SINGAPORE — Heading into the Asian Television Forum & Market happening this week in Singapore, Blue Ant International announced Monday it has secured multiple sales agreements in the Asian market for several of its premium 4K specialist factual, factual entertainment and kids series.
Among the broadcasters who have picked up a range of Blue Ant International titles are Pan Asian network Discovery, as well as A&E Network India, ABS in the Philippines, True Vision in Thailand, TVB in Hong Kong, and MBC, YTN Science and KBS in South Korea.
“Blue Ant International is a top seller of premium 4K specialist factual content in Asia, where there is a strong appetite for natural history and wildlife programming,” said Solange Attwood, executive vice-president, Blue Ant International, in a news release. “Our diverse offering of factual entertainment and kids programming also has the quality and universal appeal that meet the high standards of broadcast partners across Asia.”
Discovery has licensed two series for its Pan Asian network including seasons one and two of Orangutan Jungle School (20×60’ 4K & HD | 6×60′ HD; produced by NHNZ) that follows the antics, triumphs, and tragedies of a group of orphaned orangutans as they progress through a unique forest school, and John Torode’s Middle East (10×30’; Blink Films) that sees chef John Torode first cook on location with local chefs and then recreate three sumptuous dishes.
Discovery in Japan has secured Animal Senses (6×30’; Blue Ant Studios), which traces the evolutionary history of animals’ senses that let them perceive their environment, and it has renewed Dino Hunt (4×60’; Cream Productions), a series that sees the world’s best paleontologists reveal prehistoric mysteries by using CGI technology to bring dinosaurs “back to life”.
Additionally, AETN18 MEDIA PVT (A&E Network, India) has picked up Best Cake Wins (20×30’ HD; Architect Films), a baking competition in which two expert bakers are tested as they create intricate birthday cakes for the most demanding judges of them all — young kids with wild imaginations.
In South Korea, three broadcasters have picked up specialist factual and factual titles. MBC has bought Secret Life of the Koala (2×60’; Blink Films), which follows Australia’s most iconic creatures to uncover the land they call home and the challenges they face adapting to their ever-changing environment.
YTN Science will broadcast Wildlife Icons, seasons one and two, (8×60’ & 6×60’; Off the Fence), which follows the stories of fascinating animals in Africa’s Savannah from the playful meerkat to the tiny elephant shrew.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s KBS will broadcast Blue (1×60’ 4K & HD; Northern Pictures, a Blue Ant Studios company), a provocative journey into the ocean realm, as well as Animals at Play (2×60’ 4K & HDR; Offspring Films), a series that uncovers the fun secrets to why animals play.
TVB in Hong Kong has also licensed Animals at Play (2×60’ 4K & HDR; Offspring Films), as well as Animals Decoded (3×60’ 4K & HD), which reveals the secrets of animal communication, Supersenses (3×60’ 4K & HD; Blink Films), a look into the amazing world of what animals really see, and kids STEM-focused series When I Grow Up! (26×11’; Riverbank Pictures) that follows Mikaela, a girl on a quest to determine what she wants to be when she grows up.
Blue Ant International has also secured the sales of six series to Thailand’s True Vision, which has opted for kids series Make it Big, Make it Small (7×30’; Blue Ant Studios), featuring two kid hosts who explore big experiences and then apply their knowledge to create DIY projects. True Vision has also picked up several factual entertainment series including: Haunted Case Files (16×60’; Our House Media), which presents North America’s leading ghost hunters and mediums as they recount their most riveting supernatural experiences; The Weather Files (8×60’; Blue Ant Studios), that puts the most unusual and freakish weather on the planet in the spotlight; The Inspectors seasons one and two (44×30’; Litton Entertainment), that follows the story of Preston Wainwright, a determined teenage boy genius who is thriving after being paralyzed in a car accident; and seasons one and two of Sarah Off the Grid (12×60’ HD; Alibi Entertainment), which sees celebrity designer Sarah Richardson build an eco-friendly dream home with her family.
