Seven Network Renews Mighty Ships, Orders Spinoff

TORONTO: Australia’s Seven Network has struck an agreement with Exploration Production Inc. (EPI), Discovery Channel Canada’s production company, for all future seasons of the doc series Mighty Ships, along with ordering the spinoff Mighty Planes.

Mighty Ships has been a ratings success for Seven, garnering 1.32 million viewers in its third-season premiere. The show features behind-the-scenes access to some of the world’s most extraordinary vessels. The episodes feature everything from pirate-hunting naval frigates and high-tech ocean dredgers to luxury cruise ships and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The show is also a hit on Discovery Channel Canada, which is launching season five on July 20.

Seven has also picked up EPI’s spinoff Mighty Planes, which is set to debut in Canada in early 2012. The show will explore the art and science of aviation.

“Discovery and EPI are delighted with this incredible commitment from Seven Network,” said Tony Leadman, the head of worldwide program distribution at EPI. “The massive success of Mighty Ships in Australia and around the world proves that Canadian-made documentary programming is alive, well and competitive in the international market.”
 
“Mighty Ships works because it gives an insight into the fascinating, but rarely seen world of working ships,” added Angus Ross, the head of scheduling and acquisitions for programming at Seven Network. “Its production values and scale make it a standout—factual programming doesn’t get any bigger.”