BBC Worldwide & Tencent in Co-Pro Pact for Blue Planet II

BBC Worldwide has entered into a co-production deal with China’s Tencent for the landmark natural-history series Blue Planet II.

Blue Planet II is the brand-new seven-part landmark series from BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit, following on from 2001’s The Blue Planet. It will broadcast simultaneously in China and the U.K. on Tencent’s v.qq.com platform and video app. Tencent will also distribute Blue Planet II across digital on-demand platforms in Greater China.

In China, state broadcaster China Central Television’s documentary channel, CCTV9, is the exclusive TV partner for Blue Planet II.

David Weiland, the executive VP for Asia at BBC Worldwide, said: “Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, Blue Planet II is set to be another game changer. The team has spent four years mounting 125 expeditions, visited 39 countries, and filmed off every continent and across every ocean. We are very excited to be co-producing this landmark series with Tencent, with 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 audience in Greater China.”

“We’ve been partnering with BBC Worldwide for some time to bring premium documentaries to our audiences in China,” added Lexian Zhu, the deputy director of Tencent Penguin Pictures Documentary Studio. “Last year, we co-produced Planet Earth II, which did extremely well—the entire Planet Earth II album online was viewed over 230 million times in China. We are looking forward to this new co-production partnership for Blue Planet II, and look forward to working with BBC Worldwide on more fruitful and successful partnerships.”