Viacom factual roster finds global appeal

Viacom factual roster finds global appeal DetailsEditor | 06 October 2019 Viacom International Studios (VIS) is celebrating worldwide deals for more than fifty factual titles from its catalogue including the sale to Australia’s free-to-air broadcaster, SBS, of VIS UK-produced travelogue documentary, Trevor McDonald’s Indian Train Adventure.The 2 x 60-minute documentary series, produced by Viacom’s London-based production studio, follows legendary British newsreader and presenter Sir Trevor McDonald as he travels from Mumbai to Delhi on board the Maharajas’ Express, one of the world’s most luxurious trains. Along the one thousand-mile journey, Sir Trevor disembarks at various stops to meet people from all walks of life, providing a fascinating insight into modern India. SBS has also acquired Secrets of the Royal Servants and Spending Secrets of the Royals. The documentaries claim to provide a unique view of the British royal family, revealing how they spend their money and what goes on behind closed doors.The two series have also been licensed by Poland’s TTV, Iranian channel Manoto. and RTL in the Netherlands for its free-to-air and SVOD services. In addition, Secrets of the Royal Servants will air on Japan’s national broadcasting organisation, NHK and DIRECTV across Latin America.Other wins include the documentary Meghan and the Markles: A Family at War which will air in Poland (TVN and WP1), the Netherlands (RTL), across the Nordics (Discovery) and Latin America (DIRECTV). Meanwhile, SIC in Portugal has picked up Sandringham: The Queen at Christmas and Inside Kensington Palace: Fit for a Princess. The latter will also air on Manoto and Diana to Meghan: Royal Wedding Secrets has been licensed by Hong Kong’s SVOD service Apple Daily.Titles from VIS’ well-known strand Inside, which includes exclusive sneak peeks into some of the UK’s most famous institutions such as world-renowned retailers Selfridges, Hamleys and Fortnum and Mason, will air on Manoto in Iran, RTL in the Netherlands and SBS in Australia. All three broadcasters have licensed the entire third series of the strand including six titles. VIS UK’s Crazy Rich Asian Weddings, which takes a look at Asia’s most extravagant weddings was acquired by NINE in Australia.“VIS UK is an award-winning factual powerhouse, producing some of our biggest-selling titles. Broad skewing, behind-the-scenes documentaries continue to be highly sought after by our partners all around the world,” commented Lauren Marriott, VP international programme sales, VIS, on the deals.