Mercury on the Rise in Europe

Adam Benzine
1 Dec 2009
© C21 Media 2009

UK-based factual distributor MercuryMedia has completed a raft of international sales, licensing single documentaries into Ireland, Poland, Israel, Denmark and Italy.

In Europe, Irish network TG4 has picked up Where The Water Meets The Sky (1×60′), a doc narrated by Morgan Freeman and written by March of the Penguins scribe Jordan Roberts; while Danish pubcaster DR has acquired single doc The Trial (1×52′).

In Poland, Warsaw’s Planete Cyfra has signed for a package that includes The Trial, Oil Spill: The Exxon Valdez Disaster (1×59′), In Complete World (1×52′) and Loose Change: American Coup (1×99′); while Spanish pubcaster TV Catalunya has taken Icons Among Us (4×55′), Olly And Suzi: Wild Art (1×59′) and Bilal (1×52′).

Israeli broadcaster Noga and Italy’s Rai Educational, led by Giovanni Minoli, have taken Loose Change: American Coup, and French company ReOpen 911 has picked up DVD rights to the title.

Elsewhere, Israel broadcaster The Sports Channel has brought titles Harlem Globetrotters (1×60′) and Acting Straight (1×59′); Canadian network Knowledge TV has picked up Hair India (1×75′); and AETN’s pan-Asian division has signed up to air The Soviet Story (1×55′).

MercuryMedia’s head of sales and acquisitions Patricia Hickey said 2009 has been “an extremely good year” for the distributor. “The end of the year is an especially busy time for buyers, with five major documentary markets and festivals packed into two months.”

The news comes after London-based MercuryMedia last week hired ITV’s former director of television, Simon Shaps, as its non-executive chairman, starting in January 2010.