TV Real In-Demand Recap

With an abbreviated market schedule this year, TV Real rolled out a series of In-Demand reports last month spotlighting five key areas of the business: true crime, lifestyle, history, wildlife and science & technology. If you missed any of these reports, here’s your chance to catch up and find out key details about some of the best new and returning factual productions available on the market.

True Crime

The dark side of human nature continues to fascinate viewers across the globe. As does the sleuthing that results in the bad guys getting caught and the victims finding some justice. ZDF Enterprises’ Crime Watch XY is a manhunt series that has covered 4,800 cases in its long history. From Rive Gauche Television, The Killer Truth is a production for HLN where each episode tells the story of a single murder through the people most intimately connected to the case. GRB Studios’ long-running hit On the Case boasts some 258 episodes available for acquisition as it explores murder mysteries through in-depth interviews with those closest to the case and examines the forensic evidence that helped unravel the mysteries. See the True Crime report here.

Lifestyle

This report includes an eclectic mix of food, home, design, property and family reality titles. ZDF Enterprises’ Kitchen Battle sees talented amateur cooks compete against each other. “Kitchen Battle garners top ratings of more than 17 percent in the early afternoon slot, with almost 3,000 shows aired to date and millions of viewers tuning in each week to watch six ambitious amateur cooks engage in a lively competition at the stove,” says Ralf Rückauer, VP of ZDFE.unscripted at ZDF Enterprises. The Studio Lambert-produced Four in a Bed, distributed by all3media international, follows sets of proud hoteliers and B&B owners as they each take a turn to host each other at their respective establishments, with more than 650 episodes available. The Television Syndication Company (TVS) is offering up the long-running U.S. syndicated hit P. Allen Smith Garden Style, in which the lifestyle expert takes audiences from historic gardens to scenic drives to their own outdoor living spaces. From Gusto Worldwide Media, Cook Like a Chef features a diverse cast of four expert chefs who inspire viewers how to cook, not what to cook. Off the Fence has seven seasons of the lifestyle/reality series Growing Up Hip Hop to offer, following the next generation of hip-hop royalty as they attempt to step outside the shadow of their famous families.

History

The docs featured in this report all bring a new perspective to exploring the past. ORF-Enterprise’s Victims of the Vikings is the latest addition to the successful UNIVERSUM History lineup and shows the human trafficking and slavery that determined the life of the Vikings. ZDF Enterprises’ Countdown to Surrender—The Last 100 Days “tells the story of the dramatic last 100 days of WWII based on the central events, but also brings to life scenes that are symbolic of the apocalyptic nature of the destruction,” says Rückauer. The Television Syndication Company’s Chicago at the Crossroad is a timely film that explores the background of the violence in Chicago’s segregated communities. As the world battles the coronavirus, Autentic Distribution is showcasing Hope and Fear: How Pandemics Changed the World. “This history doc looks at the most significant pandemics, such as the Black Death, smallpox or the Spanish flu—a tremendous journey through time, which has a shocking actuality,” says Mirjam Strasser, head of sales and acquisitions.

Wildlife

The wonders of nature and the animal kingdom are explored in these four stunning wildlife docs. ZDF Enterprises’ Realm of the Volga, from Doclights, gives detailed insight into the diversity of wildlife around Europe’s longest river. all3media international’s The Elephant Hospital takes viewers into a facility that cares for over 100 sick, injured or neglected animals each year. Albatross World Sales’ Land of the Far North is a two-part production about how wildlife has adjusted to the eternal light and everlasting darkness in the Arctic. ORF-Enterprise’s Big Bend—America’s Wildest Frontier presents the Wild West between the U.S. and Mexico with stunning pictures. See the Wildlife report here.

Science & Technology

Society-transforming ideas, climate change and space take center stage in these new science and technology docs. ZDF Enterprises’ Great Inventions consists of 35 episodes about inventions that transformed our world. “This long-running series, created in collaboration with some of the greatest production companies in Europe, talks in a modern and entertaining way about all the things that we tend to take for granted in our modern civilization, highlighting their history and their meaning for our lives in the past, present and future,” says Rückauer. Albatross World Sales’ On Thin Ice is a critically acclaimed film that reveals the devastating effects of climate change in the Arctic. TVF International’s Searching for Light follows professional astronomer Gary Fildes on a mission to find the darkest skies on Earth. See the Science & Technology report here.