TCB strikes global deals for original docs

Over a dozen broadcasters have pre-bought TCB Media Rights’ original commission Egypt’s Unexplained Files, including Science Channel US, the UK’s Channel 5 and Germany’s ProSieben.

Egypt’s Unexplained Files is the latest series to be directly commissioned and funded by TCB Rights, and follows strong sales for other ‘TCB Original’ series — Massive Engineering Mistakes and Abandoned Engineering.

Egypt’s Unexplained Files (10 x 60 minutes) is produced by UK indie Rare TV and funded by TCB Media Rights with RMC Découverte.

It has been also been pre-bought by China’s Da Neng Culture Media, Australia’s Foxtel, Viasat World for the CEE Nordic and African territories, Italy’s Mediaset, Spain’s Odisea and Czech Republic’s TV Prima.

Launched at MIPCOM last October, the series looks at the new technology that is unraveling the secrets of Ancient Egypt.

Massive Engineering Mistakes (10 x 60 minutes), produced by Argonon-owned BriteSpark Films in association with TCB Media Rights and Discovery UK, also launched at MIPCOM.

The series was recently acquired by Science Channel, France’s Planete+, Discovery and Odisea in Spain, Discovery Italy, Viasat World for CEE and the Nordics and Africa, and Sky TV in New Zealand.

Abandoned Engineering is produced by Like A Shot Entertainment in association with TCB Media Rights. Science Channel has now acquired series three. Abandoned Engineering has also been picked up by Germany’s Welt, as well as Canada’s Blue Ant Media and Bell Media.

Massive Engineering Mistakes and Abandoned Engineering have both been recommissioned by TCB for their second and fourth series respectively bringing the totals to 20 and 50 x 60 -minute episodes of each.

TCB Media Rights founder and CEO Paul Heaney said: “These are some of the earliest shows that we tried out with this so called ‘commissioning’ strategy. Like A Shot’s Abandoned Engineering is the original and a sales phenomenon. Massive Engineering Mistakes has already been a massive sales success and Egypt’s Unexplained Files has been a hit wherever it has aired. As it’s about Egypt and it’s beautifully put together, it sells.”