TCB Media Rights has closed a string of deals totalling 130 plus hours of programming with broadcasters across Latin America, with interest in the London-based rights-ownership and distribution company’s slate of premium factual entertainment peaking at last November’s MIP Cancun market in Mexico.
As TCB Media Rights heads to NATPE Miami, a two-title deal has been announced with A+E Latin America for Discovery Science/UKTV’s "Abandoned Engineering" and UKTV’s "Shipwreck Secrets".
"Abandoned Engineering", produced by Like A Shot, is one of TCB Media Rights’ best-selling titles, having now been picked up in over 30 territories since it rolled out in 2016. Now in its fourth season, the series examines the legacy of incredible engineering projects that were cast aside before completion like enormous, expensive toys. Also produced by Like A Shot, "Shipwreck Secrets" launched late last year at MIPCOM 2019 and has already been sold to broadcasters in the US, France, Spain, Czech Republic Using bleeding-edge underwater tech, a team of maritime experts piece together the truth behind intriguing wrecks, from ships believed to have been lost in the Bermuda Triangle to the casualties of great naval battles.
This latest A+E acquisition follows a deal for Pixcom’s "The Guild Garage", originally produced for Discovery, in which a team of specialists from the Canadian Guild of Automotive Restorers bring iconic vehicles back to life. Automobile-themed shows are also proving popular with Discovery Latin America, which has picked up Just Might TV’s Flipping Bangers and Wider Films’ The Car Years, and renewed its licence for the first two series of Cry Havoc Productions’ perennially popular Supercar Superbuild. Also headed for Discovery Latin America is Barcroft Media’s Shake My Beauty, which introduces viewers to amazing young women — and a few men — who have embraced their physical differences and overcome their emotional insecurities to turn themselves into stars of social media.
National Geographic Latin America, meanwhile, has taken a package of TCB Media Rights titles, including "Border Interceptors", "Egypt’s Unexplained Files", "Kitten Rescuers", "Mythical Beats Unearthed" and "World’s Wildest Weather".
Finally, Latin American lifestyle and entertainment network ¡Hola! TV has licenced ITN Productions’ portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Originally commissioned by Channel 5, "Elizabeth" takes an in-depth look at the UK’s beloved queen, who ascended to the throne at the age 25 — and is still sitting there almost seven decades later.
“This last year has been a great one for us in Latin America, which is developing a real appetite for our premium factual entertainment. Broadcasters have picked up a wide range of programmes — from super-cars to shipwrecks, from queens to kittens — which demonstrates their fresh and colourful appetite. As we set off to Miami this week, we’re confident that our NATPE slate, which includes several shows handpicked to appeal to Latin American and US audiences, will prove equally successful with the region’s broadcasters,” commented Lenneke de Jong, TCB Media Rights sales manager for Latin America.
Headlining TCB Media Rights’ NAPTE Miami slate is a brand new TCB Original commission from Toronto based indie 4East Media. Edges Unknown is 8x60 series that follows explorers, conservationists and best friends Brett and Cliff as they aspire to live an off the grid/back to basics lifestyle. Their heroes are the people who worked the toughest jobs under the toughest conditions and tried, thrived and sometimes died as they attempted to not only survive in the worlds’ places but even prosper.
Other highlights include three recently launched shows: "How Did They Build That?", "Lords of the Ocean" and "Shocking Emergency Calls".