Blue Ant scores Japanese sales with NHK, FNG Japan

Turtle Beach

Japanese public broadcaster NHK has swooped for Blue Ant International’s blue chip natural history doc Turtle Beach.

The deal is among a slate of licensing and renewal agreements struck with NHK as well as cable and satellite network Fox Networks Group Japan.

NHK has licensed three new titles including Turtle Beach (1 x 60 minutes; Renegade Pictures & Merit Entertainment), which reveals turtles’ nesting behaviours and the hidden world inside their nests; UFOs: The Lost Evidence (1 x 60 minutes; Megalomedia), which asks whether human contact with UFOs is deeper and more far-reaching than imagined; and Rooted (1 x 60 minutes; Rooted Media), a natural history film showcasing five of South Africa’s most iconic trees and the unique animals, insects and birds surrounding them.

Fox Networks Group (FNG) Japan has also secured a new license for Blue (1 x 60 minutes; Northern Pictures), a provocative journey into the ocean realm, while renewing four other natural history series.

FNG Japan renewals include Undiscovered Vistas season one (8 x 60 minutes; Blue Ant Studios), an aerial journey that reveals some of the most beautiful places in the world; Coastal Africa season one (4 x 60 minutes; Off The Fence), which follows the vibrant marine life that thrives where two oceans converge on the southern tip of Africa; Great Blue Wild season one (6 x 60 minutes; Blue Ant Studios), which joins marine ecologists as they uncover ocean secrets and defend endangered animals; and Land of Gremlins season one (3 x 60 minutes; Off The Fence), which journeys through Madagascar for a glimpse of some of Earth’s weirdest and rarest creatures.

Solange Attwood, EVP of Blue Ant International, said: “Blue Ant International’s premium content aligns perfectly with the beautiful and thought-provoking factual programming our Japanese broadcast partners curate.

“Both broadcasters have high standards for storytelling and high-quality productions, which speaks to the strength and universal appeal of our 4K programming and we look forward to working with NHK and Fox Global Networks Japan to place additional titles on their platforms.”