Leading UK TV distributor Sphere Abacus has announced a raft of international sales for its premium history library.
Coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, six-part drama documentary 1776: American Independence, produced by Dash Pictures for National Geographic, has been sold to Viasat World, Now TV Hong Kong, BBC Select Americas, Foxtel Group Australia and VRT.
These sales cover multiple territories including Central Asia, Eastern and Central Europe, Greece, Cyprus, Australia and New Zealand, North America and South East Asia.
Also from Dash Pictures for National Geographic, Foxtel Group Australia, Czech Television, ZDF Germany and JCG Korea Inc. have acquired Gladiators: Warriors Of The Ancient World.
Two series of Queens That Changed The World, produced by Woodcut Media, has been acquired by SBS Australia, BBC Select Americas, Czech Television, Luk Internacional S.A, Channel HOT8 Israel, Viasat World, NRK Norway, SVT Sweden, DR Denmark, Sky Germany, RAI Italy, ARTE, Madman Entertainment Australia and New Zealand, Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR), Foxtel Group Australia, TVP Poland, Prima Group Czech Republic, JCG Korea Inc. and HRT Croatia.
One hour feature documentary, The Hunt for the Last Nazis produced by Australia’s Mint Pictures for SBS, has been picked up by AMC Global Media Central Europe for Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia as well as by RTL Netherlands.
While Pernel Media’s compelling four-part documentary The Maya: War of the Five Kingdoms has been sold to Viasat World for Central and Eastern Europe, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Scandinavia and Poland, Foxtel Group for Australia and New Zealand and Luk Internacional S.A for Movistar Plus+ in Portugal and Spain.
In addition, UK indie FirstLook TV’s 3 x 1 hour Great British Castle Rescue for Sky History has been secured by BBC Select Americas for North America.
Sphere Abacus’ Hana Palmer, Executive Director Global Distribution & Partnerships, said: “History programming has always intrigued and fascinated viewers around the world.
“We’re seeing a big shift in the number of platforms and broadcasters that are looking at new ways for high-end historical storytelling to cater for their audiences’ continued appetites – from learning new details about well-known struggles and history’s huge characters to discovering largely unknown events from ancient times.”