Discovery lines up Psihoyos doc

Discovery Channel has picked up US and international rights to Academy Award-winning director Louie Psihoyos’s documentary Racing Extinction.

The doc, which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, looks at endangered species and follows activists as they expose the black markets in the trading of animal parts.

It will be broadcast simultaneously in Discovery’s 220 international markets as well as being shown in US cinemas and then becomes available on as-yet unrevealed VoD services.

The 1×90′ show has been produced by Oceanic Preservation Society and Okeanos – Foundation For The Sea, in association with numerous other companies including Insurgent Media, Diamond Docs and Vulcan Productions. Director Psihoyos, who co-founded Insurgent, was behind Oscar-winning doc The Cove.

The acquisition comes after Discovery Channel’s recently appointed president Rich Ross said it would row back from ‘fake’ shows such as Megalodon: The New Evidence and Mermaids: The New Evidence.

The deal was negotiated by John Sloss of Cinetic Media on behalf of the filmmakers, with John Hoffman, exec VP of documentaries and specials for Discovery Channel.