News round-up: Keshet closes factual sales; Fox prepares ‘Game Of Talents’; CNN to air US VP doc

River Hunters

Keshet closes factual sales

Broadcasters across Europe, Asia and Australia have picked up a range of UK factual and entertainment shows, following a raft of tape sales by distributor Keshet International (KI).

KI has sold seasons one and two of Hello Halo Productions’ River Hunters (14 x 60-minutes) to A&E Networks in Germany for its channel History and Foxtel in Australia, with partner Bomanbridge Media also closing sales with The Outdoor Channel across Asia and Thailand’s public broadcaster TPBS.

Bomanbridge Media has also sold Pi Productions’ Secrets of the Factories (4 x 60-minutes) and Rumpus Media’s Weekend Breaks With Gregg Wallace (5 x 60-minutes) to National Geographic across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The show has also been picked up by RTL in the Netherlands and SBS Food in Australia, as part of a wider deal with SBS that also includes Secrets Of The Factories, alongside Crackit Productions’ Made In Britain (6 x 60-minutes); The Good Girls’ Guide to Kinky Sex (6 x 60-minutes) and The Lesbian Guide To Straight Sex (4 x 60-minutes) for SBS Viceland.

Meanwhile, KI has sold Flicker Productions’ Dom Does America (10 x 60-minutes) to YLE in Finland, while in Sweden, SVT has acquired Top Hat Productions’ Exposed: The Church’s Dark Secret (2 x 60-minutes).

Further sales include deals with TV4 in Sweden, Sky in New Zealand and DPG Media in Belgium, among others.

Game Of Talents

Fox prepares ‘Game Of Talents’

Fox in the US, SVT in Sweden, and RTL4 and VTM in Holland and Belgium have ordered local versions of Fremantle entertainment format Game Of Talents.

Based on an original format created by Fremantle’s team in Spain with Mediaset España, Game Of Talents sees contestants try to match a hidden talent with the performer in a game that proves that looks can be deceiving.

The commissions follow the recent order by ITV in the UK for a 7 x 60-minute series.

Rob Clark, director of global entertainment at Fremantle, commented: “It’s a great concept with a fantastic track-record in Spain and has huge family appeal for global audiences.

“The show has found great homes in the USA and across Europe, we’re excited to see how they perform.”

Joe Biden

CNN to air US VP doc

CNN Films has acquired North American linear TV rights for the documentary feature President In Waiting, which will air on CNN next month.

The film sees director Jeffrey Roth interview all six living US vice presidents, including Joe Biden (now President-Elect), Mike Pence, Dick Cheney, Al Gore, Dan Quayle, and Walter Mondale, as well as former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter.

The film aims to present an illuminating examination of the relationships between the US President and vice president, and their views of the power of the position, in their own words.

“CNN Films is known for premiering important stories of the day that impact our country, so I couldn’t be more thrilled for the film to have this opportunity,” said Roth.