AfriPulse
Lionsgate has kicked off MIPCOM Cannes with a string of early international deals for its unscripted and factual formats slate.
The company announced multiple international sales for unscripted titles, including for music documentary Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe to Yes (Israel) and HRT (Croatia); Married to the Game, at look at the wives and girlfriends of Premiere League soccer stars, with Seasons 1 and 2 selling to Amazon Prime Video (Scandinavia), Corus (Canada) and SkyFree (New Zealand); rural reality TV format Fletchers’ Family Farm going Sky (Germany); and Massachusetts-based unscripted fishing show Wicked Tuna selling to Sky (Germany) and Altresmedia (Spain). Additional sales include Clive Myrie’s Caribbean Adventure to BBC Studios for global distribution, Adolph Hitler’s War to Prima Group (Czech Republic) and Secrets of Diana’s Wedding Dress to HRT (Croatia).
Another of Lionsgate’s unscripted highlights is Tony Shalhoub Breaking Bread, with the Emmy-winning Monk star attending the market to promote the new food travel show, which premiered on Sunday on CNN.
Elsewhere in the unscripted space, Cineflix Rights reported strong sales for its latest factual lineup, securing a raft of deals for history and adventure titles. Bell Media’s Vanished History series was licensed to Foxtel (Australia), RTL (Germany), Mediaset (Italy), Discovery (Iberia) and Hearst Networks for Benelux and Africa. The Canal+ series Commando Missions sold to SBS (Australia), Société Radio-Canada (French Canada), Foxtel (Australia) and Creo (South Korea), with additional rights previously sold to Hearst Networks and Czech TV.
Cineflix also secured international sales for three blue-chip history series from French producer Pernel Media: Alexander the Great: Legendary Conqueror has been acquired by Viasat World for Viasat History across CEE and Scandinavia, RTL and ZDF (Germany), SBS (Australia), and Hearst Networks (Turkey and Middle East) following earlier sales to Mediaset (Italy) and Movistar (Spain); Vikings: The Empire of the North Sea went to Viasat World for Viasat History across CEE and Scandinavia, ZDF (Germany), Disney (Benelux), YLE (Finland), SBS (Australia), and Movistar (Spain); and Ramses The Great: King of Ancient Egypt sold to ZDF (Germany), DRTV (Denmark), and Discovery (Iberia), joining a list of previous buyers including Hearst Networks (UK, Benelux, Middle East and Africa), RTL (Germany), Mediaset (Italy), and CBC and Société Radio-Canada (Canada).
Also at MIPCOM, Banijay Asia, the regional division of the indie production giant behind Survivor and MasterChef, announced a two-year collaboration with Netherlands-based Talpa Studios to represent Talpa’s portfolio of unscripted formats in India and Thailand. The agreement will see Banijay Asia adapt and produce regional versions of Talpa hits, including The Floor, The Quiz with Balls, The Alliance and Most Wanted.
In a separate deal announced Tuesday, production and distribution giant Fremantle and social media specialist Viral Nation confirmed they will be teaming up on a series of shows led by YouTube creators, including social star-making competition format Model Creator, worked up in association with agency Ford Models, and the true crime series Cr1me C0de.
In other MIPCOM news, Electric Entertainment announced a $20 million investment from Content Partners Capital. The financing, revealed during the company’s 25th anniversary celebrations in Cannes, will support Electric’s continued growth across production and distribution.
Led by CEO Dean Devlin, the Los Angeles-based studio behind series including Leverage, The Librarians and The Ark produced 36 episodes across three television series in the past year. The deal marks the latest in Content Partners Capital’s expansion into entertainment-focused investments since launching its private capital division in 2024.
Source: HollywoodReporter | Read the Full Story…
