Latest London TV Screenings, MIP London, breaking news

Tuesday, 5.23pm: TVN takes to Talpa’s Floor

TVN in Poland has ordered a local version of Talpa Studios quiz format, The Floor.

The show will be produced at Talpa Studios’ Dutch hub this spring, with the show set to air weekly in primetime on the Polish network.

The Floor features teams who are represented by five contestants standing on a high platform over a swimming pool. Each team must answer questions correctly, with incorrect answers causing a giant ball to roll down and knock their team member into the pool and losing the chance to win a cash prize. The format has been remade aorund the world, including in the US where Fox recently debuted its third season.

Tuesday, 4.44pm: A24 lands debut C4 series

A24 has landed its first Channel 4 comedy commission in the form of It Gets Worse, a sitcom about a trio of dysfunctional roommates that’s being co-produced with Canadian streamer Crave.

The 6 x 30-minute series is written and created by comedian Leo Reich, whose HBO comedy special Literally Who Cares!? was produced by A24.

The show follows three friends and roommates as they attempt to keep their friendship alive when they are dispersed across the London.

The project marks the first union between A24 and C4 and adds to the US giant’s burgeoning UK TV output, which includes BBC comedy and drama titles Dreaming Whilst Black and Such Brave Girls, and The Gallows Pole. Read more

Tuesday, 4.30pm: Irish thriller Smother lands first global adaptation

Irish drama series Smother is to be adapted for the first time in Slovakia, following a deal brokered by BBC Studios.

Written by Kate O’Riordan, Smother was produced by BBC Studios and Treasure Entertainment for RTÉ, and ran for three series from 2021-23. It is set in County Clare and follows a widow who, only after his death, discovers that her late husband had manipulative relationships with his family which might have driven one of them to murder.

BBC Studios has sold the drama to Slovakia’s TV Markíza and its digital platform Voyo, with a 12-part local version to be produced by Film Kolektiv. The series will start filming in the first half of 2025. Read more

Tuesday, 3.28pm: Paramount+ heads to Turkey’s beIN

Paramount Global Content Distribution has struck a licensing deal with beIN Media Group in Turkey, establishing a Paramount+ branded destination on its local streaming services TOD and beIN Connect.

The deal will see films from Paramount Pictures and Republic Pictures become available, along with TV series from CBS Studios, Paramount+ and Showtime. A range will be available exclusively at launch to beIN’s subscribers in Turkey, along with content from Paramount’s film and series library.

Shows confirmed at launch include NCIS: Origins, Elsbeth, and The Agency, as well as upcomers such as NCIS: Tony & Ziva.

Tuesday, 1.41pm: Beckham talks UK drama

David Beckham revealed he’s “not into UK dramas” at Mip London this morning before backtracking on the comment, after taking to the stage for a keynote conversation with Netflix content chief Bela Bajaraia.

The football icon made the admission during a rapid-fire question and answer session to open his Mip London fireside chat, much to the chagrin of the audience of TV execs.However, by the end of the session, he clarified he was “really sorry…I do like UK dramas, and my wife loves them”.

Discussing his life and businesses, the pair discussed a variety of topics, including production outfit Studio 99. Read more

Tuesday, 12.52pm: Hearst, WBD snag Keshet Int’l shows

Hearst Networks EMEA and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) are among the buyers to have picked up the debut docuseries commissioned through Keshet International’s (KI) Greenlight: Factual & Formats initiative.

Perpetual Entertainment’s six-part docuseries Hitler’s Treasure Hunters is to be broadcast in more than 60 territories through deals with Hearst and WBD while Woodcut Media’s 10-part true crime docuseries Catch Me If You Can will head to TVNZ in New Zealand.

KI has secured three licensing deals for Hitler’s Treasure Hunters with Hearst Networks EMEA sealing a pan-regional acquisition for Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, and sub-Saharan Africa.

WBD in Spain and Andorra has also taken the series, while Polsat has acquired it for a free-TV second window in Poland. Read more

Tuesday, 11.47am: What’s on, where and when?

