MIPCOM Factual round-up: China’s Youku takes Karga’s Ottoman series; Discovery goes antiques hunting; UKTV’s W extends ‘The Shift’

Rise Of Empires: Ottoman

Youku snags Karga Seven’s Ottoman series

Chinese streamer Youku is among those to have acquired the first season of docudrama series Rise Of Empires: Ottoman, which was first available via Netflix.

The show is produced by Red Arrow Studios-owned Karga Seven Pictures in association with LA-based STXtv, which has also struck deals with SIC in Portugal and Viasat World across Central & Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Baltics, Russia and CIS.

It comes after news that Turkish distributor Global Agency had acquired rights to sell the show in Latin America.

The six-hour English-language production was shot in multiple locations in Turkey, facilitated by Karga Seven’s Turkish production outfit. The series debuted in 190 countries globally on Netflix in January.

The show tells the epic story of Mehmed II, who at 21 years old became known as Mehmed the Conqueror, chronicling his astonishing and fabled rise from 13-year-old Child Sultan to toppling Constantinople and becoming the ruler of the Ottoman Empire.

Discovery goes antiques hunting

Factual giant Discovery has ordered a new series with Billy Leroy, the star of long-running Travel Channel series Baggage Battles.

Billy Buys Brooklyn is being produced by MY Entertainment and follows the eccentric dealer on his latest venture, a brand new vintage, antiques and collectables store in Brooklyn New York.

Simon Downing, SVP and head of factual & sport at Discovery UK, said: “Antiques shows are an exciting and growing genre at Discovery and we’re keen to expand our offering. We are delighted to be working again with MY Entertainment and to welcome Billy and the cast of colourful characters at Billy Antiques & Props to Discovery – we look forward to seeing you on our screens soon.”

UKTV’s W extends Women On The Force

UKTV-owned channel W has extended its original series The Shift: Women On The Force into a second season.

The 10 x 60-minute docuseries joins hose working for the North Yorkshire Police in the UK and tracks the extraordinary reality the women on the force face in their working lives and how that balances with their everyday lives out of uniform.

The show is co-produced by Lambent Productions and Harbar 8, with executive producers including Ollie Tait for Lambent and Dan Clark-Neal for Harbar 8.

W has enjoyed incredible success with UKTV Original factual series including Inside the Ambulance, with its eleventh series due to air in November.