BBC Worldwide to make major investment in factual content
Editor | 10-10-2013
The BBC’s commercial arm is to make a major new investment in factual content encompassing the breadth of the corporation’s output across natural history, science and history.
The deal, effective immediately, will also see the BBC and BBC Worldwide work with a wider range of co-production partners to create what it claims will be “an ambitious and varied” slate of premium factual content for UK viewers as well as those around the world. BBC Worldwide will become the principal co-production partner with the BBC Natural History Unit.
As part of the first wave, One Planet, The Hunt, Wild Alaska, and 24 Hours on Earth which will be co-produced with BBC America and will premiere in the US. A further seven titles confirmed as part of BBC Worldwide’s investment are: Oceans, Kangaroo Dundee, The Rains, Sleepover at the Zoo, Wild Japan, Wild Patagonia and Wild New Zealand. All eleven titles will be distributed globally by BBC Worldwide.
“We have a shared vision with Worldwide to create world class factual content that will delight audiences at home - and also appeal to those across the globe,” said Danny Cohen, Director of BBC Television. “Commercial investment through BBC Worldwide and our network of production partners around the world will ensure that we continue to make ambitious genre-defining series that connect audiences from London to Tokyo with science, history and the wonders of the natural world.”
Added Tim Davie CEO, BBC Worldwide: “Demand for our factual content has never been higher and this investment opens up opportunities to work with new partners worldwide to produce an exciting and varied slate of content that will appeal to everyone allowing us to bring BBC factual content to an even wider audience.”