TVF closed new deals with Australia and New Zealand broadcasters at AIDC

TVF International has sealed a slew of deals with broadcasters across Australia and New Zealand during the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC). Acquisitions and Productions Executive, Zoe Stinson, who manages TVF’s producer partnerships across Australia, will be attending the Conference Online this week.

SBS pre-sale TVFs original series, "Great British Train Journeys From Above" (3x47), which also pre-sold to Channel 4. The title is narrated by Hugh Bonneville ("Downton Abbey") and showcases three of Britain’s most iconic stream train journeys from the air, taking viewers through the Scottish Highlands, Snowdonia National Park, and the North Yorkshire Moors.

SBS also acquired a range of titles for scheduling across their platforms from the distributor. For their military history slot, the pubcaster licensed "How the Second World War Became a Global War" (1x52) and "Who Paid for World War II?" (1x52), both produced by Odyssey Films, to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War later this year.

In Travel and Lifestyle, for their daytime slots, the pubcaster licensed Series 12 of aerial travelogue, "The World from Above" (8x26), as well as "Ageless Gardens" (20x 22), which celebrates gardening as a source of physical and mental wellbeing, travel series with a twist, "Music Voyager" (60x30, 4K), and "The World’s Most Remote Hotels" (10x26). For Viceland, SBS licensed the CNA-commissioned "Riot Island" (2x48), which uses dramatic reconstructions, archive and exclusive interviews to recreate a prison experiment gone wrong.

Asian cuisines are on the menu at SBS Food, with the pubcaster selecting CNA’s "Southeast Asia on a Plate" (3x43) and "Have You Eaten Yet? Tasting Taiwan" (8x23) from Taiwan+. SBS Food have also selected "Eating Plants" (12x30), a deep dive into the world’s fastest growing culinary movements, veganism, and the BBC’s "Paula McIntyre’s Hamely Kitchen" (23x30), including spinoff series "Paula McIntyre’s Hamely Kitchen USA" (6x30).

For SBS On Demand, the pubcaster licensed art series "Glories of Islamic Art" (3x45) and the PBS-commissioned Islamic "Art: Mirror of the Invisible World" (1x57 / 1x84), and travel titles "Magnificent Megacities" (5x52), commissioned by ARTE, "KNN’s National Parks of Korea" (3x52), National Geographic’s "Beijing’s Secret Blueprint" (3x45), and "Celebration Nation" (3x46), which extends an invitation to China’s most vibrant festivals.

Australia public broadcaster ABC licensed two specials from the CNA-commissioned series, "When Titans Clash" (12x48) for its Four Corners current affairs strand. Their selection included "When Titans Clash: A New Global Trade War?" (1x48) which examines the risk of a global trade war between the EU and China, and "When Titans Clash: Knives Out in the South China Sea" (1x48) which explores recent clashes between the Philippines and China, and US involvement therewith.

For Foreign Correspondent, ABC licensed "China’s Abandoned Daughters" (1x48), the CNA-commissioned documentary about the thousands of abandoned girls born during China’s one-child policy, who were sold to foster families for forced marriages.

In New Zealand, Māori Television licensed an array of wildlife titles – the SVT-commissioned "Secret Life of Seals" (1x52), diving deep into the mysteries of grey seals in Scandinavia, "The Secret Life of Bats" (1x43) which reveals how grasshoppers have outsmarted their winged predators, the CNA-commissioned "Wild City" (6x46) which explores Singapore’s unique flora and fauna, and is narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

Māori Television also licensed CityTV’s "Indigiqueer" (1x44) which examines the past, present and future of queerness for indigenous members of today’s LGBTQIA community.

Alex Lindsay, Sales Executive at TVF International, who commented: "TVF International's catalogue continues to be a great fit for broadcasters across Australia and New Zealand, who have a strong appetite for international factual programming. From premium history and investigative world affairs, to unique and exciting food and travel series, TVF are proud to be collaborating with a variety of broadcasters in the region and sharing unique and eye-opening programmes with audiences across the Southern Hemisphere."