MIPCOM round-up: Nutopia’s ‘Extra Life’ travels; BossaNova sales in MENA; Insight TV’s China co-pro

Extra Life

Movistar, SBS, Kan claim Nutopia’s Extra Life

Movistar in Spain, Australia’s SBS and Israeli pubcaster Kan are among broadcasters to have snaffled rights to Nutopia’s science and history show Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer.

The 4 x 60-minute series, originally produced for PBS in the US and the BBC in the UK, reveals the little-known stories of the innovations in science and medicine that have doubled the human lifespan in less than a century.

It is sold by Cinexlif Rights, which has also struck deals with VRT (Belgium), SVT (Sweden), YLE (Finland), Radio-Canada and BBC Poland.

Richard Life, Cineflix Rights’ head of acquisitions, acquired the series from Jane Root’s Nutopia for international distribution and said the show offered a “winning combination of the history and science of extraordinary medical breakthroughs with Nutopia’s exceptionally high production calibre.”

Motorway Patrol

CBS Reality calls BossaNova’s Motorway Patrol

CBS Reality has picked up rights across MENA for ten seasons of Motorway Patrol, the New Zealand-based show that is sold by Paul Heaney’s recently launched financier and distributor BossaNova.

The channel, operated by AMC Networks International UK (AMCNI UK) and ViacomCBS Networks International, has taken rights across 35 territories in Europe, plus Russia, CIS, Africa and the Middle East.

Motorway Patrol is produced by New Zealand’s Greenstone and follows drivers who fail to abide by the rules of the road.

The deal was brokered by Tatjana Kostovski, who joined the BossaNova’s sales team earlier this summer, as revealed by TBI.

AMCNI UK has also acquired the 12th season of Border Patrol, also produced by Greenstone, and the third season of Stampede Production’s Border Force USA: The Bridges for CBS Reality in Poland and Africa.

Katie Ormerod

Insight TV strikes first China co-pro

Channel operator and producer Insight TV is prepping its first Chinese co-production after partnering with China Media Group (CMG) on a six-part docuseries following athletes as they prepare for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Winter Gold will provide insights into the daily rituals of a range of international athletes as they prepare for various winter sports, including figure skating, alpine skiing and snowboarding.

The 6 x 50-minute show is being co-produced by CMG’s CCTV9 and will feature athletes including Mexican figure skater Donovan Carrillo, Chinese freestyle skier Eileen Gu, UK-based snowboarder Katie Ormerod and US alpine skier Alice Merryweather, among others.

Portugal’s Dreamia expands Hollywood offer

AMC-backed channel operator Dreamia Portugal has picked up rights to the latest seasons of ongoing celebrity focused series Hollywood News Feed and Zoom In.

The series, 52 x 15 minutes and 104 x 6:30 minutes respectively, will air on Dreamia’s Canal Hollywood channel in Portugal and Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa. The deal has been struck via distributor and producer Prime Entertainment Group.

Hollywood News Feed focuses on the glitz and glamour of LA, while Zoom In offers behind-the-scenes insights into the production of movies.

Dreamia is operated as a joint venture between Netherlands-based NOS and AMC Networks International Southern Europe.