BBC Studios signs co-production deal with China Media Group CCTV9 and Tencent Penguin Pictures for Seven Worlds, One Planet

BBC Studios has announced a co-production deal with China Media Group CCTV9 and Tencent Penguin Pictures on Seven Worlds, One Planet, the BBC’s latest landmark natural history series.Featuring remarkable, new animal behaviour. the series will celebrate the diversity of life on seven continents, but also the many challenges faced by animals in a modern world dominated by humanity.“We’ve been partnering with BBC Studios for some time to bring premium documentaries to our audiences in China,” says Shilun SHI, CCTV9 director in programming department, “Our cooperation can be dated back as early as 2008 when Wild China was first co-produced between the two broadcasters. Over the years, we have been co-producing landmarks including Africa, Blue Planet II and Dynasties. We are looking forward to deepening our working relationship with BBC Studios on more fruitful and successful projects and believe it will help benefit the whole industry.”Lexian Zhu, deputy director of documentary content management centre at Tencent Video also commented, “BBC Studios is the premium documentary content provider in the world and our partnership in co-production reflects Chinese audience’s interest in top-level productions. We will continue to work with BBC Studios to bring best-in-class programmes to digital viewers in China.”Seven Worlds, One Planet will be a BBC Studios Natural History Unit (NHU) production, co-produced with BBC America, Tencent Penguin Pictures, ZDF, France Télévisions, and China Media Group CCTV9. The programme will broadcast in China simultaneously on both CCTV and Tencent later this year. The agreement was sealed at BBC Studios’ Natural History and Science Open Day in Bristol, which puts a focus on premium factual programming from the BBC and its independent production partners.David Weiland, EVP, Asia, BBC Studios says, “We are excited to extend our long-standing and mutually beneficial relationships with CCTV and Tencent. By partnering with companies of this calibre we are able to bring the BBC’s world-class natural history to Chinese audiences and invest in the next generation of landmark natural history programmes.”