Viasat reveals Incredible Mr. Goodwin

Modern Times Group-owned Viasat Broadcasting has acquired pay TV rights for BBC Worldwide’s escapology series The Incredible Mr. Goodwin.

It will broadcast on the Viasat Explorer factual channel in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS, as well as 88 and a half hours of additional programming in a multi-year licensing deal for MTG factual pay TV channels.

The five part series follows escapologist Jonathan Goodwin as he undertakes death defying feats and attempts to balance it with familt life. The series premiered in March on UK television on pay TV channel Watch, which is part of the UKTV stable that BBCWW jointly operates with Scripps Networks Interactive.

Also included in the deal are rights to Richard Hammond’s Crash Course, season two, which will be shown in Russia and the CIS; and Where the Wild Men Are with Ben Fogle, which will be shown in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS. Both series will be broadcast on Viasat Explorer.

Karin Heijink, VP, MTG’s East European pay-TV channels business, said: “The Incredible Mr. Goodwin is set to capture the imaginations of our viewers across many countries, and we are looking forward to introducing him to them. Our channels are already among the most popular in the region, and this deal will further strengthen our programme offering.”

Heike Renner, VP and General Manager, Central and Eastern Europe, BBCWW, added: “Male-skewed factual entertainment has been a major area of growth in our catalogue during the last year, and The Incredible Mr. Goodwin – which has been licensed to over 100 territories – is one of the best examples of the genre.”