Spain, Belgium reach BBC Earth

Spanish and Flemish networks have become the latest to acquire factual branded programming blocks from BBC Worldwide (BBCWW).

Tobi de Graaff

Flemish network Eén will start airing its BBC Earth block in the third quarter with shows including six-part docuseries Life Story, which follows the journey from birth to parenthood in the animal kingdom, and five-part Africa, which captures intimate encounters with the wildlife of Africa.

Meanwhile Spain’s Canal+1, which launched its programming block in June, has started airing shows including two-part docuseries Sharks, about the huge variety of species in the world’s oceans.

Tobi de Graaff, exec VP of western Europe for BBCWW, said the deals are “a key part of our strategy to bring the highest-quality content and the BBC Earth brand to wider audiences across Western Europe and securing these BBC Earth blocks highlights our long-standing partners’ commitment to our programming.”

BBCWW unveiled factual brand BBC Earth in 2013 along with drama-focused BBC First and more recently male-skewing BBC Brit.

BBC Earth will be launched as a stand-alone channel in Asia later this year and is also prepping a launch in India.