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Factual

C21Factual is the non-fiction section on C21Media.net which pulls together all our coverage of the genre in one dedicated area.

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FEATURES

Latin America eyes a seat at the unscripted copro table

Tax incentives bring renewed production interest to mighty Manitoba

Blue Ant opens chequebook to follow up Red Bull coup

Samsung’s Ana Izquierdo Lowry on the potential for live FAST events

Vimeo, Nikon, Red join forces for new short film grant

Consolidation proves production sector remains attractive to investors

How US unscripted fell into a swamp and why it's struggling to climb out

Fremantle measures seismic change on the Richter scale

Boat Rocker docks in London in search of partnerships

3Vision's Davison on FAST's importance to UK exports

Andrew Cohen on why BBC Studios is Walking with Dinosaurs again

Rapid change: How BBC Studios is evolving its FAST strategy

Taking C4's The Jury: Murder Trial from pitch to screen

Quintus takes its YouTube strategy to the next level

US unscripted business faces up to the rise of the creator economy

The making of The Last Musician of Auschwitz

Eva Longoria and Cris Abrego aim high with Hyphenate

Lat Am welcomes the new buyers on the block

How apps like Snapchat are rewriting the rules of sports content

Lucky 8 sees US unscripted beat a path back to copros

Keith Scholey on Silverback’s call to eco action

YouTube, AI dominate factual execs’ new year predictions

New year, new priorities, trends and challenges – pt 2

New year, new priorities, trends and challenges – pt 1

CBC/Radio-Canada’s Catherine Tait bids adieu after six whirlwind years 

Kathleen Finch, WBD and cable TV are entering new chapters 

C21/New Forest's survey on AI in production reveals industry concerns, optimism

Congress puts future of factual in the spotlight

Old and new meet at Content London as industry weighs AI’s threats and opportunities

True crime and the importance of duty of care

The price of success in the creator economy

Europe's lurch to right puts pubcasters in peril

After Party Studios looks to embrace traditional media

Don't believe everything you hear about AI

Mipcom 2024: positives in a changing content economy

Taiwan's festival of partnership gets ready to kick off

International industry heavyweights join the TCCF line-up

Will AI lead to the extinction of natural history filmmaking?

ABC chair Kim Williams: decline in news standards threatens democracy

TCCF fast becoming a platform for global collaboration

The rebirth of TV's ‘oldest trend’  

Can lifestyle channel reboot lay foundation for a Corus turnaround?  

Opening the gate to Berlin-Brandenburg

Nat Geo on rethinking the tried and tested

Canadian broadcasters grapple with ‘mediocrity’ and discoverability

Pact’s McVay offers practical solutions to UK industry decline

Nigeria's Showmax spotlights fashion, social media and royalty

Amadasun: Netflix is here for the long haul

What global interest might mean for Africa

Philiso highlights Africa's growing influence on global content

What will the WBD rights shift mean for Canadian unscripted?

How Edinburgh was overpowered by YouTube

UK prodco bosses answer the £1bn question

Have obs docs had their day?

Influencers imbue travel with a new spirit of adventure

Incentives to work in Serbia are stacking up

bTV takes the entertainment route to diversification

Docs that do justice to the facts

Building an Icon two years in

A1 Group's route to success with ‘super-aggregation’

Reasons to be cheerful: M&A on the up

Why is LA’s unscripted production volume cratering?

Factual needs to grow out of this cycle of repetition

Architect of Deutsche Telekom's unorthodox alliance with Netflix

Gozdowski makes Max effort in Poland

Shark Teeth pivots to a new plan of attack

WBD's Cooke stirs more unscripted and docs into the mix

The new incentives making it easier to Film in Austria

TVF's Samuel Joyce offers his Sunny Side takeaways

Postcard from Sunny Side of the Doc in La Rochelle

Election casts uncertainty over French factual market

Examining true crime’s trial of the century through a new lens

What the buyers were looking for at Sheffield Doc/Fest

Streamers out to make a bundle

Canadian SVoD regulation: seven questions following landmark decision

Time to reverse the skills brain drain

Postcard from Content Warsaw

Rediscovering the lost art of distribution by Osmosis

SV Docs fund seeks to give factual filmmakers a global stage

Back to the future? Why the latest studio strategies feel familiar

Is true crime immune to the industry downturn?

