BBC Studios has secured international pre-sales for Blue Planet III in seven major markets plus a new co-production deal with Greece’s Skai TV which joins the series as a co-producer alongside ZDF and France Télévisions.
Skai TV’s deal also includes a new multi-year agreement to host a BBC Earth branded block of shows which will serve as the first free-to-air window for BBC Studios’ unscripted content in Greece.
Alongside the Greek premiere of Blue Planet III, the block will showcase library titles such as Blue Planet II, Planet Earth II and Asia plus Human, Big Cats 24/7 S1 and Walking with Dinosaurs.
Blue Planet III, which will air in the UK on BBC One and iPlayer, is produced by the BBC’s Natural History Unit and will focus on the planet’s five key underwater habitats – the Tropical Seas, Seasonal Seas, Polar Seas, High Seas, and Deep Seas. A sixth episode will look at the future of our seas and what’s needed to protect them.
Outside the UK deals have been secured for Australia (Nine), Brazil (Globo), Canada (Blue Ant Media, Radio-Canada), China (Shanghai Media Group’s Dragon TV), Denmark (DR), New Zealand (TVNZ) and Spain (MovistarPlus+).
The series will also be available on various international BBC owned channels including BBC Nordic; BBC Earth in Croatia, Cyprus, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, South Africa and Turkey; and in India on the jointly owned Sony BBC Earth channel.
Zai Bennett, CEO and Chief Creative Officer, BBC Studios Global Content said: “We’re privileged to have long-standing clients like Skai TV come on board to co-produce and go a step further to premiere it via a dedicated BBC Earth block.
“This new chapter will immerse global audiences deeper than ever before, revealing unseen behaviours and uncovering urgent new stories about our changing seas. It’s a landmark production in every sense – visually breathtaking and scientifically revelatory.”