Factual

Ahead of Mipcom later this month, BBC Studios has confirmed its first global sales for Big Cats 24/7 from its world-renowned Natural History Unit.

Co-produced by PBS in the US who are also on board for Series 2, Big Cats 24/7 has sold to bilibili, iQiyi, Tencent, Youku and linear channel CCTV World Geography (China), YLE (Finland), France Televisions (France), Sky Deutschland (Germany), Movistar Plus+ (Spain).

Big Cats 24/7 will also be available on the BBC Earth channel in: Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Romania, Malta, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa and Turkey. Viewers will also get to enjoy the series on the BBC Earth channel in Asia and multi-genre SVOD service BBC Player in Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

Big Cats 24/7 (6x60’) follows the lives of lions, cheetahs and leopards in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, a place described as one of Africa’s last wildernesses.

Nick Percy, President, Global Markets, BBC Studios, said: “The quality, care, craft and innovation which goes into making our content is unparalleled. This is certainly the case with Big Cats 24/7 from our world-renowned Natural History Unit. The team spent six months living with and following these celebrated animals from the ground, the air and through the night and were able to capture previously unseen behaviour in incredible locations. We are thrilled that our customers around the world want to share this with their audiences.”

In addition to the sales of Big Cats 24/7, BBC Studios has unveiled its slate to be showcased at Mipcom.

The unscripted slate for Mipcom this year includes Expedition Killer Whale (1x60’) co-produced by the BBC Studios Natural History Unit with PBS which follows a team of scientists and filmmakers as they head to Antarctica to advance our understanding of these compelling animals and how they capture their prey in the most extraordinary fashion.

Renaissance: The Blood and The Beauty (3x60’) from BBC Studios Specialist Factual productions and co-produced by PBS is a thrilling documentary series which explores the turbulent lives – and breathtaking creations – of the three greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance: Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael.

Other unscripted highlights include BBC Studios Factual Entertainment titles, Paddy and Chris: Road Tripping (3x60’) which sees Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris front a brand-new road trip series that sees the duo head to Europe, to look at how our European neighbours grow old gracefully and make their years ahead their best yet. Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby Series 6 sees Monica Galetti and Rob Rinder return for another look at life behind the scenes at some of the most extraordinary hotels across the globe.

Nick Percy continued: “Our slate this year showcases the breadth of our unscripted portfolio, offering audiences scientific rigor, with emotional and impactful storytelling at its heart. Audiences can follow our teams deep-diving with killer whales in Antarctica and enjoy previously unseen nocturnal behaviour of the big cats of Africa, in addition to hearing about historical and modern takes on art and travel in Europe. The variety we have on offer really showcases our ability to tell incredible stories in the most entertaining and informative way across our entire portfolio.”

Unscripted activity at Mipcom includes Kasia Jablonska, Director of Digital and VOD for EMEA will host a roundtable session at the Elevating the FAST experience: Strategies for Next-Level Growth and Integration with Pay TV platforms in the MIP Innovation Lab from 14:30 – 15:30 on Tuesday 22nd October.

BBC Studios will be located at P0.E1 within the Palais des Festivals Verrière section at the market.