The six main talking points at LA Screenings 2024

Channel 4's algorithm method in action

Unscripted added to Beers necessities at Shondaland

Hollywood braces itself for OpenAI's Sora

Is true crime immune to industry downturn?

Setting the table for FAST in Latin America

Hot properties: 21 shows for LA Screenings Independents

US shows still fly with elusive Kiwis says TVNZ's Wolfe

The view from south of the border

Crisis to capitalisation: the bright side of distribution in 2024

Music publishing giant Concord steers into originals  

How will AI change the viewing experience?

Avoiding the icebergs to land a non-scripted commission

Can Netflix keep up its momentum after two-year turnaround?

Going Dutch to finance film and TV production with the NFF

Why traditional TV should take notice of the $100m Dude Perfect deal

Time to bid au revoir to MipTV

Distributor survive and thrive strategies – part three

Spring surprises: 21 shows to watch out for at MipTV

NEWS

Ex-Quebecor Content exec Yann Paquet to take over as president and CEO of TV5 Québec Canada

Association for International Broadcasting slams Trump’s move to silence Voice of America and axe staff

Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni dispute doc heading to 5 and Investigation Discovery

Mae Martin doc heads to Swedish Films as part of raft of TVF International factual sales

WBD, Olympic Channel dive into Tom Daley doc

Global buyers queue up for factual sequel Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson

Fifth Season and Fox alum Hetal Limbachia joins Little Dot Studios as senior acquisitions manager

Latin America eyes a seat at the unscripted copro table

John Balson suicide points to industry-wide mental health crisis, claims Film & TV Charity’s Marcus Ryder

Arte dives into Oceania: The Ocean’s Protectors

BBC celebrates country music with Rob Brydon travelogue

Lionsgate’s Kevin Beggs named chairman of International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

Screen Australia extends Mailman’s board term, ACTF and ACMA make appointments

Australia’s Nine Entertainment confirms appointment of Matt Stanton as CEO and MD

Matthew Glotzer steps up to lead strategy and corporate development at A+E Global Media

Tax incentives bring renewed production interest to mighty Manitoba

AI subscriptions on the rise among tech-savvy Millennials in the US, research shows

Channel 5 in UK unites linear and streaming offerings with rebrand, adds other Paramount offerings

Channel 4’s Ian Katz calls for more freelancer support after report into death of producer John Balson

Call Her Daddy podcast creator Alex Cooper goes Overboard for Love with Hulu series

Culinary brand Tastemade bought by delivery service Wonder in $90m deal

BBC supports indies across the UK in response to production consolidation

BBC goes Inside the Crisis at Thames Water with Brinkworth Productions

Distributor Cineflix Rights and London-based Papercup strike AI dubbing partnership

Netflix orders stranger-than-fiction doc Con Mum from The Trouble with Kanye producer Forest

Village Roadshow, CBS alum Alix Jaffe appointed president of TV at Miramax

CBS picks up Hearst Media eco-adventure series The Visioneers with Zay Harding

Skydance claims rival Paramount bidder trying to ‘hijack’ deal proceedings with late offer

We TV brings back The Braxtons for season two

Former BBC Studios exec Brad Horvath named VP of content sales at Boat Rocker Studios

UK indies facing greater competition for one-off docs as UK commissioning crisis continues

Investment firm Tower Peak Partners hires Elisa Alvares to create IP exploitation fund

M&A activity contributes to strong 2024 financial performance at Scotland’s STV Group

Samsung TV Plus and YouTube channel CazéTV to offer more live sports programming in Brazil

Former BBC Studios digital programming chief Athena Witter launches consultancy

Netflix’s $18bn 2025 content spending spree is ‘just the start’, claims CFO Spencer Neumann

New MD Hugh Marks promises ‘content comes first’ as he takes the helm at Australia’s ABC

