Soon-to-be-floated ITV Studios (ITVS) and its digital arm Zoo 55 have signed a global deal with New York City’s Big Media for three of the US distributor’s non-scripted programmes.
ITVS will handle sales of Behind the Move: Secrets of High Stakes Transport (6×60′) worldwide, except in Germany, where the series has already been licensed to Big Media’s coproduction partner, NTV.
ITVS has also acquired international rights to 10 one-hour episodes of Secrets Of, a history/mystery series that uncovers the hidden truths behind the world’s most iconic technologies, engineering marvels and landmarks.
Secrets Of is a Big Media original series, coproduced with NTV, RMC Story and Wild Bear Entertainment, with rights in France and Germany already taken.
The third series in the package is The Watering Hole: Surviving South Luangwa (3×60′), from filmmaker Steve Lichtag. Filmed over six years in eastern Zambia, this limited series uncovers the intricate web of connections binding animals to an ancient oasis fed by the Luangwa River.
The deal was brokered by Merrily Ross, VP of global content unscripted for ITVS, and Emma Sparks, senior VP of Europe for Big Media.
“At Zoo 55 and ITV Studios, we’re always looking for eye-catching programming that can resonate both with audiences of the hundreds of broadcasters and streamers we work with globally, as well as those that Zoo 55 reaches directly, every minute of every day, through our growing suite of social media and FAST channels,” said Julie Meldal-Johnsen, executive VP of global content at ITVS.
As part of a deal announced yesterday, Comcast-backed Sky is buying ITV’s channels and streamer, while ITVS will be floated on the London stock exchange after the sale is completed, expected in 2027.