All the latest news from the global content industry on Thursday, 20 February

 

Vodafone calls in Max in Greece 

Vodafone TV is to become the exclusive launch home of Max in Greece. The streaming service from Warner Bros. Discovery will offer library shows including Game of Thrones, Sex & the City, Chernobyl and The Sopranos, as well as modern series ranging from The White Lotus and The Last of Us to House of the Dragon, The Penguin, Dune: Prophecy and Euphoria.

The Greek deal means Max will now be available in 75 markets globally, including 25 countries in Europe. Further market launches are planned in 2025 including Australia and Turkey, with the UK following in 2026.

 

Wildstar preps BBC1 Ganges show

The UK’s BBC has commissioned Fremantle-owned specialist factual producer Wildstar Films to produce Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges (w/t), a one-hour documentary special that explores the biggest gathering on Earth - the Maha Kumbh Mela Festival in Northern India.

Journalist and presenter Rajan joins up to 500 million pilgrims from all over the globe who come together for the world’s largest religious festival, which takes place every 12 years and sees pilgrims meeting at the confluence of three sacred rivers to purify themselves and gain salvation for themselves and their families.

Fremantle is handling global distribution for the documentary under the working title, Earth’s Biggest Festival: Kumbh Mela. It will be on the distributor’s London TV Screenings slate next week and will bow on BBC1 and iPlayer.  

 

Sky History orders Jack the Ripper docudrama

Sky History has commissioned a three-part documentary drama series delving in to murders committed by Jack the Ripper.

Rather than focusing solely on the identity of the killer, Jack the Ripper: Written in Blood (w/t) will look at how the Whitechapel Murders fuelled the rise of tabloid journalism in Britain.

The show hails from Nutopia and shines a light on Fleet Street newspaper The Star and its exploitation of the killings to boost circulation and profits, hindering the police investigation to further its own agenda.

 

Poland, Italy among buyers of Seven.One shows

Seven.One Studios International has struck a string of deals for unscripted titles across Europe and beyond, ahead of the London TV Screenings and Mip London next week.

TTV Poland has commissioned the seventh season of transformational format Real Men, developing it into spin-off, Real Gen Z, which follows five overweight young people on an inspiring journey to improve their physical and mental wellbeing. The format was originally produced by MakeItBee for DR1 Denmark and has already been licensed in over seven territories, including Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

Culinary competition format My Restaurant Rocks has also secured multiple renewals, with Italy’s Sky Uno ordering another season (known locally as 4 Ristoranti) and its hotel-focused spinoff 4 Hotel, with both shows produced by Banijay Italy. LaSexta in Spain and TV3 in Catalonia have also extended their runs, while Germany’s Sat.1 has confirmed that The Taste – produced by Redseven Entertainment – will return for season 14 this year.

Other deals inlcude gameshow format My Man Can securing new deals with Romania’s Kanal D and TV8 in Turkey, while lifestyle sales include real estate format Buying Blind being produced for RTL Netherlands. In Belgium, Play Media has commissioned a new local adaptation of the format, while the UK’s BBC has acquired all five seasons of property series The Great House Revival for the BBC channels and iPlayer.

The series sees adventurous homeowners attempt to restore derelict properties to their former glory. Produced by Animo TV, the show has been a hit for RTÉ in Ireland, where the series is currently airing its fifth season.

 

TV2 Denmark lands AI Love You

Danish broadcaster TV2 has ordered a local version of Banijay Entertainment format AI Love You, a tech-driven factual format headlining to London TV Screenings next week.

The show, which has been created and produced by Banijay Nordic label Nordisk Film TV, follows couples who face an early end to life, as they decide to use AI to preserve their love beyond life itself.

Guided by a psychologist and tech expert, they create a digital avatar of their loved one while visiting dream destinations, mending old wounds and reconnecting with those who shaped their lives. Once complete, the AI is stored away until needed, and after their partner’s passing, the surviving loved one, supported by a psychologist, chooses whether to engage with it, or leave it untouched.

Other titles within Banijay Entertainment’s format line-up for London TV Screenings include Sweden’s Against All Odds (Meter/ Jarowskij for SVT), Germany’s Mission Unknown: Atlantic (Banijay Productions Germany for Prime Video), Denmark’s The Rest of Your Life (Pineapple Entertainment for DR1 and DR TV) and Spain’s 30 Days and 30 Dates (Cuarzo for Mitele Plus).