MIPCOM: The Week in Factual

TV Real takes a look at the factual content deals that made headlines at MIPCOM last week.

Speaking to reporters as MIPCOM wound down last week, RX France’s Lucy Smith revealed early plans for MIPTV, set to return to Cannes from April 17 to 19, 2023. Like last year’s market, MIPTV 2023 will see MIPDoc running parallel to the event rather than on the weekend before.

“Last April, we did deliver on that promise of a more productive and concentrated market,” said Smith. “We’re growing again. Doc and factual will lead that growth. We’ve heard the message from the industry. We’ve rethought MIPDoc, which will be at the heart of MIPTV to become the annual international platform in Cannes for documentary and factual programming launches.” MIPDoc will feature “an even more comprehensive program, incorporating kids’ factual as well as the new international factual and documentary showcase, a producers hub and screenings library,” Smith added.

In addition, Canneseries, which is returning for a sixth season from April 14 to 19, 2023, will feature its first international documentary series competition. “Whether the main character is sport, history, a crime, a celebrity, the environment or a changing society, it is always about telling stories,” said Albin Lewi, artistic director of Canneseries. “And Canneseries, which promotes serial writing in all its forms, had to highlight this narration of reality.”

Meanwhile, MIPCOM proved to be a busy week for those in the factual community, with some of the segment’s biggest players announcing several significant deals. Of note, BBC Studios closed a raft of international sales for its Natural History Unit’s landmark series Frozen Planet II, announcing agreements with Movistar+, Mediaset, Nine, SVT and more. BBC Studios also renewed its multigenre agreement with ABC in Australia, with factual content a key part of the alliance, including the latest titles from documentary-maker Louis Theroux and physicist Professor Brian Cox and the forthcoming documentary series Frida.

BossaNova Media closed a string of global sales for various series from the Border Force and Border Patrol franchises. “It’s clear that audiences worldwide are fascinated by the lives and work of those on the frontline of where our borders meet,” said Holly Cowdery, head of sales at BossaNova. “Luckily for us, the stories are infinite and never fail to entertain and surprise. Hats off too to Greenstone and Stampede for producing such fascinating, solid and, importantly, returning programming.”

Global Screen landed several slots for the documentary Munich ’72, a co-production with Sipur (formerly Tadmor Entertainment) and Israel’s Channel 8, marking the 50th anniversary of the slaughter of Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympic Games. The doc was picked up by Poland’s Canal+, Italy’s La 7, Slovenia’s RTV and Spain’s Filmin, with more deals in the works.

GRB Studios closed a round of deals for Untold Stories of the ER and On the Case, while Discovery UK licensed season three of Death Walker featuring Nick Groff.

In new content news, Autentic said it had partnered with Monaco’s public broadcaster MCR TV to produce the documentary Monaco Explorations, focusing on scientists researching remote marine environments around the world. Zee Plus, the co-production and development arm of Zee Entertainment Enterprises, said it is working on The Lion’s Last Roar, its latest co-production with Talesmith. Lionsgate entered a first-look deal with producers Karis Jagger and Fabienne Toback, best known for their work on High on the Hog. FilmRise revealed it is working with Zig Zag Productions on The Interrogation Room, hosted by Vivica A. Fox. Guinness World Records (GWR) launched GWR Studios, which will lead the creative development, production and output of content for the brand.

Catch up on these stories and more on TVReal.com.