(New York, NY) May 9, 2023 – In advance of Content LA, multi-genre global distribution group, Blue Ant International announced a variety of bespoke, multi-platform deals with multiple broadcast partners that reflect its solutions-based, creative approach to sales.
“The diversity of sales leading into Realscreen exemplifies the advantage of working with Blue Ant International and our flexibility when creating deals that are a win-win for producers and broadcasters,” says Bryan Gabourie, SVP, Sales International Sales & Partnerships, Blue Ant International. “We are constantly evolving whether it’s pre-sales, co-productions or our existing premium content, which has ultimately led to an expansion of the client base with further US buyers.”
A+E NETWORKS
Blue Ant International and A+E Networks are co-producing original episodes of the popular real-estate series Lakefront Luxury. The new season, currently in production, is set to air in the Home.Made.Nation block. The larger agreement also combines the acquisition of the existing two seasons (20 x 30’; Nikki Ray Media Agency). The series follows buyers attempting to find their ultimate luxury escape from the hustle and bustle of the daily grind with stunning views, gorgeous waterfronts, and serene sunsets.
In a pre-sale that has led to a greenlight for a fourth season, A+E Networks has also secured 10 episodes of The Killer in My Family (26 x 60’; Woodcut Media), for Lifetime from the expanding global distribution group. The gripping series examines crimes through the lens of the murderer’s family members. Each episode charts the killer’s horrific descent from family member to murderer from a very personal point of view.
SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL™
Blue Ant International has also secured a number of deals with Smithsonian Channel including the licensing of The Black West: A Counter History of the Wild West (1 x 60’; Capa Films), a documentary that takes an iconic moment in history and retells it from a fresh, untold perspective.
One of the most powerful myths that exists is that the American West was won by heroic white men, but what has been erased from history is that one of four American cowboys was black. Black West flips the narrative by piecing together archives, carefully crafted re-enactments and first-hand historical accounts, and it restores these invisible heroes to their rightful place in history.
Smithsonian has acquired rights to Ireland’s Wild Islands (3 x 60’; 4K; Crossing the Line), which is currently in production. Filmed in savage storm-ravaged locations, Ireland’s Wild Islands illustrates the challenges wild creatures must face to survive on and around these isolated outposts. Host Eoin Warner, one of Ireland’s leading wildlife and outdoor television presenters, voyages by sailboat starting in Ireland’s most northern island, lonely Inishtrahull, then embarking south along Ireland’s Atlantic coast, before reaching the southwestern tip on Skellig.
Smithsonian also renewed rights to 8 Days That Made Rome (8 x 60’; October Films), a series that explores eight key days that define the Roman Empire’s remarkable success and the series of events which would ultimately culminate in the end of Rome’s republic. Award-winning historian and host, Bettany Hughes, travels across the Roman world in this eight-part documentary.
TRUE ROYALTY TV
And in a deal that expanded its partnership with True Royalty TV, the streaming service dedicated to documenting the lives of royal families around the world, Blue Ant International has sold a package of 14 titles that included renewals and fresh content. Documentaries include Christmas at Stately Homes of England (2 x 60’; ITN Productions), Queen’s Coronation in Colour (1 x 60’; Oxford Film and TV), The Diana Interview: Revenge of A Princess (2 x 60’; Minnow Films) and Harry and Meghan: Two Troubled Years (1 x 60’; ITN Productions), all offer a lens into the British royals providing historical context and cultural significance.