Béatrice Nouh returns to Mediapro Studio Distribution after two years at Onza

SBS, BBC Studios, Smithsonian and others buy WWII docs in 80th anniversary year

Blue Ant opens chequebook to follow up Red Bull coup

Korea’s KBS, Japan’s NHK explore wildlife and nature with docs from Harbour Rights

Finland has potential for strong subs growth driven by global streamers, Mediavision study shows

Netflix whips up second season renewal of With Love, Meghan despite critical panning

Oz funding agencies Screen Australia and Screenwest pay out cash to bolster production skills

CEO François Riahi says Banijay keen to be part of next M&A wave, dismisses concern over debt

Raw Cut, Firecrest alum Mark Roberts joins True Vision as prodco’s first creative director

Samsung’s Ana Izquierdo Lowry on the potential for live FAST events

Vimeo, Nikon, Red join forces for new short film grant

TelevisaUnivision and DirecTV agree multi-year Spanish-language content deal

ABC Commercial hires BBCS exec Simon Lopez to lead strategy and business development

BBC Studios taps Juli Porter as commercial and operations chief at Natural History Unit

Screen Australia promotes Michele McDonald to new offset and copro advisor role

Matchbox’s Matt Vitins takes over from Peter Anderson as MD of Aussie prodco Northern Pictures

A+E Global Media teams up with Japanese cultural affairs agency for food doc The Art of Washoku

Banijay revenue largely flat in a tough 2024 at $3.6bn but predicts market rebound

Netflix schedules next boxing event to follow up Tyson-Paul fight, renews Running Point

Wildlife and nature FAST channel Earth Touch TV launching on DirecTV in the US

BBC Storyville and Canada’s CBC board college culture wars doc from Gibney, Hoffmann Meyer

ITV profit more than doubles in 2024 despite revenue dip caused by US strikes

TVNZ, TV2, RTL, DPG pre-buy Superhomes

C5 signs Vanessa Feltz for daytime talkshow

Racism in sport comes under the spotlight as ABC’s End Game begins global production

Tax and benefit changes could transform lives of UK’s struggling TV freelancers, research finds

ProSiebenSat.1’s focus on streaming strategy pays off with revenue rise, results show

Czech MPs approve funding boost for pubcaster Česká Televize despite opposition

Rebranded A+E Global Media sets 2025/26 slate, development pact with Tyler Perry and Pantheon

Ex-Beyond Rights exec Sherry Fynbo sets up true crime-focused prodco Last Word Entertainment

Consolidation proves production sector remains attractive to investors

Prime Video UK to hunt for successor to departing MD Chris Bird

Expanding Blue Ant Media in talks to buy Canadian group Boat Rocker’s production assets

Jambika takes rights to Boutique: To Preserve & Collect

Spirit Studios updates advisory board

Deirdre Ní Choistín promoted to take over as Irish-language broadcaster TG4’s director general

SBS, ABC and Māori Television shop for factual at TVF Int’l during Aussie doc event AIDC

BBC boss Tim Davie ‘lost faith’ in controversial Gaza doc but admits it could still return to iPlayer

Australia’s WTFN relaunches content creator representation arm as Radar Talent

Swedish series Help! We’ve Bought a Farm heads to TV2 Denmark

WBD’s Zaslav urges Euro lawmakers to be ‘light’ on regulation and hints at local partnerships

Banijay’s Truly Original partners comedian George Lopez on feature doc and reality series

How US unscripted fell into a swamp and why it’s struggling to climb out

Canal+ suffers 2024 earnings drop after C8 licence blow and forecasts 2025 revenue hit

UK producer World Media Rights set to close following death of founder

WBD reveals Max Turkey launch date and investment in local Turkish content

Streamer revenues outstripped pubcaster earnings in Europe for the first time in 2024, Ampere claims

MetFilm teams up with United Media for doc on Yugoslav criminal mastermind Olivera Ćirković

Hearst Networks EMEA hears Two Sides of History

BBC Studios digital programming chief Athena Witter to exit, hints at consultancy move

BBC Studios Digital Brands launches two new natural history series on YouTube

Screen Australia puts $1.4m into eight local docs including Crowded House rockumentary

