Sales round-up: RTL snags Spanish shows; ‘Leaving Neverland’ goes global; DocuBay sails with Ananda

RTL doubles down in Spain

German broadcaster RTL has picked up two original series by Spain’s Movistar+ as well as a French drama, after striking a deal with distributor Beta Film.

Perfect Life (pictured) will be aired on free-to-air channel VOX and simultaneously streamed on RTL’s TVNOW, before becoming available on RTL Passion. The story follows three very different women beyond 30 and is directed by Spanish actor and co-creator Leticia Dolera, who also plays the lead.

RTL Passion will also air Paco León and Anna R. Costa’s period dramedy Arde Madrid, which explores Ava Gardner’s life in Madrid in the 1960s. It is from Movistar+, as is Perfect Life, with both shows forming part of Beta’s multi-year production and distribution deal with the Spanish operator.

The German company has also picked up French drama Crimson Wedding from Beta. The show, from Scarlett Production and originally produced for France 3, will be launched on RTL’s streaming service TVNOW.

Kew takes Leaving Neverland truly global

Kew Media Distribution has agreed further deals for its controversial Michael Jackson documentary Leaving Neverland (pictured), which it says has now sold into every territory in the world excluding China.

The Channel 4 and HBO co-production, from director Dan Reed, has said the two-parter has been picked up by networks including Discovery Nove in Italy, Network 10 in Australia, NRK in Norway, LTV in Latvia, RTL and VRT in Belgium, Movistar+ in Spain and HBO in Central Europe, Portugal and Latin America.

Other buyers include: M6 France, ProSieben and Joyn in Germany, DR in Denmark, VPRO in the Netherlands, Sweden’s SVT, M-Net in Africa, Channel One and Amedia TV in Russia.

TVNZ, Yes Israel, YLE in Finland, Fox Networks Group Asia, Front Row Filmed Entertainment in the Middle East and RUV Iceland have also acquired the show.

The doc, which has been nominated for five Emmy Awards, explores the experiences of two young boys who were each befriended by Jackson. The show features interviews with the now adult men and their families, exploring allegations of sustained exploitation and deception.

It was originally commissioned by HBO’s Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller, and Channel 4’s Tom Porter and Daniel Pearl. AMOS Pictures produced.

DocuBay sails off with Ananda Media shows

Documentary streamer DocuBay has agreed a license deal with France’s Ananda Media for a raft of action sports and adventure travel programming.

Shows acquired include Sea Gypsies: The Far Side of the World, which follows a crew of miscreants sailing on a 120-foot hand-built sailboat from New Zealand to Patagonia, and culinary doc Food Patriots.

Vertical Belles, about an all-female aerial silks group from Canada, and El Boxeo, which explores the emergence and dominance of Latinos in boxing, have also been picked up.

DocuBay has also added titles show in 4K including Una: The One, a feature following the story of the endangered Una River in the Balkan region, and The British Backpacker Society: Across the Sahara, which follows a young group of UK backpackers using any means necessary to reach the shoreline of Senegal.