Frozen Planet hits China

Central China Television (CCTV) has acquired upcoming natural history series Frozen Planet from BBC Worldwide (BBCWW).

CCTV, which previously co-produced the series Beautiful China together with the BBC, will air Frozen Planet (6×50′) later this year.

The programme is a co-production between the BBC, Discovery, Antena 3, ZDF, the Open University and Skai.

It sees renowned natural history programme maker Sir David Attenborough reunited with the award winning team behind Blue Planet and Planet Earth, though Attenborough only narrates.

The series takes new technology to the Arctic and Antarctic, capturing wildlife images from deep underneath ice and deep within an erupting polar volcano.

BBCWW has been holding its second annual Showcase China event this week giving local broadcasters a chance to see some of the shows on its slate.

The company has previously sold Top Gear, Dancing with the Stars and Tonight’s The Night into the market. BBCWW works with local prodco ShiXi Prodctions to license and develop formats in China.