Discovery Notches Up New Deals

CANNES: Discovery Enterprises International, which is at MIPTV this week with more than 800 hours of new programming, has expanded the global reach of Deadliest Catch and Man Vs. Wild.

The shows are among the highest-rated series on Discovery Channel around the world, reaching 357 million homes and 170 countries. Deadliest Catch also airs on SKAI in Greece, Network Ten in Australia, Astral Media in Canada, Viasat in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, TV3 in Ireland, Sanoma Television in Finland, 3+ in Switzerland, Channel 4 in the U.K. and Fox Televizija in Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia & Montenegro, Slovenia and Macedonia. It is also available on home video in the U.K. by Go Entertain and Demand DVD; in the Netherlands by Dutch FilmWorks; in Romania and Czech Republic by Sound and Image; in Germany by Polyband; in Spain by Track Media; and soon to be in Poland by Media Service; Nordic by Nordisk Film; and Australia by Magna Home Entertainment and Time Life. Man Vs. Wild, has deals in place with SKAI, Sogecable in Spain, Diptel in Chile, RTL Hrvatska in Croatia, Television Nacional del Eucador Tevecuador, Germany’s Kabel 1, Sky Network Television in New Zealand, Channel 4 and Fox Televizija. It is also available on home video in the U.K. by Demand DVD; Germany by Polyband; Russia by DVD Magic; in Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia & Montenegro, Slovenia and Macedonia by NET; Australia by Magna Home Entertainment; and soon to be Nordic by Nordisk Film.

“Discovery’s ability to engage audiences around the world with exciting nonfiction programming that transcends borders is unparalleled,” said Caleb Weinstein, the senior VP of Discovery Enterprises International. “Global hit series Deadliest Catch and Man Vs. Wild continue to capture large audiences and drive ratings worldwide, leading to increased demand from international broadcasters.”

Meanwhile, Discovery is launcing a host of new content at the market. “As the industry’s leading producer of factual content, Discovery distributes the world’s number one library of nonfiction programming, delivering unmatched breadth and depth across multiple genres,” said Weinstein. “With over 800 news hours of new original content at MIPTV, we are committed to bringing international broadcasters the strongest new titles from Discovery’s U.S. networks in order to meet their unique genre needs.”

The slate includes the 12×30 minute Jockeys, chronicling the lives and careers of seven 112-pound jockeys and their 1,200-pound horses. The 14×30-minute Monkey City takes viewers to the deserted city of Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka, where large populations of gray langurs and toque macaques live on the streets. The one-hour special Almost Human with Jane Goodall highlights nearly a quarter of a century the chimps of Gombe National Park that have been studied by Jane Goodall and filmed by cameraman Bill Wallauer. Weird, True & Freaky uncovers rare and bizarre scenarios in a fast-paced rundown of the strangest, craziest, real-life animal antics. The hour-long Megalab Antarctica follows research from developments in Antarctica. The crime and investigation portfolio features Undercover: Double Life and The Shift, while new lifestyle shows include Get Your Face On and Mother Knows Sex. New shows tackling world affairs are the specials JFK: Inside the Target Car and Fuga De Las FARC. On the health front, Discovery is presenting a second season of Deliver Me as well as the four-part Could You Survive?