Blue Ant Studios’ rights division announced at LA Screenings that it has inked over 125 hours of LATAM deals across its natural history and factual entertainment offerings. The sales represent a renewed demand for acquired programming in the region, with fresh deals forged with Latin American buyers such as AMC Networks International – Latin America, DirectTV Latin America, DGO, and ¡HOLA! TV.
Maria Ibarra, VP of International Sales, Blue Ant Studios, referred to the ambition of Latin American audiences to access new high-quality content: “This latest crop of sales showcase a diverse range of premium series and documentaries in our library that unlock unique access to stunning locations around the world and creative and on-air talent, all available for content licensing and pre-sales at LA Screenings. LATAM audiences have made clear that they are hungry for new programming and, with a content supply that is entertaining, consistent, and constant, we are ready to deliver on that demand this week," commented. Next, let's review in detail each of the deals
AMC Networks International – Latin America has picked up a significant package deal of natural history programming for LATAM from Love Nature’s original’s catalog, including the first seasons of "Animal Senses" (6x40’: Blue Ant Studios), which traces the evolutionary history of evolved animal senses to perceive food, shelter and danger; "Mysteries Of Evolution", a six-part series that uncovered solutions to nature’s toughest puzzles and problems; "The Wild Wild East" (14x30’: Arcadia Entertainment), a journey to North America’s maritime woods and waters; "Africa’s Hidden Kingdoms" (6x60’: Off the Fence), which explores the wonders of nature’s most primitive and ancient plant and wildlife biomes found in Africa; "A Wild Year on Earth" (6x60’: Northern Pictures), a six-part series, narrated by acclaimed English actress of film, television and theater, Laura Carmichael, which charts the planet’s spectacular events of migration, rebirth and transformation; "Animal Empires" (6x60’: Arcadia Entertainment), which watches creatures gather in dangerous places, playing host to wildlife’s migrations and congregations; and "The Living Beach" (6x60’: Arcadia Entertainment), which shows how physics and nature contribute to shaping the coastlines of the world’s most unique beaches.
Bolstering the deal with AMC Latin American Networks is the acquisition of key factual entertainment titles from Blue Ant’s factual entertainment offering. The buyer has opted for Seasons 1 and 2 of "Crazy Beautiful Weddings" (20x30; Blue Ant Studios), which introduces audiences to wedding planner Lynzie Kent, who takes inspiration from each couple's own love stories and weaves these into unique and jaw-dropping decorations and celebrations; "Great Escapes with Colin and Justin" (8x30’: Nikki Ray Media Agency), an entertaining lifestyle series, following design duo, Colin and Justin, as the explore the wilderness to discover what people will do to create their perfect city escape; and Season 1 of "Custom Built" (26x30’: Nikki Ray Media Agency), a property series that showcases one-of-a-kind builds, from custom kitchens to bathrooms to poker tables.
Latin America PayTV service DIRECTV Latin America, and the live TV and streaming platform DGO, has picked up a suite of documentary and factual entertainment projects, including "Tata: Escobar’s Widow" (2 x 60' | 1 x 90'; Telegramme Media) where Maria Isabel (Tata) breaks her silence and tells the truth about her life with Pablo Escobar with never-before-seen material from the beginning of their relationship, as well as photos and handwritten letters that give the most intimate portrait of their life together; the cinematic true-crime series, "The Playboy Bunny Murder" (2 x 60' HD; Future Studios, Soho Studios, ITVX), journalist and author Marcel Theroux takes viewers to the enchantment and exoticism of the where Playboy Club in London’s swinging seventies; premium documentary, "Body In the Suitcase" (2x60’ or 1x120’: Transistor Films), a gripping two-part documentary that details the shocking twists and turns of an unprecedented case through first-hand accounts of family members, eye-witnesses and police; "#Racegirl: The Comeback of Sophia Florch" (1x90’: Gebrueder Beetz), which follows Sophia on a grueling battle to get back on the racetrack after a horrific world-headline making accident at the 2018 F3 Macau Grand Prix; Finding Satoshi (1 x 60’ HD; Mt. Melvil) a fascinating, multi-award winning documentary that unpacks the wild story of a 14-year search for answers to a hide-and-seek puzzle game, and the fascinating path to the answer; and Seasons 1 and 2 of "Coolest Places to Stay" (12x30’: Nikki Ray Media Agency), which takes a look at beautiful and unique homes, and the homeowners who have figured out how to use handcrafted touches and decor to make their bedrooms into hotels.
Sociedad Televisora Larranaga S.A. (Teledoce) has opted for a lineup of natural history programming for its Uruguayan audience, including Osprey: "Sea Raptor" (1x60’: CosmoVision and Love Nature), a one-hour, blue-chip special, narrated by Sean Bean, that profiles a pair of magnificent raptors, a life-long couple, as they reunite having travelled separately across continents to the same location year-after-year to raise their young. The buyer also picked up "Alaskan Summer" (1x60’: Blue Ant Studios) and the first seasons of "Wild Latin America" (3x60’: Blink Films), "Africa's Wild Year" (4x60’; Merx International), "Wild Year On Earth" (6x60’; Northern Pictures), "Pacific" (4x60’; Voltage TV) and "Valley of Flood" and Fire (3x60’: Plimsoll Productions). Rounding out the deal is the acquisition of Seasons 1 and 2 of "The World’s Deadliest Weather" (26x60’; back2back), showcasing "Mother Nature's" unstoppable force with increasingly volatile natural disasters and extreme weather fronts endured across the planet.
Finally, ¡HOLA! TV has licensed "Charles III: The Coronation Year" (2 x 60’ and 1 x 90’; Oxford Films), which follows King Charles and Queen Camilla through landmark moments of their first year.