Al Arabiya, Al Jazeera Arabic, Shahid and BBC Arabic buy rights for several programmes from the distributor.
Independent factual distributor TVF International has secured a raft of deals in MENA, enhancing its reach in the region.
Al Arabiya licensed three world affairs programmes including the CNA-commissioned China & The Global South: China’s Role in the Middle East, When Titans Clash: De-risking Decoded about the shift towards green-tech in the Chinese economy, and the RTE-commissioned AI & You, which explores rapidly evolving AI technology.
Al Jazeera Arabic secured Mediacorp’s two-part investigative series Debt Bomb that delves into the growing threat of global financial meltdown. Arabic VOD service Shahid, took Hulu documentary The Reckoning: Hollywood’s Worst Kept Secret , about the explosive revelations of sexual abuse in Hollywood which started the #MeToo Movement.
History also proved a popular genre in the Middle East. Al Jazeera’s Documentary channel licensed Bay of Blood: The Bangladesh Genocide from Earthcare Productions, the first documentary to chronicle the events of the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, BBC Arabic licensed Nat Geo’s historical biography Kissinger after the death of the former US Secretary of State. Elsewhere, BBC Arabic licensed Channel 4’s taboo-busting science doc with Davina McCall, The Pill Revolution from Finestripe Productions, and MBC Group scheduled the BBC-commissioned arts series China on Stage.
Commenting on the deals, Daniyal Bari, Sales Manager at TVF International, said: “The appetite for factual content across the Middle East continues to increase and diversify beyond traditional genres. TVF’s diverse catalogue is well placed to cater to Middle Eastern broadcasters’ requirements; our documentaries from Asia in the Current Affairs genre particularly resonate with viewers in the region. We are proud to be working with our partners across the region, and look forward to continuing to collaborate and bring a diverse range of titles to MENA.”
