The first deal is with AMC Networks International Southern Europe, which acquired 40 hours of documentaries. The second is with the Spanish public broadcaster TV3-3Cat Catalunya, which added two of OTF’s most popular series to its lineup.
The international distribution arm of factual content specialist Off The Fence (OTF) has closed deals with Spanish broadcasters following last month’s MIPCOM content market in Cannes. Emilia Gil Villegas, OTF’s sales manager for Iberia, Latin America, and the Hispanic US, brokered the sales.
AMC Networks International Southern Europe (Amcnise) has acquired over 40 hours of premium factual programming, including several of OTF’s Mipcom highlights. Pharaohs: Rise and Fall (6 x 60 mins), produced by RFP1 Productions for Go Button Media and OTF Studios, introduces viewers to the iconic figures that ruled Ancient Egypt, from the first pharaoh, Narmer, to the legendary Cleopatra VI. Leading Egyptologists and historians tell the 3,000-year story of these spiritual and judicial leaders, painting a vivid picture of these gods’ rise — and ultimate fall — on earth.
The Amcnise package also features many other Go ButtonMedia/OTF Studios productions, including To Kill a Dictator (6 x 60 mins), which rewinds history to expose the plans and conspiracies that aimed to rid the world of some of the most ruthless dictators in history. Season two of Cursed Histories, which explores unnerving locations, icons, and events that are seemingly cursed; and Engineering Evolved, which looks at the transportation tech set to move the world.
Among the archive-driven titles included in the deal are several of OTF’s best-selling military-history titles, including Mipcom headliner Female Spies: Courage and Espionage in WWII (6 x 60 mins) from Perpetual Entertainment, which remembers the heroic women who overcame sexism to put their lives on the line for their country. CIC Production/OTD Studios’ History’s Ultimate Influencers and Military Masterminds, INA/Histoire TV’s Flying Knights and Tile Films’ Invasion: The Normans are also headed for Amcnise.
In a second deal with a Spanish public broadcaster, TV3-3Cat Catalunya has committed to two of OTF’s most popular new series: OTF Studios/EarthxTV’s Ocean Wonders, in which heavy-metal marine biologist Tom ‘the Blowfish’ Hird reveals the science behind some of the most intriguing mysteries of the underwater world; and Scenery’s Human Playground, fronted by renowned actor and sports fanatic Idris Elba, who sets off on a journey around the world to discover why humans love to play — whether on the sand, sea, snow, or tarmac.
Emilia Gil Villegas said: “The conventional wisdom is that premium factual is difficult to sell into the Spanish-speaking markets where sport and light entertainment are the focus. It is clear that the right documentaries about the right subjects, whether pharaohs, female spies, or fascist dictators, cut across all cultures and demographics. That message was reconfirmed at Mipcom, where our slate of new launches generated a real buzz and, as these deals demonstrate, real business”.
