BBC signs China coproduction deal for new natural history series

BBC Studios has signed a coproduction deal with China's CCTV9, a popular Chinese documentary channel, and Tencent Penguin Pictures for the BBC's latest landmark natural history series.

The seven-part series, Seven Worlds, One Planet, will be broadcast in China simultaneously on both CCTV and Tencent later this year.

Broadcasters in the Chinese mainland have invested heavily in documentaries in recent years, raising production standards and attracting larger audiences as part of their drive to put Chinese documentary-making in the global spotlight.

Shi Shilun, director of CCTV9's programming department, said: "We've been partnering with BBC Studios for some time, to bring premium documentaries to our audiences in China. Our cooperation can be dated back as early as 2008 when Wild China was first coproduced between the two broadcasters."

CCTV9 have since collaborated with the BBC on shows including Africa, Blue Planet II, and Dynasties.

Shi said CCTV9 is 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".

Seven Worlds, One Planet will show how the seven distinct continents have shaped the animal life found on them.

The series will feature remarkable animal behavior from habitats as diverse as the baking plains of Africa and the frozen waters off Antarctica. Viewers will also get the chance to discover life at the extremes in Asia and see "surprising wildlife dramas hidden right alongside us" in Europe.

Zhu Lexian, deputy director of documentary content management at Tencent Video, said: "BBC Studios is the premium documentary content provider in the world and our partnership in coproduction reflects the Chinese audience's interest in top level productions. We will continue to work with BBC Studios to bring best-in-class programs to digital viewers in China."

BBC content has been popular on the Chinese mainland and Blue Planet II was a great success when it was shown on Tencent Video. In 2017, Blue Planet II racked up a streaming audience of more than 250 million people on Tencent, and, in 2016, Planet Earth IIgot more than 200 million views.

David Weiland, an executive vice-president at BBC Studios, said: "We are excited to extend our long-standing and mutually beneficial relationships with CCTV and Tencent. By partnering with companies of this caliber 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 programs."