BBC Studios and Universal Music’s Mercury Studio join forces on music projects

UK pubcaster the BBC’s commercial arm BBC Studios (BBCS) has struck a development deal with Universal Music Group’s audiovisual content outfit Mercury Studio.

Alan Holland

The partnership, which was signed between BBCS’s Documentary Unit and the studio, will see the two firms work together to create a pipeline of music-driven and returnable IP for domestic and international audiences.

The joint slate will be divided into four main genres: social history, social purpose, specialist factual and factual entertainment, and will feature music or music talent.

Mercury Studios and BBCS will handle distribution of projects on a case-by-case basis.

Alan Holland, head of documentary unit at BBCS Production, said: “This partnership has the potential to deliver something incredibly special for documentary lovers and music fans alike. The sheer breadth of the BBCS Docs Unit’s genre expertise and our skills in filmmaking means we can tell stories from a fresh perspective and in a range of new and unexpected forms.”