 15

SBS has acquired the Icelandic-Portuguese crime drama series Cold Haven and will debut it on SBS On Demand on July 15, according to an exclusive report from Deadline. The announcement follows an acquisition arrangement with distributor About Premium Content (APC), which will place the series on the Australian public-service network’s streaming platform for viewers.

Cold Haven centers on Maria, played by Maria João Bastos, a Portuguese woman who has relocated to Iceland. The series is described as a crime thriller, and the show’s premise ties its investigations to a setting defined by isolation and harsh conditions, as Maria tries to navigate a new life while events draw her into the local mystery.

Deadline reported that SBS On Demand will be the home for the series in Australia, positioning the acquisition within the broadcaster’s ongoing investment in international drama and streamed programming. The July 15 launch date gives Australian audiences a specific on-sale timeline tied directly to the completion of the distribution deal.

The deal is structured through APC, which is identified in the report as the distributor working with SBS on the rights. While the report does not provide additional terms, it does specify that the acquisition clears the way for a same-time rollout on the streaming service starting mid-July.

Cold Haven joins a broader slate of internationally sourced scripted content distributed through SBS’s digital offerings. For SBS, which operates as a public-service broadcaster, such acquisitions typically support programming that can reach broad audiences beyond traditional broadcast schedules, including viewers who rely primarily on streaming.

For audiences, the July 15 premiere means the series will be available on a set date rather than arriving in stages, and it also concentrates viewing around SBS’s on-demand experience. The acquisition may also influence demand for subtitled or dubbed international titles, since SBS On Demand’s presentation format is part of how viewers access non-Australian productions.

SBS and APC’s next steps for Cold Haven after the launch would be expected to include promotion on the streaming service and continued catalog placement for later viewing, but Deadline’s report primarily focuses on the acquisition and the release date. As of Deadline’s publication on July 14, the key operational detail for viewers is the immediate availability on SBS On Demand beginning July 15.

The acquisition also underscores how smaller-to-mid market distributors can connect international productions to public media platforms abroad. Cold Haven’s move from an Icelandic-Portuguese production background into Australia illustrates the cross-border rights pipeline that makes newer genre series accessible to audiences in different regions.