ITV treats itself to Katie Piper’s Weekend Escape

Prime Video orders octopus doc from Jigsaw Productions, Waller-Bridge’s Wells Street

Unscripted chief Kate Phillips named interim CCO at BBC as Charlotte Moore set to join Left Bank

SPA calls for urgent industry reform and pre-election action to boost documentary sector

Cablenet Lifetime greenlights reality series A Sorority Mom’s Guide to Rush from Vice Studios

BBC Studios ANZ taps CNN Int’l exec Robi Stanton to head content sales, channels, streaming and ads

C21’s complete London TV Screenings round-up

Bectu calls for action on rest breaks as research shows huge health and safety risk to crew

A&E opens gates to Stadium Lockup from RIVR Media

OpenAI’s Sora released in the UK and Europe as row over copyright theft deepens

Off the Fence strikes development deal with US journalists Gloria Gomez, Robin Carter

Southern Cross sells last regional TV assets to James Packer-backed ADH TV

Fremantle measures seismic change on the Richter scale

Pubcaster TVNZ turns half-year profit of $29m in tough ad market after cost-cutting drive

Boat Rocker docks in London in search of partnerships

International broadcasters consider following in Channel 4, ITV’s footsteps with YouTube strategy shifts

Warner Bros Discovery sees ‘clear path’ to 150 million Max subs by end of 2026 as streamer adds 6.4 million in Q4

Apple alum Pete Distad tapped to lead upcoming Fox D2C service as CEO

ITV ringfences another £80m for diverse commissioning over next three years

Blue Ant Media unveils key promotions within senior leadership team

ZDF Studios preps three nature docs with Doclights

Squid Game S2, Perfect Couple, Monsters top Netflix’s latest viewership report

Paramount adds 5.6 million D2C subs but posts $286m loss in streaming

3Vision’s Davison on FAST’s importance to UK exports

Warner Bros Discovery drops plans for separate live sports and news tier on Max in US

ITV Studios unveils partnerships with Vice, China’s Zhejiang Media at Screenings press breakfast

SBS, Histoire discover Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

Little Dot picks up rights to Leaving Neverland 2

Viaplay unveils premium scripted slate headed by Bosnia drama A Life’s Worth at screenings

SkyNZ, C4 partner on new George Clarke series

Nine Entertainment targets $63.5m in cost cuts as restructure extends to 2027

Barb to be world’s first audience measurement body to report YouTube channel viewing on TV sets

Warner Bros Discovery to launch Max down under in March, boosted by Foxtel carriage deal

Paramount ANZ hires ex-Netflix exec Nick O’Donnell, Seven West Media loses regulatory chief

TV2 Denmark looking for another royal romance after success of Dutch drama Máxima

Andrew Cohen on why BBC Studios is Walking with Dinosaurs again

Hearst Networks, WBD and Polsat dig up Hitler’s Treasure Hunters docuseries from Keshet Int’l

BBC, Corus, Bravo NZ, Talpa TV pre-buy Foxtel docu-soap Billion Dollar Playground 

Nat Geo Wild, Arte and CCTV reach out to Earth Touch for blue-chip wildlife content

BBC Studios’ Tom Fussell advises buyers to swim ‘where the fish are’ on YouTube

Schibsted Media acquires TV4 Sweden, MTV Finland from Telia in $615m deal

ABC Oz, SVT and Telefonica on board BBC Studios’ Walking With Dinosaurs reboot as pre-buyers

Off the Fence to produce AI-powered factual content with Return to Earth Studio

Avalon’s Jon Thoday calls on BBC to free up funding for content by moving channels to YouTube

McGillivray Entertainment president Angela Jennings exiting to launch new venture  

New takes on Maigret and Bergerac head Banijay Entertainment’s London TV Screenings slate

WBD brings Asma Khan series to Food Network

Silverlining Rights shops Unmasking Belle Gibson

Histoire shops at Big Media for Al Qaeda doc

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen finds more Outrageous Homes

Nine Entertainment’s classifieds asset Domain Holdings receives $1.7bn acquisition offer from CoStar

