MIPTV Spotlight: A+E Networks

CANNES: Buyers will get a glimpse of footage from the new Lifetime miniseries The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe for the first time at MIPTV, thanks to A+E Networks.

Joel Denton, the company’s managing director of international content sales and partnerships, highlights how the title provides a deeply personal look into the life of the film icon and “tells a story that maybe not everyone knows.” Also from Lifetime, UnREAL is a dark comedy set against the backdrop of the production of a dating-competition program. From HISTORY, A+E Networks is promoting Sons of Liberty, a scripted miniseries about the founding of America, and Gangland Undercover, a fact-based drama that goes inside the world of biker gangs.

In the A+E Networks reality series Wahlburgers, Hollywood stars and brothers Mark and Donnie Wahlberg join forces with their brother Paul to run a hamburger venture. Denton notes that the show is performing particularly well in the U.S. on A&E, which helps to drive interest internationally. “We find that as our shows get into seasons two and three, they begin to get real traction in the international marketplace,” says Denton. He also highlights the success of Tiny House Nation on the FYI network, where it’s returning for another season. The Curse of Oak Island, meanwhile, centers on the Lagina brothers, who are hoping to discover treasure supposedly buried on an island.