Mipcom Roundup: All3Media and Blue Ant Sell in Asia, Lagardère Buys in Spain
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In Variety’s third Mipcom Roundup Alibaba’s streaming platform Youku gets BBC programs, Lagardère buys full ownership of Barcelona’s Veranda, Banijay rolls out Guinness World Records series, Blue Ant International sells and renews and All3Media Intl. extends into Japan and Taiwan.
All3Media Strikes Deals in Japan, Taiwan
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All3Media has grown its footprint in Asia thanks to newly announced deals with U-NEXT, Disney and Wowow in Japan and Catchplay in Taiwan. The U-Next deal includes 22 hours of primetime drama including Neal Street Productions’ Bafta-nominated “Informer,” two seasons of Screentime’s Australian drama “Playing for Keeps” and The Forge Entertainment-produced mini-series “Dark Money.” Catchplay in Taiwan and Tohokushinsha in Japan have secured rights to Bafta-nominated mini-series “Mrs. Wilson,” produced by Snowed In for BBC One and Masterpiece. All3Media also sold two factual entertainment series to Japanese broadcasters, “Travel Guides (Australia)” in the company’s first-ever deal with Disney Japan and “Celebrity Undercover” to Wowow.
Lagardère Studios Takes Ownership of Barcelona’s Veranda
French production company Lagardère Studios has acquired full ownership of Barcelona-based production house Veranda from Grupo Godo. Lagardère subsidiary Boomreang was already a part shareholder of Veranda. Since 2010 Veranda has produced fiction, entertainment, documentary and advertising for TV and digital platforms. Veranda produces the award winning and IMDB top 250 series “Merlí,” which has formats in development in France and Italy as well as a spinoff for Movistar Plus in Spain. Other properties include the fish out of water comedy “Great Northern” and talent competition show “Oh Happy Day!” Lagardère’s Boomerang is one of Spain’s most important TV producers, backing series such as “The Voice,” popular detective thriller “Plastic Sea” and upcoming Chilean co-production “Ines of My Soul,” a major title at June’s Conecta Fiction market in Pamplona.
Youku and BBC Studios Sign Content Deal
BBC Studios has announced a content collaboration deal with Alibaba’s streaming platform Youku which sends more than 100 hours of the U.K. broadcaster’s kids content to Chinese subscribers. In the deal Australian animated series “Bluey,” one of Annecy’s best-received kids shows this past June, has been dubbed into Chinese and will premiere on the service today. The agreement was signed at MIPCOM by Henrietta Hurford-Jones, director of children’s content at BBC Studios and Aaron Liao, General Manager of Youku Kids. Other series scheduled to hit the service later this year include “Yakka Dee,” “My World Kitchen” and “My Pet and Me.”
Banijay Group Looks to Roll Out Guinness World Records Show Internationally
Guinness World Records (GWR) has signed a year-long option deal with the Banijay Group, spanning 15 key markets including UK/Eire, U.S.A., Australia and Germany. Banijay Group’s Italian producer Magnolia has already produced a five-part studio show based on the brand, La Notte Dei Record, which premiered on TV8 in 2018. The format sees hopefuls going head-to-head in record challenges as well as established record-holders vying to break their own world bests, under the eye of the official Guinness World Records adjudicator. Carlotta Rossi Spencer, SVP of format acquisitions at Banijay Group said: “We’ve seen the show perform well in Italy and are now looking forward to travelling it further across our footprint.”
Blue Ant Intl. Announces Japanese Sales, Renewals
Canada’s Blue Ant Intl. has announced four new programming licensing deals and four renewals in Japan with broadcasters NHK and Fox Networks Group Japan. NHK licensed three, hour-long TV documentaries: “Turtle Beach,” “UFOs: The Lost Evidence” and “Rooted.” For its part, Fox Networks Group Japan licensed a fourth documentary, “Blue,” and renewed four series: “Undiscovered Vistas,” “Costal Africa,” “Great Blue Wild” and “Land of Gremlins.” All eight properties are being showcased by Blue Ant at Mipcom. Both broadcasters will make the films and series available in 4k HD – except “UFOs” – which Blue Ant says was a major contributing factor the consideration of perspective networks for their largely nature-driven programming.
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