Australian comedy-drama Sunny Nights headlines Cineflix Rights’ scripted slate

Australia’s ABC, BBC Studios renew long-running deal for best of British content

Blue Ant Studios scales the heights with acquisition of Red Bull Studios sports and adventure content

Rapid change: How BBC Studios is evolving its FAST strategy

UK PSBs ‘barely register’ with under-35s in fast-shifting viewing ecosystem, report reveals

All3Media International ‘pauses’ sales on Gaza doc after BBC pulls it from iPlayer

Taking C4’s The Jury: Murder Trial from pitch to screen

Jesse Daniels elevated to senior VP, development and current at Bunim/Murray 

US cablenet operator A+E launches new digital division led by Ann McGowan

Hearst Networks, Sky, Nutopia drama-doc investigates newspaper frenzy around Jack the Ripper

Disney EMEA senior VP Nami Patel takes on expanded role to include consumer strategy

Discovery Channel renews five factual series

Israeli content streamer Izzy acquires Gaza conflict docuseries Fighters plus four dramas

Bell Media strikes pact with US-Canadian comedian Tom Green to co-develop for CTV and Crave

ABC, PBS and ITV Studios warm to Ages of Ice from Australia’s Northern Pictures

BBC Studios ups Zbigniew Pruski to key partnerships role, extends channel brands in CEE

Germany’s Quintus Studios names Fred Gillingham as development and production executive

Viaplay sticks to commercially viable entertainment formats following tough few years

Denmark’s TV2 orders tech-driven factual format AI Love You

Swiss distributor CosmoBlue Media expands AVoD offering with acquisition of YouLook.tv

Saudi Arabia’s Surj buys stake in sports streamer DAZN

Endemol Shine Australia, Japan’s TBS reveal partnership, announce new format The Insider

BBC Studios to launch BBC Player and new FAST channels in Spain as Movistar Plus+ pact extended

ITN doc Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy to head Blue Ant’s 40-strong London TV Screenings slate

Australian free-to-air broadcasters get spectrum tax reprieve as industry calls for it to be scrapped

BBC Factual goes into therapy with Twenty Twenty

Untold Stories of the ER proves to be the right medicine for Discovery USA

ITV opens Jeremy Pang’s Hong Kong Kitchen

Bear Hunt, Ninja Warrior outfit ATS opens Manchester base to expand into UK regional production

Czech Republic sets sights on international TV market with series of enhanced tax breaks

Endemol Shine Boomdog enters the ring with La Jaula Studios for MMA docuseries development deal

Pact’s John McVay: UK commissioners are ‘lowballing’ producers

Little Dot Studios to double digital channels, launches Little Dot Channels

Sky heads to The Dyers’ Caravan Park

ERT, TVP in Greece, Poland’s Canal+ among latest nets to acquire docs from Autentic Distribution

Czech pubcaster Česká Televize left in limbo by delay to licence fee increase

BBC renews The Travelling Auctioneers, Antiques Road Trip

C4 heads to Vegas to visit Martin Compston

S4C appoints ex-Endemol, BBC execs to board

Sky, Sundance Now take true crime docuseries The Killer Clown: Murder on the Doorstep

A+E Networks’ David Zagin steps down after 25 years, takes on advisory role

Next Studios plots Boston Influential project

HGTV orders ranch-set series Chasing the West from Scott Brothers Entertainment 

NBC Sports alum Michael Perman brought in to lead sports-related content at The CW

Vote on increasing Česká Televize budget nears as pubcaster’s licence fee funding under threat

‘Diddy’ Combs sues NBC, Peacock and Ample for $100m over The Making of a Bad Boy documentary

Aussie lobby group ThinkTV loses chief

Operators agree to buy United Group’s Serbian TV and telecoms assets in deals totalling $1.5bn

BBCS extends natural history deals across ANZ

Network 10 picks up station licence from WIN

Canada’s Amuz renamed Just for Entertainment Distribution in line with parent ComediHa!’s rebrand

Foxtel content chief Alison Hurbert-Burns departs after six years prompting management reshuffle

