Barcroft takes docs for YouTube

UK factual producer and online specialist Barcroft Media has agreed a deal that will bring factual series from distributors ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVSGE) and Off The Fence (OTF) to its YouTube channel.

Our Lives

ITVSGE and OTF have signed a revenue sharing agreement with Barcroft that will see their programming hosted on Barcroft TV, its online ad-supported video channel.

The titles will be available to view for free in the UK from Thursday and new programming will be added every Tuesday and Thursday evening thereafter. Barcroft says a global roll-out for the YouTube channel will follow.

Titles include Our Lives (5×60′), a series of documentaries it coproduced with Zig Zag Productions on subjects such as obesity distributed by ITVSGE, alongside 18 hours of series from OTF.

This includes You Exposed (4×60′), Body Image (4×60′) and Cosmetic Surgery (4×60′), which explore real-life cosmetic surgery and body image stories, as well as Women in Blue (3×60′), which takes viewers behind the scenes with the LAPD’s toughest female cops.

Barcroft has also licensed OTF’s Changing Sexes (2×60′), a documentary that explores the physical, mental and emotional stories of individuals involved in gender reassignment surgery.

Sam Barcroft, Barcroft Media’s CEO and founder, said: “Premium, longform content is the future for digital channels and we’re excited to be creating a new revenue stream for our production and distribution partners.”