BossaNova’s Extreme Tow Truckers hitch a ride from Channel 5, AB Sat France

Great Southern Television’s obs doc The Casketeers

LONDON SCREENINGS: UK pubcaster Channel 5 has acquired Australia- and New Zealand-set reality series Extreme Tow Truckers.

The 19×60’ series, originally produced by Fredbird Entertainment for Australian free-to-air channel 7mate, follows two companies battling it out for lucrative contracts.

The deal was one of several announced by London-based distributor BossaNova at this week’s London TV Screenings.

National Geographic Channels US has taken seasons six to eight and season 13 of docuseries Border Patrol (10×30’), while Planete France has taken Rare TV’s true-crime series Cold Case Killers and Border Force USA: The Bridges (40×60’), made by Stampede Productions.

ABC Sat France, meanwhile, has picked up seasons six to 12 of Border Patrol, plus Extreme Tow Truckers. Bell Media Canada has acquired Cruising: The Biggest Storm (1×90’), made by CJZ about the impact of the Covid crisis on the cruise ship industry, plus plane crash doc Andes Tragedy: 50 Years On (1×60’). RTS and RSI in Switzerland have also licensed the latter title.

“We’re expecting more deals this week for our evergreen titles, as well as for our slate of new shows,” said Holly Cowdery, head of sales at BossaNova.

At an event this evening, BossaNova will unveil The Casketeers (43×30’), an observational docuseries based in a Maori funeral parlour in New Zealand, produced by Great Southern Television.

Also on its slate is historical factual series Castle Secrets (8×60’) from Go Button Media and historical travelogue Ancient Egypt by Train (4×60’), produced by Spark Media.