With almost 40 events taking place across central London this week, make sure you know where you need to be with Broadcast International’s handy schedule and downloadable map available here, detailing the location and times of everything happening across the UK capital. 

Tuesday, 11.03am: OTF strikes AI deal, unveils first project

Off The Fence (OTF) has entered into a one-year co-development partnership with Amsterdam-based AI specialist Return to Earth Studio.

Under the deal, OTF and the newly launched creative studio will produce AI-powered storytelling projects that bring together each partner’s track records in factual production and collaborative funding models spanning legacy broadcasters, streamers and brands.

The first project to come out of the new collaboration is What If Evolution… (3 x 60 minutes), which is being introduced to buyers at London TV Screenings this week.

The show will fuse the latest applications in generative AI video with OTF’s experience in natural-history storytelling. A team of scientists and AI artists will work together to imagine the animals that might have evolved had the Earth’s history played out differently. 

Tuesday, 10am: BBC lands FEG’s Billion Dollar Playground

The BBC is among a raft of international broadcasters to acquire the rights to Australian series Billion Dollar Playground.

Commissioned by Foxtel for Binge, the upcoming Ronde Media format revolves around Luxico, Australia’s premier high-end homestay and concierge provider. It will follow the young staff as they cater to the demands of ultra-wealthy guests while managing their own personal relationships. Read more 

Tuesday, 9.43am: Disney lands Seven Bucks deal

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions has signed a first-look deal with Disney’s 20th Television.

The TV pact, which follows a theatrical and streaming agreement struck last year, will see the two companies working together to develop dramas, comedies, adult animations and unscripted shows.

Tuesday, 9.20am: Nat Geo among Earth Touch buyers 

Factual distributor Earth Touch has landed five package deals with international broadcasters including Nat Geo Wild, Arte (France), RTVE (Spain), KBS (Korea) and CCTV (China).

Arte has taken four hours of programming including one-off specials India’s Lion Queen and Secret Ways of a Whale Shark, while RTVE in Spain has acquired 14 hours including India’s Lion Queen, Day of the Dragon and the 4 x 60 minute series Epic Yellowstone.

National Geographic Wild International is taking 35 hours of wildlife programming with details yet to be confirmed, and KBS has picked up 12 hours including titles such as Legends of Venom, Australia’s Land of the Ancients and Africa’s River Titans.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV will air 10 hours of Earth Touch documentaries including Crocodiles Revealed, Legends of Venom and three-parter, Wild Belgium.

Tuesday, 9.13am: Talpa’s SBS6 extends survival show

SBS6 has ordered a celebrity-driven third season of No Way Back, the adventure reality show that sees participants competing in challenges in rugged terrain in a bid to win a cash prize.

The show, from SBS6 sibling Talpa Studios and Signal.Stream, had originally featured 14 Dutch unknowns in previous seasons but this year will follow celebrities as they venture into the wilderness of Romania. The format sees participants completing challenges to reach various camps, which adds more money to the prize pot.

Tuesday, 8.48am: Family Therapy lands on ChaiFlicks 

Jewish content streamer ChaiFlicks has picked up hit scripted series Family Therapy, which will launch next month on the service.

The show is produced by Tronito and GM Comunicación in collaboration with Flow, created by Ariana Saiegh and Gonzalo Arias, directed by Alejandro Ciancio, and distributed by The Ripple Effect.

It follows Susi and José, a prestigious couple of therapists in their 60s who use a fusion of psychoanalysis and alternative therapies. When Susi’s father dies suddenly, she separates from José, yet they stubbornly continue their joint practice - leading to hilariously misguided patient advice as their personal drama seeps into sessions.

Tuesday, 8.42am: Bluey expands in Japan

BBC Studios has agreed a deal that will see animated hit Bluey expanding its reach in Japan, after TV Tokyo launched the series onto six group television networks covering over 70% of national households.

The wider syndication of Bluey is set to kick off in April, following the series’ launch on TV Tokyo’s ‘Eeny meeny miny moe’ slot in October last year. Toys are also set to hit store shelves in autumn for the first time, with Tomy appointed local toy distributor for the toy range licensed globally by Moose Toys.