BBC and PBS
form partnership
The BBC and US public broadcaster
PBS have inked a unique multi-
title production deal that will
create eight to ten new
programming specials across 20
hours a year, both stand-out
singles and flagship multipart
series, to air on both networks.
Specials will begin airing as early
as summer 2015.
The partnership will deliver a
pipeline of content across the
full range of factual genres,
including natural history,
science, history, religion and the
arts. The ambitious specials may
be part of the PBS schedule or
featured in ongoing PBS
programming series, including
Nature and Great Performances,
produced by Thirteen/WNET, and
Nova, produced by WGBH.
“As two of the world’s leading
public media organisations, we
are thrilled to partner with the
BBC to expand the range of
exceptional programming
available to our stations and
their audiences,” said Beth
Hoppe, Chief Programming
Executive and General Manager,
General Audience Programming,
PBS. “PBS and the BBC share
similar public service missions
and the same commitment to
producing entertaining and
educational programming of the
highest quality. We look forward
to a long and successful partner-
ship bringing the best from both
organisations to the table.”
“This deal allows BBC and
PBS to develop and deliver a
wealth of the highest quality
multi-genre factual content —
which will entertain and inspire
audiences across the country,”
commented Matt Forde, EVP, TV
Sales and Co-Productions, BBC
Worldwide North America. “Our
organisations have a long-
standing relationship in bringing
the best of British content to
American audiences, with
critically acclaimed titles like
Sherlock
and
Call the Midwife,
and this is the perfect foundation
on which to extend this partnership
into the factual space.”
MEDIA MARKETS
|
THE CHANNEL
IN BRIEF
SINGAPORE’S
FIRST 4K VR
STUDIO
Media services company
Infinite has created Singapore’s
first 4K Ready virtual reality
studio with EVS live video
production solutions. The
new system is part of an
18,000 sq. ft. facility used for
international sports and
entertainment productions.
“The system is flexible, and
with features like native
recording formats, 4K Ready
and complete content
management, is designed to
facilitate world-class
production not just today but
tomorrow,” said Lawerance
Ang, Head of Operations at
Infinite Studios.
LIPSYNC POSTS
WOLF HALL
UK post house LipSync has
provided full post-production
services for the highly
anticipated 6x60min drama
adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s
multi-award-winning novels
Wolf Hall
and
Bring Up The
Bodies
. Rob Hughes, Re-
recording Mixer, said, "Our
aim in sound was to create a
detailed and involving environ-
ment that supports and
reflects the subtleties of the
performances. Any period
drama presents its own set
of challenges; the need for
authenticity is paramount in
enveloping the viewer in our
world, and we feel we've
added an extra level of life
with our mix."
DIRECTV DEBUTS
ULTRA HD
DIRECTV has announced its
newly launched 4K video-on-
demand (VOD) service,
making it the first multi-
channel video provider to
offer commercial 4K Ultra
HD programming direct to
customers’ TVs. The
company also has an eye
towards live 4K streaming as
early as next year.
DIRECTV selected Elemental
video processing to bring its
4K content programming to
market.
Channel NewsAsia gets into features
Channel NewsAsia has produced
its first feature film,
Little People
Big Dreams
. Shot in HD, the
documentary is the first original
production under the banner of
Channel NewsAsia Feature Films.
The film goes behind the curtains
of a controversial theme park,
Dwarves Empire, in China’s
Yunnan province. The multi-
million dollar theme park
simulates a fantasy land where
dozens of Little People are hired
to perform for paying tourists. The
controversy surrounding the
theme park is an obvious one:
Does it provide its employees with
a stable livelihood at the expense
of their basic rights?
Little People Big Dreams
received its Asian premiere at the
Singapore International Film
Festival (SGIFF) held at the
National Museum of Singapore,
Gallery Theatre, in December.
Following the screening, a
discussion with the audience was
held with the film’s director, Mak
CK, and Channel NewsAsia’s VP
of Network Programming and
Promotions, and Commissioning
Editor of
Little People Big
Dreams,
Mok Choy Lin.
Little People Big Dreams
was
selected last year for the
Sundance Institute Documentary
Film Program-CNEX workshop in
Beijing. The documentary was
also awarded ‘Best Project Pitch’
at the CNEX Chinese Doc Forum.
It is slated for various
international festivals in 2015.
THE CHANNEL
|
ISSUE 1 2015
|
13
France 24
YouTube
French international news
channel France 24 is now live
24/7 in English, French and
Arabic on YouTube. This
agreement allows France 24 to
increase accessibility to its three
channels and allows all internet
users to watch them in high
definition on any type of device.
With this new service all YouTube
users can also comment and
discuss in real time the channel’s
programmes by using a chat
module to the right of the screen.
In addition to the new non-stop
broadcasting service on YouTube,
France 24 will also broadcast live
events and offers a replay of the
programme once the live
broadcast is over (such as the 70th
anniversary of the Normandy
landing or speeches at the UN
General Assembly). France 24
has been on YouTube since its
launch in December 2006 and
has notched up over 300 million
video views and currently attracts
around six million views a month.
Broadcasting on YouTube is part
of France Médias Monde’s global
strategy for a multi-platform,
multilingual syndication of its
channels, increasing accessibility
by building new bridges between
their digital services.
