BBC Worldwide announces programming deals as Showcase opens

BBC Worldwide has sold a raft of its drama and factual programming to broadcasters across the Middle East and Africa.

Deals include shopping three seasons of Doctor Who to Al Jazeera’s kids channel JCC.

The Al Jazeera Documentary Channel picked up a 200-hour package that includes Attenborough’s Giant Egg and India on Four Wheels.

African pay TV operator MNet, meanwhile, has picked up Ripper Street and Top of the Lake for South Africa.

Israeli pay TV operator Yes has bought a package of drama including Da Vinci’s Demons, while its Israeli broadcast counterpart IBS has acquired The Paradise (pictured) and Call the Midwife.

The commercial arm of the UK public broadcaster announced the deals as its annual Showcase event started today. Held in Liverpool, the event is a sales market for the company, attracting about 700 international buyers.