Arte, Canal+, Rai, NPO among European buyers for TVF International docs

Trump & the Tech Giants was commissioned by ARD

European broadcasters and platforms have picked up a broad slate of factual programming from TVF International ahead of Sunny Side of the Doc, with acquisitions spanning science, history, arts, current affairs and travel.

In France, public broadcaster Arte picked up Trade Secret (1×100’), executive produced by Adam McKay, which investigates the illegal polar bear trade and the role of institutions tasked with protecting the species; science documentary Messengers (1×45’), fresh from festival selections at Visions du Réel and DOXA; and history doc How the Second World War Became a Global War (1×52’).

French pay TV broadcaster Canal+ acquired 24 Hours that Changed the World (2×47’), produced by Like a Shot Entertainment for Channel 4 and SBS. The two-part special examines the final 24 hours leading up to VE Day and VJ Day in 1945. French history channel Histoire added Arming the Arctic (1×50’) to its line-up.

Germany’s ZDF acquired Ulysses: From Myth to Science (2×43’), produced by Mediatika for France Télévisions, a documentary using archaeology, geology and palaeontology to re-examine Homer’s epic tale.

Italian broadcasters showed an appetite for arts and culture programming. Rai acquired Rauschenberg: Everything is Art (1×50’), produced by Brandmedia Film for NDR and Arte, alongside BBC documentary Basquiat: Rage to Riches (1×52’). Swiss Italian-language broadcaster RSI also picked up architecture series Castles from Above (10×52’), produced by Zona Mixta.

In the Benelux region, Belgian telecom operator Proximus licensed The Skinny Jab (2×60’), produced by Aquarius Productions for RTÉ, along with USA: The War on Gender (1×48’) from YLE and The Hidden World of Baby Factories (1×47’), produced by Mediacorp for Channel News Asia. DPG Media acquired health-focused documentary Childhood Obesity: The Overlooked Pandemic (1×58’) from Brandmedia Film.

Belgian public broadcaster VRT acquired Trump & the Tech Giants (1×58’), commissioned by ARD and examining the growing relationship between Silicon Valley and the White House. Distributor Viewcom added science documentary Our Quantum Future (1×52’), produced by Resonance Holdings, as well as Bones of Contention (2×47’), Channel News Asia’s investigation into the global dinosaur bone trade.

In the Netherlands, public broadcaster NPO acquired K-pop documentary Mamamoo: Where Are We Now? (1×104’), alongside France Télévisions’ opera title Maria Callas: The Unsung Years (1×52’) for its digital service.

Portuguese broadcaster RTP acquired aerial documentary Cambodia from Above (1×52’), while Catalan broadcaster 3 selected RTÉ travel series Europe by Train (4×52’), produced by Tyrone Productions.

Elsewhere, Italian broadcaster RSI and Spanish platform Movistar Plus+ both acquired Escape from Chernobyl: 48 Hours that Changed the World (1×47’), produced by Like a Shot Entertainment for Channel 4 and SBS.