Russian sales first, CEE deals, for BBC Worldwide

BBC Worldwide has cut its first deal with Amedia, the fledgling Russian broadcaster dubbed ‘the Russian HBO’, TBI has learned.

AMedia launched its channels and on-demand service last year, snagging an exclusive output deal with HBO and content deals with Fox, Showtime and Starz among others.

It has picked up a thirty-hour package from BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the UK public broadcaster. Titles include the comedy drama The Wrong Mans and Jane Campion-penned mystery drama Top of the Lake.

Worldwide has also concluded drama programming deals with other Russian broadcasters with TV3, which has acquired Atlantis and Da Vinci’s Demons, Ren TV, which took A Young Doctor’s Notebook & Other Stories and Rostelecom, which buying the third season of Sherlock.

The Russian MIPTV agreements came as Worldwide struck a raft of deals in the neighbouring CEE region. In another sales first, it sealed its first deals with Polish thematic channel Fokus TV, which picked up an 80-hour package including History of the World and Human Planet.

Elsewhere in the CEE region, RCS & RDS in Romania, TVP in Poland, LTV in Latvia and ETV in Estonia all acquired Dolphins: Spy in the Pod (pictured), one of the new factual titles Worldwide launched internationally at its Showcase event in February.

Poland’s TVP has also bought other natural history title Wild Brazil as well as dramas Parade’s End and The Fear. LTV has also acquired a broader package of shows, which includes Fleming – The Man Who Would be Bond.

Croatia’s HRT picked up a 200-hour package with drama titles including Sherlock, Mr Sloane and Gangsta Granny landing at the free-to-air broadcaster. In Hungary, MTV has acquired a package of drama titles including The Musketeers and Sherlock season three.

Heike Renner, vice president & territory manager CEE, BBC Worldwide, said: “These deals cap another very successful year for us in Central & Eastern Europe. With our strong pipeline of content across all genres we’re well placed to continue growing our sales business in the region.”