ITV Exploring ‘Extreme Planet Earth‘ In Series From Plimsoll
Tiny World producer Plimsoll is making an extreme natural history series for ITV. Extreme Planet Earth will see “underscore the high-stakes battle for wildlife survival in an era of extreme weather, wildfires and environmental upheaval,” according to the commercial net. The series will travel to see elephants in Borneo navigating treacherous floodwaters, wombats in Australia with fires raging around them, a leopard in Zambia’s Lower Zambezi struggling with a brutal drought and Caribbean flamingos in Mexico facing up to the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record. Plimsoll already made A Year on Planet Earth for ITV and is owned by ITV Studios. ITV doesn’t dabble often in natural history but often opts for landmarks when it does. Factual Controller Jo Clinton-Davis said: “This series is unique in charting the impact of wild weather on wildlife – and Plimsoll deploying a combination of outstanding visuals, gripping storytelling and anthropomorphic approach will bring to life the drama of the animal kingdom grappling with an issue that affects all of us.”
BBC Studios Strikes Multi-Year Natural History Deals In Australia & NZ
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Elsewhere in the natural history space, BBC Studios has renewed its multi-year deals with Australia’s Nine and New Zealand’s TVNZ. The multi-year agreements cover premiere rights to four landmarks – Mammals, Asia, Kingdom and Blue Planet III. BBC Studios has had a long-running relationship with Nine and TVNZ and the outfit has many similar deals in place around the world for landmark fare from its storied Natural History Unit. Deborah Tod, BBC Studios ANZ Director of Partnerships and Content Sales, said: “These shows resonate around the world, are watched by millions of viewers on every continent, and have the power to drive conversation and change behaviour. I’m delighted to continue our long-standing natural history partnerships with Nine and TVNZ.”
Banijay Opens Live Studio
Banijay is opening a live studio. The French major’s new studio will be dedicated to the creation and production of “out-of-home entertainment experiences,” it said. The experiences could include immersive exhibitions, life-size action games and VR. The new unit will be led by newly appointed Senior Producer Tristan Desplechin under the leadership of Banijay Live CEO, François de Brugada. Banijay has been moving into the events space of late, acquiring Olympic Games organizer Balich Wonder Studio. De Brugada said: “Given the offering in new forms of out-of-home entertainment experiences is still fragmented, with no clear leader emerging, there is vast opportunity to move and grow in this space.”