France Télévisions, Bleu Kobalt and Banijay’s KM join forces on doc Anne Frank: The Story of a Young Girl

Cineflix to distribute C4’s Help! We Bought a Village

MSNBC confirms Rebecca Kutler as permanent president as it preps cablenet spin-off

Sam Mendes to direct Holocaust-themed documentary film What They Found for the BBC

FACTUAL SHOWS FROM C21MARKETPLACE

C21Factual is the non-fiction section on C21Media.net which pulls together all our coverage of the genre in one dedicated area. C21’s Factual Weekly carries further coverage of this sector.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THE C21FACTUAL WEEKLY
Section editor
Clive Whittingham
Email Clive Whittingham

LATEST C21FACTUAL NEWS

MORE
Association for International Broadcasting slams Trump's move to silence Voice of America and axe staff
Fifth Season and Fox alum Hetal Limbachia joins Little Dot Studios as senior acquisitions manager
Ex-Quebecor Content exec Yann Paquet to take over as president and CEO of TV5 Québec Canada
Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni dispute doc heading to 5 and Investigation Discovery
Global buyers queue up for factual sequel Leaving Neverland 2: Surviving Michael Jackson
Mae Martin doc heads to Swedish Films as part of raft of TVF International factual sales
John Balson suicide points to industry-wide mental health crisis, claims Film & TV Charity's Marcus Ryder
Lionsgate's Kevin Beggs named chairman of International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Australia’s Nine Entertainment confirms appointment of Matt Stanton as CEO and MD
Matthew Glotzer steps up to lead strategy and corporate development at A+E Global Media
Screen Australia extends Mailman's board term, ACTF and ACMA make appointments
Culinary brand Tastemade bought by delivery service Wonder in $90m deal
AI subscriptions on the rise among tech-savvy Millennials in the US, research shows
Channel 4's Ian Katz calls for more freelancer support after report into death of producer John Balson
Call Her Daddy podcast creator Alex Cooper goes Overboard for Love with Hulu series
Channel 5 in UK unites linear and streaming offerings with rebrand, adds other Paramount offerings
BBC supports indies across the UK in response to production consolidation
Skydance claims rival Paramount bidder trying to 'hijack' deal proceedings with late offer
Village Roadshow, CBS alum Alix Jaffe appointed president of TV at Miramax
Former BBC Studios exec Brad Horvath named VP of content sales at Boat Rocker Studios
M&A activity contributes to strong 2024 financial performance at Scotland's STV Group
Netflix schedules next boxing event to follow up Tyson-Paul fight, renews Running Point
New MD Hugh Marks promises 'content comes first' as he takes the helm at Australia's ABC
Oz funding agencies Screen Australia and Screenwest pay out cash to bolster production skills
SBS, BBC Studios, Smithsonian and others buy WWII docs in 80th anniversary year
UK indies facing greater competition for one-off docs as UK commissioning crisis continues
2025 slate from Australia's ABC led by kids, drama and comedy commissions
5X Media grows roster of creator-economy talent after hiring Michael Morriatti
A Place in the Sun prodco Freeform Productions launches new label Double FTV
A&E, WWE wrestle with expanded partnership, launch new in-ring competition

LATEST C21FACTUAL FEATURES

Latin America eyes a seat at the unscripted copro table

Tax incentives bring renewed production interest to mighty Manitoba

Blue Ant opens chequebook to follow up Red Bull coup

Samsung’s Ana Izquierdo Lowry on the potential for live FAST events

Vimeo, Nikon, Red join forces for new short film grant

Consolidation proves production sector remains attractive to investors

How US unscripted fell into a swamp and why it's struggling to climb out

Fremantle measures seismic change on the Richter scale

Boat Rocker docks in London in search of partnerships

3Vision's Davison on FAST's importance to UK exports

Andrew Cohen on why BBC Studios is Walking with Dinosaurs again

Rapid change: How BBC Studios is evolving its FAST strategy
Keshet unveils global scripted fund
All3 eyes mid-range drama
Icflix lines up Tunisian film
Wowow eyes Western copros

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