Blue Ant Studios Inks CEE Deals for Crime & Mystery Titles

Blue Ant Studios has signed multiple sales across Central and Eastern Europe for over 270 hours of crime and mystery titles.

International broadcaster Viasat World licensed the eighth season of See No Evil for its Viasat True Crime channel in Poland. The series, produced by Arrow Media and Saloon Media, explores how real crimes are solved with the help of surveillance cameras.

Viasat World also picked up Playboy Bunny Murder, which sees journalist and author Marcel Theroux delves into the London Playboy Club of the ’70s, the backdrop of four unsolved murders, as well as Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies, in which Casey Anthony tells her story a decade after being acquitted of murdering her daughter.

In Poland, CANAL+ acquired Our Toughest Cases, featuring officers reliving the toughest cases they’ve faced; Night Stalker: Terror in a Small Town, exploring the longest running manhunt for a serial killer in Australian history; and Predator: Catching the Black Cab Rapist, exploring the case of Britain’s most prolific serial rapist, John Worboys, who assaulted over 100 victims in the back of his black cab.

CBS Reality licensed Big Little Crimes, following the stories of ordinary beat cops who come across a crucial piece of evidence that leads to the capture of a major criminal, and season two of Killers: Caught on Camera, piecing together video footage to solve crimes and bring the criminals to justice.

DOX TV picked up Mafia Killers with Colin McLaren, in which the detective takes a close look at six notorious American mobsters; Evil By Design: Surviving Nygard, searching for the truth behind allegations of Peter Nygård’s 40-year reign of terror; Undercover: Fighting the Fraudsters, following investigative journalist Paul Connolly as he delves into the world of fraud and scams, covering phishing, investment fraud, romantic scams and forgeries; and Madeleine McCann: Investigating the Prime Suspect, following the first active TV investigation into the German pedophile Christian B since he became the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case.

In North Macedonia, MRT acquired Playboy Bunny Murder, alongside Cracking The Code, uncovering some of the world’s most famous encryptions, and The Real Spies Among Friends, the real story behind A Spy Among Friends.

Delfi licensed Cops on the Rock, showing the work of Gibraltar’s police and customs forces, and Women on the Force, capturing the frontline women officers of the West Yorkshire Police force.

“The crime and mystery genres are fueling a growing demand for series and documentaries, driven by captivating storytelling and compelling headlines,” said Kate Blank, VP of international sales at Blue Ant Studios. “We’ve noticed a rising trend in interest for these stories in CEE. Our catalog includes everything from limited series to long-running returnable franchises that explore real-life crimes, unsolved cases, strange phenomena, police procedurals and profiles of criminal masterminds, all catering to audiences’ growing desire for bingeable, compelling stories and characters.”