PBS International Lands Deals for Muhammad Ali Doc

PBS International has sold Muhammad Ali, a new documentary from Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon, in various territories around the world.

Muhammad Ali was presold to BBC (U.K.) and ARTE (France), with subsequent sales to SBS (Australia), DirecTV (Latin America), Al Arabiya (MENA), DR (Denmark), Canal+ (Poland), VPRO (the Netherlands), YLE (Finland), KAN (Israel), Foxtel (Australia), Via Vision (Australia) and VRT (Belgium).

The series, made up of four two-hour episodes, follows the life of the three-time heavyweight boxing champion who became a global icon and inspiration to people worldwide. It first aired on PBS in the U.S. in September.

“Muhammad Ali was very much an American, but he was an American who spoke to a global audience,” said Ken Burns. “Ali’s interest in Africa and other parts of the world helped shape a very international perspective, one influenced early on by his friend and mentor Malcolm X and articulated by Ali throughout his life. We could not be prouder of the film and look forward to sharing it with audiences across the globe.”

Joe Barrett, VP of sales at PBS International, added, “Muhammad Ali was a monumental cultural icon with universal appeal, as is evident in the international interest and enthusiasm we’ve seen for this film. PBS International is immensely proud to bring this extraordinary documentary by award-winning filmmakers Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon to MIPCOM.”