Smithsonian Networks Showcases Programming Slate

WASHINGTON,
D.C., April 13: Smithsonian Networks, the joint venture of Showtime Networks
and the Smithsonian Institution, has lined up alliances with non-fiction
producers around the world, bringing more than 100 hours of HD programs to its
soon-to-be launched factual content service.

The
announcement was made today by David Royle, the executive VP for programming
and production, who will be in Cannes for MIPTV on the hunt for additional
content.

Smithsonian
Networks’ programming will feature documentaries, events and short subject
exploration of major scientific, cultural and historical events. Among the
titles coming to the service is the 90-minute Day of the Kamikaze, from Darlow Smithson Productions and Channel 4;
as well as the BBC’s flagship history series Timewatch. The two-hour Hindenburg is a co-production with Pioneer Productions,
Channel 4 and ZDF. Smithsonian Networks is also working with Ireland’s Tile
Films and TG4, Canada’s VisionTV and Wales’ S4C for the six-part Christianity
Decoded. The network has also
acquired Tile Film’s Lost Gods.
From ZDF, Smithsonian Networks has acquired four documentaries including Wanted:
Anaconda, where a multi-national
team searches for the largest snake in the world using advanced technology to
reveal the snakes in their natural habitat. In a deal with Japan’s MICO,
Smithsonian Networks has acquired five NHK titles, including Pandas in the
Wild. Smithsonian Networks has
commissioned Fulcrum in the U.K. to produce Hunt for the Double Eagle, which retraces the U.S. Secret Service
investigation of the 1933 Double Eagle coin, from its minting in Philadelphia
to its acquisition by King Farouk of Egypt to its re-discovery in London to its
“capture” in a sting at New York’s Waldorf Astoria to its sale at Sotheby’s.
And from ORF the service has acquired the 3-hour science and natural history
series Nature Tech.

“We
are delighted to be announcing deals with some of the top non-fiction producers
and leading international broadcasters from around the world during this
exciting pre-launch period,” said Royle. “The Smithsonian name represents the
highest quality and integrity, and our programs will build upon that
reputation. We continue to look for programming that entertains, inspires and
educates.”