The new documentary has been acquired by over 18 broadcasters and platforms around the world, including Globo for its OTT platform in Brazil.
Red Arrow Studios International has inked a raft of international deals for Controlling Britney Spears (1×75′), a feature length documentary containing new allegations from insiders with intimate knowledge of the pop icon’s daily life under her controversial conservatorship.
Controlling Britney Spears is a follow-up to the award-winning international smash hit Framing Britney Spears (1×75’) and was produced in partnership by The New York Times and Left/Right, a Red Arrow Studios company.
The new documentary has been picked up by: Sky (UK), Nine (Australia), Crave (Canada), Three (New Zealand), Talpa TV (the Netherlands), VGTV (Norway), TV2 (Denmark), TV4, MTV and Cmore (Sweden & Finland), Discovery (Italy and Philippines), Originals Factory (French & German-speaking Europe), HOT8 (Israel), yes-DBS (Israel), TV Nova’s streaming platform Voyo (Czech Republic & Slovakia), Pro Plus (Slovenia), Globo for its Globoplay streaming service (Brazil), and TVN Grupa Discovery (Poland) including for its streaming platform Player.
Controlling Britney Spears premiered last month on FX and Hulu in the US. The film is directed by Samantha Stark, Liz Day is supervising producer and reporter, and Mary Robertson is showrunner.
In a confidential report obtained by The Times, Ms. Spears told a court investigator in 2016 that her conservatorship had become “an oppressive and controlling tool against her.” But precisely how the conservatorship has controlled her life has never been revealed. Now, in this New York Times investigation, a portrait emerges of an intense surveillance apparatus that monitored every move she made. Once the insiders came forward, The Times and Left/Right felt compelled to bring this reporting to the public as soon as possible.
Tim Gerhartz, President & Managing Director at Red Arrow Studios International, said: “Just as we experienced with Framing Britney Spears earlier this year, the broadcaster response to this compelling and equally captivating follow-up feature has been phenomenal. Controlling Britney Spears brings more stunning and first-hand revelations about exactly how the conservatorship controlled the pop star’s daily life. The vast line-up of broadcasters we have on board is testament to the importance and powerful insights of this documentary.”
Controlling Britney Spears joins Red Arrow’s The Weekly: Special Edition collection of premium standalone documentaries, which are driven by the unparalleled journalism and insight of The New York Times. Branded as ‘The New York Times Presents’ in the US, the collection is produced for FX and Hulu, and executive produced by Jason Stallman, Sam Dolnick, Stephanie Preiss from The New York Times, and Ken Druckerman, Banks Tarver and Mary Robertson from Left/Right.
Red Arrow Studios International also holds international distribution rights to sister show The Weekly (30×27’), which won four News & Documentary Emmy Awards in 2020.
