BBCWW agrees new CCTV pact

BBC Worldwide (BBCWW) and Chinese state broadcaster CCTV have forged a new alliance that will see the two firms collaborating on new factual series and live TV events.

BBCWW, the commercial arm of UK pubcaster the BBC, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CCTV Documentary Channel (CCTV9) which will see the two firms coproducing on a range of natural history content.

The agreement, based around BBCWW’s factual content brand BBC Earth, will see at least two major projects launched over the next six months, with details yet to be released.

The MOU will also see BBCWW and CCTV9 co-developing docs that focus on the Chinese and Asian markets but target a global audience, and coproducing live event shows.

Liu Wen, MD of CCTV9, said the new agreement would enable the channel to reach new audiences, while Paul Dempsey, BBCWW president of global markets, added that the deal was a “significant milestone” in the history of BBCWW’s business in China.

“The projects we will be working on will enable us to bring our flagship BBC Earth content to audiences across China and help bring together UK and Chinese creative talent.”

BBCWW previously signed coproduction deals with CCTV9 for science series Generation Earth, Wonders of Life and Africa, and recently worked with the Chinese broadcaster on Hidden Kingdoms.