The BBC’s commercial arm has partnered with Chinese ISP Tencent to launch BBC Earth Tribe, a new fan community “for people passionate about natural history and science.”
BBC Earth Tribe will offer over 650 hours of BBC Studios’ natural history and documentary programmes such as Dynasties and Rituals, as well as offering “unprecedented access to the series’ creators” including via Q&As with BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit’s award-winning producers and at “on-ground” events.
It’ll feature mini episodes of the BBC’s natural history programmes, 360 videos, live streamed interviews as well as live streams directly from production locations.
Following its collaboration on Blue Planet II and Planet Earth II, Tencent is serving as a co-production partner on Dynasties.
Presented by Sir David Attenborough and filmed over four years around the globe, the five part series explores the lives of some of the world’s most iconic animals.
As their stories unfold, viewers witness their incredible determination to protect their family line in the face of challenges to their leadership or from the often harsh environment around them.
The co-production agreement was sealed in a signing ceremony presided by Suman Wang, Chief Editor of Tencent Video & SVP of Tencent Penguin Pictures and Tim Davie, CEO, BBC Studios.
Suman Wang, Chief Editor of Tencent Video & SVP of Tencent Penguin Pictures commented: “Our audiences have a huge appetite for BBC Earth content so we are thrilled to partner with BBC Studios on this new initiative, bringing our customers unparalleled access to an incredible portfolio of high quality content and unique interactive experiences.”
David Weiland, EVP Asia for BBC Studios added: “Chinese audiences’ appreciation for BBC’s premium natural history content has grown over the last two years.
“Blue Planet II delivered over 250 million views on Tencent, and Planet Earth II in 2016, got over 200 million views.
“We are very excited to extend our partnership with Tencent with the co-production of Dynasties, and work with them to build a community of like-minded natural history fans, bringing our content beyond the screens to them via BBC Earth Tribe.”
