Upcoming Sky Arts Germany buys Autentic shows

The upcoming Sky Arts Germany channel has bought a package of programming from Cologne-based Autentic Distribution.

Sky Arts Germany was confirmed earlier this year as part of a plan to better integrate Sky’s various entities, and is understood to be lining up a spring 2016 linear debut. An on-demand service has already launched in the territory.

The deal with Autentic is for arts-themed programming and comprises 25 hours in total.

Sky Arts currently runs in the UK and Ireland, where it is the only channel dedicated to arts topics. It began life as Artsworld, but joined the Sky fold in 2007.

Meanwhile, distributor Autentic has closed a 20-hour history- and science-themed programming package with new factual-focused SVOD service CuriosityStream as one of a number of new deals.

A 30-hour package, including Arte’s ten-hour series Hot Roads, has gone to Switerland’s SFR, while Australia’s Foxtel has taken shows including Viking Women.

Spanish pubcaster RTVE has taken on ten Autentic hours, including blue chip documentary Wild River Rhine.

Elsewhere, Finland’s YLE, France’s Canal+, Belgium’s VRT, Austria’s ORF, the Netherlands’ VPRO and Denmark’s DR have acquired docs such as Wolfgang Schäuble and Doping – Top Secret: The Shadowy World of Athletics.

Each deal was closed at MIPCOM last week, Autentic’s general manager, Anne Hufnagel (pictured) told TBI.