TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TCB Media Rights, the London-based rights-ownership and distribution company owned by KEW MEDIA GROUP INC. (“KEW” or the “Company”), has sold Borderforce USA: The Bridges to National Geographic Television for the United States (U.S.) and Latin America. The deal was brokered by Lenneke de Jong and Simona Argenti, and was acquired by National Geographic’s global acquisitions director, Ben Noot.
The topical nature of the 10 x 60 mins series, produced by Stampede Productions for UKTV’s Dave, has triggered a huge amount of interest overseas. The exclusive-access series, Borderforce USA: The Bridges marks the first time ever TV cameras have been granted access to Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) operations on all 28 bridges connecting Mexico to the U.S. Almost three years in the making, this series takes viewers to the very heart of one of the most talked about places in the world. From asylum seekers to daily commuters to adrenaline-inducing Cartel activity, viewers get a ringside seat to what CBP officers deal with on a daily basis.
Lenneke de Jong at TCB Media Rights said, “Border security has been a topic of discussion in the public headlines of late. Against this backdrop, Borderforce USA: The Bridges could not be more timely, as evident by the interest already received from our U.S. and Latin American broadcast partners.”
Simona Argenti, Senior Sales Manager, added, “We’re delighted the series has found a new home with National Geographic and are sure that U.S. viewers will be as enthralled by the amazing men and women who patrol America’s southern border as their UK counterparts.”
Stewart Morris, executive producer for Stampede, said Borderforce USA: The Bridges “brought one of most talked-about places in the world directly to viewers, surprising and entertaining them along the way.” He added, “What happens on this border is perceived to be fiction, but couldn’t be more real.”
In other North American sales news, TCB Media Rights has closed its first deal with U.S. digital platform Justice Network, the only U.S. broadcast network dedicated to true crime, investigation and forensic content. Justice Network has licensed two of TCB’s best-selling true-crime titles: seasons one and two of Monster Film’s Confessions of A Serial Killer (18 x 60 mins), which features never-before-heard interviews with some of the world’s most notorious murderers; and First Look TV’s A Killer’s Mistake (10 x 60 mins), which focuses on the key errors that led to the arrest of 10 high-profile murderers.
In Canada, TCB Media Rights has also sold two titles to international content producer, distributor and broadcaster Blue Ant Media, whose portfolio of channels in Canada includes Cottage Life, Love Nature, T+E, Smithsonian Channel, BBC Earth, A.Side and HIFI. The two series, which will air on Cottage Life, are season three of Like A Shot Entertainment’s Abandoned Engineering (12 x 60 mins), which looks at spectacular engineering projects that were started, but then cast aside like enormous, expensive toys; and season two of Title Role Productions’ World’s Wildest Weather (6 x 60 mins), which uses first-hand witnesses, stunning Computer Generated Imagery and user-generated content to explore nature’s most dramatic and catastrophic phenomena. Both deals were brokered by Simona Argenti.
TCB Media attended NATPE and Realscreen last month to deepen its relationships in North and Latin America that have been developing quickly.
About TCB Media Rights
TCB Media Rights was established in late 2012 by Paul Heaney. A specialist in factual and factual entertainment, TCB Media Rights offers a full suite of distribution services, employing its international contacts, experience and knowledge to ensure that every project fulfils its maximum potential. In October 2017, TCB Media Rights was acquired by KEW MEDIA GROUP. With more than 150 titles in its rapidly expanding portfolio, TCB Media Rights’ has more than 90 producer-partners around the world, including CJZ, Motion Content Group, Icon Films, Like A Shot Entertainment, Woodcut Media and ITN Productions. Its broadcaster clients span all the major factual channels and platforms, including Channel Nine Australia, Channel Seven Australia, Discovery Networks International, France TV, National Geographic, Planete, RMC, SBS Australia, Sky TVNZ, TV4 Sweden and UKTV.
About KEW MEDIA GROUP INC.
KEW MEDIA GROUP is a leading publicly-listed content company that produces and distributes multi-genre content worldwide. Companies included in the KEW family are the production companies: Architect Films, Awesome Media & Entertainment, Bristow Global Media, Collins Avenue Productions, Essential Media Group, 4East Media, Frantic Films, Jigsaw Productions, Media Headquarters, Our House Media, Sienna Films, Spirit Digital Media, and Two Rivers Media; and the distribution companies: KEW Media Distribution and TCB Media Rights.
With primary offices in London, Los Angeles, New York, Sydney and Toronto, the KEW MEDIA GROUP companies develop, produce and distribute more than 1,000 hours of content every year, as well as manage a library of more than 13,000 hours of content, for almost every available viewing platform worldwide. KEW aspires to offer great content from all over the world to viewers of all ages and tastes. KEW promotes transparency, equality, respect, and inclusiveness and plans to grow with the benefit of people from a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds.