SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE: A+E Networks UK, which manages operations for History, Crime + Investigation
(CI) and Lifetime channels in Africa, has announced new programming which is to
feature in 2015. It’s newly established Johannesburg office and well-received run of
the localised international format Pawn Stars SA, which featured on
the History channel, are promising successes which point to further opportunities
for the company on the continent.
On 17 March at its Upfront programming showcase, the company announced that in
addition to its latest localised format Four Weddings SA, which is due
to launch on Lifetime later this year, it would welcome original pitches and
programme ideas from local producers. Koulla Anastasi, director of programming
for Lifetime and CI for A+E Networks UK, commented, “Our initial inclination was to
localise international formats because of course that complements our existing
slate, but we’re now really excited to talk to local producers and encourage them
to bring us their ideas and their original local formats. As long as it fits somewhere
within the three channels, we would be interested to hear about it.’
A+E Networks UK also announced it had acquired the exclusive linear TV rights for
the multi Emmy-award winning adventure-drama series, Black Sails,
through a deal with US media company Starz Worldwide Distribution. The
series, which was filmed in South Africa, showcases the darker side of pirate life in
the eighteenth century and will feature on the History channel. Black
Sails was created by Jonathan E. Steinberg (Jericho, Human
Target) and Robert Levine (Touch) and executive produced by
acclaimed feature film director/producer Michael Bay (Transformers,
Armageddon, Pearl Harbor) and his Platinum Dunes partners Brad Fuller and
Andrew Form.
Included in the 2015 programming slate are new shows and features like The
Infiltrator and The Battle of Waterloo Presented by Sean Bean
(History); more Lifetime movies such as Call Me Crazy executive
produced by Jennifer Aniston and biopic Anna Nicole; as well as new
episodes of established favourites like Homicide Hunter (CI),
Bring it! (Lifetime) and Pawn Stars SA (History).
