BBC Worldwide to Co-Produce Planet Earth II with Tencent

LONDON: BBC Worldwide has entered into a co-production agreement with Tencent for Planet Earth II, marking the first time the company is co-producing a documentary with a video platform in China.

The deal was finalized during a signing event at MIPCOM. Molly Feng, Tencent’s director of video content cooperation, and David Weiland, BBC Worldwide’s executive VP for Asia, represented their respective companies.

Narrated by David Attenborough, Planet Earth II uses the latest filming technology to showcase the natural world. The 6×60-minute docuseries is a BBC Studios Natural History Unit production, co-produced with BBC America, ZDF, Tencent and France Télévisions. It will debut in the U.K. on BBC One and will simultaneously broadcast on Tencent’s v.qq.com platform.

Weiland remarked: “A decade ago, Planet Earth redefined natural-history filmmaking, giving us the ultimate portrait of life on Earth in HD. Planet Earth II is set to be another game-changer. It will reveal our planet from a completely new perspective, using significant advances in both filming technology and our understanding of the natural world. We are very excited to be co-producing this landmark series with Tencent whom we have had a long and mutually beneficial relationship. This production partnership is an affirmation of the shared commitment we have in producing ambitious natural-history content. Tencent’s involvement will bring this landmark series to a wider Chinese audience across Greater China.”

Jeff Han, the VP of Tencent’s online media group, and general manager of marketing and video content cooperation, added: “We’ve been partnering with BBC Worldwide for some time now, working with them to bring in premium documentaries for our audiences in China. This co-production agreement signifies a new level in our relationship which we hope to grow further. We are confident that this is just the beginning of a fruitful and successful partnership.”