News round-up: Red Arrow signs Asian deals; Brazil brings kids ‘All Together Now’; Blue Ant unveils new slate

The Weekly

Red Arrow strikes non-scripted deals across Asia

Broadcasters in Hong Kong, China and South Korea have picked up a range of formats and factual titles, following deals with global distributor Red Arrow Studios International.

Asian VOD platform iWonder has acquired The Weekly, the US series originally produced by The New York Times and Red Arrow-owned Left/Right for FX and Hulu, bringing the newspaper’s journalistic insight to the screen.

South Korean pubcaster KBS has taken the 3 x 57-minute social experiment series Don’t Stop The Music, which explores the power of music to change the lives of youngsters. It was produced by Artemis Media for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, in association with Screen Australia, Screenwest and Lottery West.

Both seasons of the original version of Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds (7 x 47-minutes plus 2 x 47-minute specials), which was produced by Red Arrow-owned CPL Productions for the UK’s Channel 4, have been picked up by local agent Creo Contents for South Korea, while for Hong Kong and Macau, free-TV channel 77 Hong Kong Open TV has taken the format’s UK, Spanish and Australian adaptions.

Also for Hong Kong and Macau, TVB has picked up the UK version of social experiment series The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes (4 x 47-minutes). Created and produced CPL Productions and Motion Content Group, the series sees a group of people living with dementia tasked with helping to run a restaurant.

Meanwhile, for Hong Kong, RTHK has acquired the original UK version of topical factual entertainment series Meat The Family (3 x 47-minutes). Produced by Spun Gold TV for Channel 4, the series sees four meat-eating families welcome the animal they most frequently serve for dinner into their homes: from chickens and sheep, to pigs and even cows.

Tim Gerhartz, SVP of global sales at Red Arrow Studios International, said: “We’re continuing to see strong demand internationally across our slate of non-scripted titles as broadcasters look for compelling, thought-provoking and authentic content.

“From the fresh and valuable insights offered by The Weekly to the heart-warming Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds and The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes, we’re looking forward to introducing audiences in Asia to this inspiring array of programmes.”

All Together Now

Brazil’s RecordTV brings kids ‘All Together Now’

Brazilian FTA network RecordTV has commissioned a new teen-skewing version of entertainment format All Together Now.

All Together Now Teen, which will be known locally as Canta Comigo Teen, is being produced by Endemol Shine Brazil. The 12-part series will feature contestants aged between 9-16 years as they perform in front of a jury of 100 in the hope of impressing them with their performance.

Juliana Algañaraz, MD of Endemol Shine Brazil, said: “Viewers will love this fresh take on All Together Now which will be even more joyful than ever before. With talented teen contestants giving brilliant performances we are expecting everyone at home to be dancing and singing along with this heart-warming show.”

Hotel Paranormal

Canada’s Blue Ant unveils new slate

Blue Ant Media-owned Canadian networks T+E, Smithsonian Channel and Cottage Life have announced an initial 2020-2021 slate of new and returning Canadian original series, as production resumes in the country.

Among them are a trio of supernatural shows, coming to T+E early next year, including the all-new Paranormal Hotline in which viewers are taken on a “stranger-than-fiction” story by people who claim to have had run-ins with spirits. Meanwhile, fan favourite Hotel Paranormal returns for a second season, while Haunted Hospitals is back for a third run.

On Smithsonian Channel Canada, the all-new documentary series, Secret Cities, will unlock the best-kept secrets of the world’s most iconic cities, while Impossible Repairs lifts the lid on the inner-workings of some of the most advanced engineering in the world.

New on Cottage Life, The Weather Files returns for a second season under the title Weather Files: Total Impact, with each episode exploring true stories told by survivors of extreme weather disasters, followed by an in-depth scientific look at how these storms shape and impact the planet as a whole.

Additional original commissions will be announced by Blue Ant Media in the coming months.