Channel 5 has closed a deal with One Three Media to acquire the exclusive first run UK broadcast rights to History’s five part mini-series The Bible. This is the second of History’s mini-series to be acquired by Channel 5 for broadcast in the UK, with the other being Hatfields & McCoys; which was acquired by the free-to-air broadcaster last year. The Bible is set to air on Channel 5 later this year.
BBC One’s upcoming drama series Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell is getting bigger and it is going global. Feel Film, Farmoor and Cuba Pictures – the production division of leading literary and talent agency Curtis Brown – has unveiled a co-production deal with BBC America, Canada’s Bell Media (for their Space channel), Endemol Worldwide Distribution and investments from Screen Yorkshire and Quebec’s Cite Amerique. In addition it has been announced that the order for the series has been increased to seven episodes, up from the six announced by BBC One back in November 2012.
A+E Networks UK has announced that they will be launching H2, the sister channel to History, in the UK on Saturday May 4th. The channel promises to put history in the context of today’s world, presenting information in innovative ways, while offering viewers a deeper perspective of, and deeper connections to, the world around them. H2 will be available on Sky (channel 531) and Virgin Media (channel 236).
Richard Lintern (Spies of Warsaw) has joined the cast of BBC One’s long-running drama series Silent Witness as a series regular for its upcoming seventeenth season, TVWise has learned.
History has renewed its first original scripted series Vikings for a second season of 10 episodes. set to air in 2014.
The fourth season of USA Network’s drama series In Plain Sight will receive its UK premiere on ITV on Tuesday April 16th at 11:35pm, it has been announced.
The third season of Showtime’s drama series The Borgias will receive its UK premiere on Sky Atlantic on Monday June 17th at 9pm, it has been announced. In addition, the complete first season of the series will be made available to Sky TV customers On Demand from Wednesday May 1st, and the second season season on June 3rd.
PBS America has closed a deal with BBC Worldwide to acquire 11 factual titles, totalling 23 hours of content, all of which have previously aired in the UK on either BBC One or BBC Two. This is PBS America’s second major content deal in as many weeks and follows the broadcaster’s deal with international distributor Off The Fence to acquire 21 titles that had aired in the U.S. on either TLC or The Smithsonian Channel.