Nat Geo Scores New Broadcast Deals in Spain, Portugal

LONDON, May 15: National
Geographic Television International (NGTI) has secured broadcast deals with RTP
in Portugal and La Sexta in Spain for a range of its factual programming,
spanning the wildlife, science and history genres.

RTP has acquired a package
of nearly 40 hours, comprising programs from both National Geographic
Television (NGT) and NGTI’s catalogue of independent producers. The package
includes the NGT programs Illicit: The Dark Trade, which explores the global underbelly of the
black-market economy; Stress: Portrait of a Killer, a scientific look at one of society’s major
killers; Valley of the Wolves; History’s
Secrets: George Washington; the
environmental title Strange Days on Planet Earth: Oceans; and Dino Autopsy and Dino Death, two science shows highlighting dinosaur mummy
discoveries in both the U.S. and China.

Content picked up by RTP
from NGTI’s roster of independent producers include The Human Footprint USA, from the U.K.’s Touch Productions; In Search
of a Legend: Black Leopard, from
South Africa’s Nationwide Distributors; the climate change-themed show Seed
Hunter, from Australia’s 360
Degree Films; and Submarine: Mission Impossible, from Electric Pictures and Mallinson Sadler
Productions, also based in Australia. In addition, there are four wildlife
titles in the package from Netherlands-based Nature Conservation Films,
including Cheetahs: Against the Odds and The Fawn Identity.

La Sexta in Spain has
closed a volume deal for NGT titles like Alaska’s Last Gold, exploring the conflicts between extracting oil
and preserving one of the last great wildernesses; the environmental show Six
Degrees Could Change the World; China’s
Mystery Mummies; Earth Report
2007; Space Investigations; What Killed the Mammoths; Hunter Hunted Series; Constantinople Rescue; and The Science of Cats. Further titles in the package include programs
that will premiere later in the year, such as Ape Genius and Stonehenge Decoded.

NGTI’s Margaret Yoshida,
responsible for brokering the deals, commented: “The National Geographic brand
is very strong in Spain and Portugal and as such, our programs are popular with
broadcasters and audiences alike. These new deals reinforce that popularity and
enhance the excellent relationships we have with RTP and La Sexta.”

Sergio Ramos, the head of
acquisitions at La Sexta, said: “NGTI remains a reliable source of high
quality, credible and entertaining factual programming and we are delighted to
have extended our relationship with them. The breadth of subjects available
continues to grow and topics as diverse as space, the environment, ancient
history and wildlife fit well within our schedules.”

RTP’s head of documentary,
Helena Torres, added: “NGTI’s programs continue to rate well on our
channel—both those produced by NGT and those titles from the growing
range of independents which they now represent. Our new package contains some
compelling new subjects and we look forward to sharing them with our audience
over the coming months.”

—By Irene Lew