BBC Studios Inks Sales for Artist-Focused Docs

BBC Studios has secured a raft of sales for documentaries about the lives of iconic artists, including Amy Winehouse and Freddie Mercury.

Marking the tenth anniversary of Winehouse’s death last year, Curious Films’ Reclaiming Amy has sold to the U.S. and Canada (BBC Select), Brazil (Globo), Australia (SBS), New Zealand (TVNZ), France (Canal+), Germany (ZDF), sub-Saharan Africa (MNET, ShowMax), Sweden (TV4), Denmark (TV2), Finland (YLE), the Netherlands (RTL) and Belgium (VRT).

Freddie Mercury: The Final Act, a Rogan Productions’ feature-length documentary for BBC Two, charts the final chapter of Mercury’s life story. The doc has been sold into the U.S. (The CW Network), Australia (ABC), Greece (COSMOTE TV), France (Arte), sub-Saharan Africa (MNET, ShowMax), Sweden (TV4), Norway (TV2), Denmark (DR), Finland (YLE), the Netherlands (NTR), Belgium (VRT), the Czech Republic (Czech TV) and Spain (Movistar Plus+).

Produced by the BBC Studios’ Documentary Unit, A Life In Ten Pictures re-examines the lives of six famous faces—including John Lennon and Tupac—from the photographs that have come to define them. The series has been picked up in Brazil (Globo), Spain (Movistar Plus+), Australia (ABC), New Zealand (Sky TV), Canada (CBC Documentary Channel, GEM), Germany (Sky Deutschland), Italy (Sky Italia), sub-Saharan Africa (MNET, ShowMax) and Denmark (DR).

Louise McNab, director of content sales at BBC Studios, said: “Appetite for authentic and engaging factual content is growing year on year. We’re seeing, in particular, a trend for premium documentaries that are reassessing modern history through well-known figures. We’ve got an internationally renowned documentary unit as well as partnerships with award-winning independent production houses, both of which provide exclusive access to people and places and in turn create premium accessible content with global relevance. With upcoming titles including Frida and House of Maxwell, BBC Studios is unrivaled in its ambition to be at the forefront of buyers’ minds for premium documentary content.”