Nat Geo Hit Life Below Zero Gets Canadian Treatment

Blue Ant Media has licensed the format rights to the U.S. hit Life Below Zero from BBC Studios, and Saloon Media will start production this month of Life Below Zero: Canada.

In the U.S., the show airs on National Geographic, where it takes up the largest portion of the channel’s programming lineup and recently celebrated its 100th episode.

The new documentary series is being shot on-location in Canada and is set to air on the Cottage Life channel in 2020. It is being produced for eight one-hour episodes. A 30-minute, sneak-peek episode will premiere on the channel this April.

“Life Below Zero has been a must-watch series for Canadian viewers on Cottage Life and now we’re going to be able to give our audiences a localized version of content they love,” said Sam Linton, the head of original content at Blue Ant Media. “Saloon Media’s track record of award-winning production on factual series makes them a perfect fit for this series.”

Michael L. Smith, senior VP of TV sales, co-productions and digital distribution at BBC Studios Americas, added, “Our relationship with Blue Ant Media, which started with the launch of the BBC Earth Channel in 2016, continues to grow with our first format deal of Life Below Zero—the powerful original series that has been a phenomenal hit in the U.S. and in Canada.”