The Fox network will make broadcast history in March when it launches the Shaftesbury Films’ drama The Listener across 180 of its foreign cable and satellite channels over a one-week window, well before Canadian and American viewers see the homemade drama later this year.

Much like releasing a Hollywood blockbuster movie overseas to build buzz before a North American theatrical bow, Fox International Channels says the first-ever worldwide global premiere of a U.S. network drama in the first week of March will stoke anticipation for the debut of the series on CTV and NBC stateside later in 2009.

The Listener, a 13 x 60 drama about a young paramedic who can read minds, will debut on Fox TV channels in Britain, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Poland, Brazil and Turkey.

‘The financing of The Listener represents a timely model — bringing North American broadcasters, CTV and NBC, together with a major international network, Fox,’ explained Shaftesbury chairman and CEO Christina Jennings.

FIC last year acquired the international cable and satellite TV rights to The Listener.

ShineReveille has sold the over-the-air rights to the Canadian series outside FIC’s markets, and those territories will debut The Listener after March.

CTV and NBC will then follow with their own premieres of The Listener, at unspecified dates.

FIC VP of development Sharon Tal Yguado said the near-simultaneous multi-territory launch of the Canadian drama across Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia will also help develop its 180 channels as an international launch platform for succeeding U.S. network dramas.