Arte, France 5, NDR board WildBear shows

NDR and Arte have pre-bought Island Paradise: Living in the Torres Strait

France 5, NDR in Germany and Franco-German cultural network Arte are among the international broadcasters to have pre-bought factual content made by Australian prodco WildBear Entertainment.

In deals sealed by Edwina Thring’s UK agency Wild Thring Media, the networks have also joined the series as coproducers.

France 5 has pre-bought Tribal Life: Papua New Guinea (4×60’), a documentary series providing access to tribal cultures that inhabit the Pacific Islands. French firm Lucky You will distribute the series.

NDR and Arte have boarded Island Paradise: Living in the Torres Strait (1×60’), a documentary showcasing everyday life on the islands between Australia’s Cape York and Papua New Guinea. The doc will also be distributed by Lucky You.

Meanwhile, Amazing Animal Families (10×60’) has been pre-bought by Discovery India, with France’s Lagardère Studios set to distribute. The series studies the family life of diverse animals around the world.

Historical documentary series Rise and Fall: The Turning Points of WW2 (6×60’) has been pre-sold to Viasat World for Russia and Central and Eastern Europe.

ProSiebenSat.1 has picked up the series in Germany, while Mediawan Thematics will air it on its Toute L’Histoire channel in France. The programme will examine the 50 key milestones of the Second World War and will coincide with the 80th anniversary of the conflict began.

Mediawan Thematics has also pre-bought Shipping the World (4×60’) and Bridging the Expanse (6×60’). The former, which has also been picked up by N-TV in Germany, combines science, engineering and history to look at the cultural, political and economic impact of shipping. The series will be distributed internationally by Off The Fence, with Mediawan Rights retaining the rights for French-speaking territories.

Bridging the Expanse, meanwhile, celebrates the world’s most iconic bridges, exploring major feats of engineering. British distributor Passion Distribution will sell the series internationally, with Mediawan Rights again holding the rights for French-speaking countries.

Lastly, Italian broadcaster Rai and RSI in Switzerland will air Over Australia (2×60’), a series originally commissioned by Canadian broadcaster Blue Ant Media. The natural history series combines aerial footage of the Australian wilderness with stories about the creatures that inhabit it.