TRT 4K channel takes off

DISCOP: Turkish pubcaster TRT has picked up a package of factual 4K shows for its freshly launched channel TRT 4K.

The package from Japan’s NHK Enterprises features four 52-minute wildlife shows – including Survival in the Ice Kingdom: Polar Bears and A Tale of Gentle Giants – as well as space documentary Voyage over Earth – Astonishing 4K Images from Space. Two of the wildlife docs in the package are still in production.

TRT 4K, which began broadcasts on February 19, has initially launched in a test phase, but manager Şahin Demir said normal broadcasts on the channel would start within six months.

The new channel is currently building up a 4K content inventory. Demir said the aim is produce 50% of the channel’s content in-house, with the rest being added through acquisitions, notably from Europe and Japan.

The channel is being readied for next year when TRT aims to provide 4K coverage of the 2016 Olympic Games, the UEFA European Football Championships and the Champions League final.

Kayoko Ohmae, executive manager of international sales at NHK Enterprises, who oversaw the deal at Discop, said interest in finished 4K shows has been growing at several markets since last year, including Mip and Mipcom, but warned that with true 4K standard taking much longer to shoot, in practice there are very few 4K shows ready to be shipped.