News round-up: SBS takes Principal shows; AMC & M7 Group expand partnership; Media Ranch seals format deals

Magic In The Mountains

SBS takes Principal shows

Australian pubcaster SBS has acquired documentary film Magic In The Mountains as well as reality series United Plates Of America, following a deal with distributor Principal Media.

The 1 x 79-minute Magic In The Mountains is produced by Coolfire Studios and tells he story of how the tiny town of Squaw Valley, California, won the right to host the 1960 Olympics against all odds.

Produced by Abode Entertainment, meanwhile, United Plates Of America (52 x 30-minutes), hosted by Gary Takle, who takes viewers on a journey across America to discover the underlying food culture that exists in every town.

“As different as these two programs are, both are really right in SBS’s wheelhouse of eclectic, informative and highly entertaining content,” said Danny Boluarte, SVP of business development and acquisitions at Principal Media.

Fear The Walking Dead

AMC & M7 Group expand partnership

US-based AMC Networks International and Canal+-owned European pay-TV provider M7 Group have expanded their partnership to bring fresh on-demand content to subscribers in Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania.

M7 customers in these countries will receive “enriched” VOD content from channels including AMC, JimJam, Minimax, Spektrum and TV Paprika, with titles including Fear The Walking Dead, Killing Eve and My Little Pony.

Stefano Colombo, VP of content at M7, commented: “We are very pleased with the continuation and further strengthening of our long-standing partnership in the Central European markets.”

Love Van

Media Ranch seals format deals

Production companies in the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Germany have optioned formats from Canada’s Media Ranch in a slew of deals.

Warner Bros. International Television Company-owned Renegade Pictures in the UK has taken the rights to Gen-Z and millennial dating show format Love Van, while options were picked up for The Artist Colony by Blazhoffski Productions in The Netherlands and by STV Productions in Sweden and Norway

Match Made in Heaven has meanwhile been picked up in Sweden by Strix Television and 180 Days was taken by Magis TV (in partnership with Eldorado TV) in Germany.

Media ranch president and founder Sophie Ferron commented: “Media Ranch is thrilled to close our successful year with the option of one of our original Horsepower formats to Renegade in the U.K. and several DR formats optioned in Sweden, Norway, Germany, and The Netherlands.”