BBC Studios’ Serengeti and Wild Metropolis secure global pre-sales

BBC Studios has announced global pre-sales of Simon Fuller and John Downer-produced Serengeti and the BBC Studios Natural History Unit’s Wild Metropolis ahead of Showcase 2019.

The six-part Natural History series, Serengeti, created by Simon Fuller, produced by XIX Entertainment and John Downer Productions for BBC and BBC Studios Distribution has been licensed to Discovery Channel in the US and Latin America, ZDF (Germany), SVT (Sweden), NRK (Norway), Telefonica’s Movistar+ (Spain), WOWOW (Japan), Ceska Televize (Czech Republic), SRF (Switzerland), ETV (Estonia) and LVT (Latvia).

Wild Metropolis, a three-part series by BBC Studios Natural History Unit and co-produced with PBS and Tencent Penguin Pictures has sold to Arte (France and Germany), VRT (Belgium), NPO (Netherlands), MTVA (Hungary), Manoto (Iran) and TRT (Turkey).

Both series have been snapped up by Channel 9 (Australia) and KAN-Israel. Elsewhere they will be shown on BBC Earth in South Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, The Nordics, Middle East and Poland, as well as on BBC Player in Singapore and Malaysia.

Paul Dempsey, President Global Markets, BBC Studios, said: “Appetite for authentic and engaging factual content is growing year on year as audiences seek both emotive and relatable connections to the world around them. Serengeti and Wild Metropolis are two brilliant examples of Natural History series meeting these demands.”

Serengeti is a pioneering series which follows the interconnected stories of a cast of iconic savannah animals over one year. Using ground-breaking filming techniques and with unique access to a pristine and unspoilt corner of the Serengeti, it captures the drama of their daily lives and the emotional moments they face.

Inspired by the Cities episode of Planet Earth II, Wild Metropolis explores our cities from a fresh perspective- through the eyes of the animals who live in them. From humpback whales in New York’s Hudson river to colonies of megabats in Adelaide, meet the extraordinary wildlife living in the fastest changing habitat on the planet – our cities.

Now in its 43rd year and the first under the Studios guise, BBC Studios Showcase sees industry creatives, commissioners, producers, A-list talent and hundreds of the world’s top TV buyers assemble at the four-day event (17-20 February) where they will screen content as well as hear directly from BBC’s lead executives about future projects in all stages of development.

Other Natural History titles launching at this year’s Showcase include One Planet: Seven Worlds, presented by Sir David Attenborough, Earth from Space and First Year on Earth.