News round-up: Small World IFT adds ‘Noot Vir Noot’; A&E investigates ‘The Chicano Squad’; NHK acquires Espresso docs

Noot Vir Noot

Small World IFT adds ‘Noot vir Noot’

Small World IFT, the US-based global TV format consultancy and distributor, has acquired the international format distribution rights to family entertainment phenomenon Noot Vir Noot from South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

First broadcast in 1991, Noot Vir Noot, is South Africa’s longest-running game show, spanning over 750 episodes across a remarkable 47 seasons.

Created by Johan Stemmet and Johan van Rensburg from production company Stemmburg Television, the show continues to be a flagship title for SABC.

“I love finding new entertainment properties in places others don’t dig into. We have been after this format for three years, I travelled to South Africa last year to make it happen. Noot Vir Noot is such a fun, family show. Add in those super-crazy numbers of episodes with so many different fantastic games, and this is exactly what viewers are craving around the world,” said Tim Crescenti, co-owner at Small World IFT.

A&E investigates ‘The Chicano Squad’

A&E has greenlit The Chicano Squad (working title), a four-hour docuseries about Houston’s first all-Latin homicide unit.

Produced by Jupiter Entertainment and Bender Brown Productions, the series reveals the story of a team of bilingual patrol officers plucked from their beats and suddenly promoted to detectives to tackle Houston’s soaring rate of Latin homicide cases in 1979.

“The Chicano Squad were a groundbreaking group of law enforcement officers who broke down barriers and served their community with distinction,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant, EVP and head of programming for A&E. “This documentary will tell the untold story of the Chicano Squad, from their humble beginnings to their trailblazing work building trust between the police and the communities they served.”

NHK acquires Espresso docs

Japanese pubcaster NHK has acquired five factual titles from UK distributor Espresso Media International.

Category: Woman exposes the widespread abuse of power, misogyny and racism evident in sex testing in sports, while A Crack in the Mountain examines a local community divided over developments to an undisturbed natural wonder in Vietnam.

Kaepernick & America is a biopic on the man, his protest and the current state of America; Zero Gravity is a documentary following a diverse group of middle-school students competing to code satellites aboard the International Space Station; and Moscow’s Dirty Gold Rush is an investigative current affairs documentary exposing the networks of power at the heart of the Kremlin.

In addition, Espresso has licensed The King of North Sudan to World Great TV and The Weight of Water to SVOD platform Asian Documentaries.

FilmRise expands creator program

FilmRise is expanding The FilmRise Creators Partner Program to include an additional 11 creator libraries.

The FilmRise Creator Partner Program is a turnkey distribution model that curates and distributes creator content to streaming platforms in US, Canada and abroad, spanning genres including true crime, food, wildlife, comedy, gaming and lifestyle.

The new libraries include UnspeakablePlays, a spinoff from Unspeakable, which will highlight the creator’s gaming vertical. Additionally, the studio will distribute That Chapter and Sam and Colby, its first set of true crime/paranormal exploration programs in the Creator space.

The three series will debut on The FilmRise Streaming Network including select FilmRise FAST channels and on third-party streaming platforms.

Gaming-centric creators that have joined the FilmRise Creator Partner Program include: LazarBeam, ShanePlays, PrestonGamez, and Hyper. Additionally, Kendall Rae, TheWhyFiles, Ididathing, and Jschlatt are signed for upcoming distribution with FilmRise.