Blue Ant Media recently secured a raft of multi-title, multi-genre sales to Asia-Pacific broadcasters, totalling more than 550 hours of programming, at the Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF)."As the appetite for premium factual content continues to rise in Asia-Pacific, our recent round of deals, with high-profile buyers, serves as a testament to the quality of programming in our catalogue, while also validating our recent decision to build out dedicated sales operations in Sydney and Singapore," Jon Penn, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Blue Ant Media said.
The deals include sales in Asia to Warner Bros. Discovery, Korean Broadcasting System, Mediacorp, PCCW Media and TrueVisions. Additionally, sales in Australia and New Zealand were brokered to SBS Australia, Foxtel Group, Nine Network Australia, Television New Zealand and Maori Television. The announcement coincides with the recent establishment of Blue Ant Media’s new Asia Pacific office in Sydney, Australia, with the appointment of Jon Penn as Managing Director, Asia Pacific and Jason Soh as VP Distribution, Asia, who join Nick Solowski, Senior Director, International Sales. "Heading into ATF, we want our partners to know that we are a trusted partner, skilled in various creative deal structures, such as traditional licensing, pre-sales and output deals while providing them with exceptional customer service," Penn said.
Some highlights related to the sales include Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition of "Fresh Off the Boat" star Hudson Yang’s ultimate food show, "Order Up!" by Beach House Pictures for Asian Food Network in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The series follows Hudson on a journey from Singapore to America as he embarks on a chef apprenticeship crash course, A full-time acting career means Hudson must master complex dishes and techniques in days versus the months other apprentices usually have; plus the heartwarming docu-series Bollywed by HeartHat Entertainment for Discovery Asia channel in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, centered around the Singh Family, who have been operating an iconic bridal shop in Toronto’s Little India for the past 37 years.
In India, Warner Bros. Discovery has licensed over 30 hours of programming concentrated on natural history content for Animal Planet, including "Chasing the Rains" by Maramedia, which follows three animal matriarchs as they protect their families while surviving one of the worst droughts in 20 years; Africa’s Wild Year (4 x 60’; Merx International) an epic, cinematic series set over the course of a single year in 10 different countries throughout Africa; New Kids in the Wild (5 x 60’; Season 1; Off the Fence) which takes viewers from treetop to seabed for a peek inside the lives of South America’s cutest animal babies; and Big Cat Country (6 x 60’; Plimsoll Productions) which focuses on lion prides that battle to protect their young.
The Korean Broadcasting System has opted for a number of natural history titles including "Woodpeckers: The Hole Story" by Coneflower Studios, a one-hour documentary that pecks away at what makes woodpeckers so special and follows intimate stories of two very different families raising their young; Great Elephant Tale (1 x 60’; Merx International) follows three elephant herds in different African environments; and Baboons: Rules of the Troop (1 x 60’; Merx International) a film that beautifully depicts the adaptations baboons have made to survive under a myriad of harsh conditions.
TrueVisions in Thailand has picked up Factual Entertainment and History series, including "Ice Vikings" by Farpoint Films, which looks at modern-day fishermen who set out on ice as thin as paper to stake their claim to the bountiful freshwater fish stock; "Deep Water Salvage," a co-production between Renowned Films and Saloon Media), which takes viewers into the tough and unrelenting world of larger-than-life salvage masters who work to recover ships wrecked by fierce storms; and in "Searching for Secrets," a co-production between Bigger Bang and Saloon Media, viewers go on a journey back in time to reveal the secret history of iconic cities.
PCCW Media in Hong Kong will air two seasons of All-Round Champion (22 x 60’; Season 3 and 4; marblemedia), the ultimate sporting showdown, recently nominated for two Children's & Family Emmy awards. Each season introduces 10 of the best teen athletes who step outside of their own comfort zones and compete against each other in their rivals' sports. Each athlete sits out the competition in their own specialty sport, and instead mentors and coaches the others. Aided by world-renowned sports stars and Olympians, they are scored on skill, sportsmanship, and progress after each challenge. At the end of the series, one hardcore athlete will be crowned the All-Round Champion.
Singapore’s content creator and national media network Mediacorp picked up "Uptown Otters" by Beach House Pictures, which follows distinct clans of smooth-coated otters that have staked their territories in a unique urban setting in "Singapore; World’s Deadliest Weather," which showcases incredible archival and astonishing user-generated footage of some of the most extraordinary weather the planet has ever seen; as well as "Order Up!" by Beach House Pictures.
In Australia And New Zealand, SBS in Australia will air over 60 hours of content including "Order Up!" by Beach House Pictures) and travel adventure series "Scotland’s Scenic Railways" by Flint TV and "Britain’s Most Luxurious Train Journeys" by Candour Productions; three seasons of "Flat Out Food" by HalterMedis, a food series that illuminates unique ingredients and their journey from the field to the plate.
The Foxtel Group picked up more than 75 hours of programming including "Born to Be King" by Touchdown Films, a documentary that reveals the life, loves, and passions of King Charles III; and World’s Deadliest Weather by Back2Back) which showcases the unstoppable force of Mother Nature and the extreme weather fronts endured across the planet. In addition, Nine Network Australia licensed Seasons 6 to 9 of "See No Evil," a co-production between Arrow Media and Saloon Media, a series that reveals how the deadliest crimes are solved by the only witnesses - CCTV cameras.
Television New Zealand will air "Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies" by Blue Ant Studios, the docu-series that presents the never-before-heard story of Casey Anthony, America’s most infamous mother, who speaks for the first time, a decade after being acquitted of the murder of her daughter; Seasons 1 and 2 of Deep Water Salvage (18 x 60; a co-production between Renowned Films and Saloon Media and three seasons of "Gone Fishing" by Owl Power TV, which follows lifelong friends and comedic royalty, Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer, as they tour some of the finest fishing spots together.
Rounding out the sales is "Whakaata Māori," which has licensed more than 55 hours of programming including "Into the Blue: The Wonders of the Coral Triangle" by Zona Mixta, a sweeping series that explores the Coral Triangle, which is home to over 18,000 islands and the largest marine biodiversity on the planet; Merchants of the Wild (13 x 30; Season 4, Buck Productions and Little Bear, Big Wolf Pictures), which mixes survival, adventure and culture as six Indigenous adventurers attempt to live off the land for 25 days. Additionally, the broadcaster opted for Anyone’s Game (6 x 30’; BestCrosses Media & Game Seven Media) a docu-series that takes viewers to a high school in Canada that trains some of the most promising basketball players in the nation; and Season 1 of Cracking the Code (8 x 60; Blink Films), which uncovers some of the world’s most famous – and infamous – encryptions.
Heading into ATF, we want our partners to know that we are a trusted partner, skilled in various creative deal structures, such as traditional licensing, pre-sales and output deals while providing them with exceptional customer service.” Jon Penn Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Blue Ant Media
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