The international distributor announced new deals with major broadcasters in the region, including RTVE, AMCNI, The History Channel Iberia, TV3, A+E Networks and Disney.
Independent factual distributor TVF International announced a raft of sales to Spanish speaking broadcasters across the world.
RTVE has licensed award-winning travel series No Luggage: Middle East and Africa (27 x 26), an escapist trip to the vibrant tourist destinations in the region, and Sky ARTE commission, Hidden Italy (16 x 26), which reveals secluded towns, artworks and cathedrals throughout the country. The public broadcaster also picked up Nicotine Kids (1 x 48), the investigative documentary exposing the dark world of child labour in the tobacco industry, for its La Noche Temática slot.
AMC Networks International Southern Europe’s (AMCNISE) channel Odisea/Odisseia licensed an array of documentaries including Russell Crowe-narrated underwater series Great Barrier Reef: A Living Treasure (4 x 45), Wild City: River World (1 x 60), the new addition to Beach House Production’s series about urban wildlife in Singapore, and two aviation series, Pan Am: Across the Pacific (3 x 60), following one of the greatest milestones in the aviation history; and The Military Tech Show (12 x 23) produced by Forces TV. AMCNISE’s SundanceTV channel picked up Channel 4 commission, Me and My Penis (1 x 47), a daring film about men’s mental health and sexuality from Burning Bright productions.
Meanwhile, The History Channel Iberia licensed Secrets in the Bones: Hunt for the Black Death Killer (1 x 52) from Infield Fly Productions, which explores the mysterious history of pandemics, alongside Testimony Films’ anniversary doc, 9/11: Escape from the Impact Zone (1 x 45).
Elsewhere in the region, Catalan public broadcaster TV3 picked up historical science BBC commission, Eugenics: Science’s Greatest Scandal (2 x 60), an investigation into the use of racist theories across Europe, culinary show John Torode’s Asia (10 x 23), produced by Blink Films, and blue-chip wildlife series China Wild (5 x 50), a blue chip wildlife series uncovering the five distinct habitats of China. TV Canarias in the Canary Islands picked up What’s Really in Our Food? (1 x 52), a one-off special demystifying the facts on ingredients, pesticides and superbugs.
The Walt Disney Company’s Canal Viajar acquired a 50 hour package of travel titles, including No Luggage: Latin America (24 x 25), A Billion Chinese Dreams (4 x 48), which is a series chartering China from East to West investigating what happiness means to the country, On Safari (8 x 30), a luxury travel series exploring Africa’s Big 5 safari lodges, ITV walking series, Britain’s Great Outdoors (14 x 30), and three new aerial specials showcasing Georgia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates from above (3 x 60).
In Latin America, A&E Networks acquired ancient history series Empires of Silver (3 x 60), an epic series chronicling the silver trade’s role in the history of the world’s superpowers, and Asia’s Ancient Civilisations (4 x 48), a production from TVF’s long-standing partner Mediacorp, which brings to life the historical legends of Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Indonesia.
All deals were brokered by Katie Bench, Senior Sales Executive for Iberia and LatAm. She commented: “we are delighted to bring stand-out independent documentaries and factual entertainment series to our diverse array of partners in Spain. From the public broadcasters, to pan-Iberian networks and thematic channels, TVF’s catalogue is enjoying growing success in the territory. Whilst audiences are unable to leave their homes, it is extraordinary stories about people and places near and far that are drawing them in.”
