DISTRIBUTION
All3Media International will handle global distribution for Optomen’s two-part documentary series “The Kardashians: A Billion Dollar Dynasty.” The series, which bowed on the U.K.’s Channel 4 last week, tells the story of how the Kardashians worked to exploit every potential setback and turn these into money-making opportunities. With a combined social media following of two billion on Instagram and Twitter, the Kardashians are one of the most influential families of the modern era. The series presents an account of how they became one of the world’s most recognized brands, changed the face of social media and achieved immense wealth. It also features “The Hills” reality TV stars Heidi and Spencer Pratt, People magazine editor Larry Hacket, and E! founder Larry Namer and the Kardashians’ managers.
Nick Hornby, CEO at Optomen, said: “With many people going on the record for the first time, the series is the first to tell the whole story of the Kardashians from Kim’s sex tape all the way to the White House, and their particular genius for always staying in the limelight.”
Rachel Job, senior VP non-scripted at All3Media International, added: “Optomen’s documentary is told with impressive journalistic rigor, featuring incredible archive footage and new insights from high-profile contributors, offering an illuminating and refreshingly unbiased take on the Kardashian’s journey to unparalleled fame and influence, which we feel certain will have immense global appeal.”
STREAMING
Award-winning documentary “(K)nox: The Rob Knox Story,” about the murder of Harry Potter actor Robert Knox, will stream exclusively on ITVX from Feb. 23.
In 2008, 18-year-old Rob Knox was stabbed to death just days after filming his breakthrough role as Marcus Belby in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” Years later, knife crime remains a serious issue not only in the U.K. but across the globe. The documentary features interviews with family members, friends and Harry Potter cast including Jim Broadbent, Ray Winstone, Tom Felton, David Yates, Dani Harmer and Blake Harrison, and includes archive interviews with Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson. The film takes a closer look into Rob’s life in the lead up to his untimely death and follows the police investigation into the case and the ultimate conviction of the perpetrator, delivering an anti-knife crime message.
“(K)nox: The Rob Knox Story” is directed by Aaron Truss, produced by The Rob Knox Foundation (Colin Knox) and Nick Kenton. Executive producers are Aaron Truss and Joe Acres. Koulla Anastasi is executive producer for Woodcut International.
SPORTS
Live coverage of key moments from all seven legs of “The Ocean Race” will be produced and screened by Warner Bros. Discovery Sports (WBD) Europe. Every leg start of the six-month odyssey plus the series’ in-port races will be shown live through linear television coverage on Eurosport 1 with streaming available on Discovery+ and the Eurosport App across 50 markets in Europe. WBD will also offer free-to-air highlights coverage through its channels in Denmark (6’eren), Sweden (Kanal 9) and Finland (Kutonen) and in Germany through additional sublicense partnerships.
Anchoring WBD’s coverage is Niall Myant Best alongside reporter Natasha Gonzalez with endurance sailing star Samantha Davies providing on-site expertise, experience on competing at sea and analysis of the action.
FORMAT
NBCUniversal Formats‘ hit The Real Housewives franchise is expanding across South Africa with partners Multichoice. “The Real Housewives of Gqeberha” is the fifth local version of the format to launch in the country. Set in the city formerly known as Port Elizabeth, the new series will premiere on Multichoice and M-Net’s entertainment channel, 1Magic on Feb 3. It is produced by GOAT Originals. Paricipants include events planner Norma Nicol, MC Buli G. Ngomane, mum and socialite Liz, salon owner Unathi Faku and mum and fashion industry practitioner Ashleigh Mather.
“The Real Housewives of Durban,” produced by Let It Rain Films, is returning for season 3 on Multichoice’s SVOD platform Showmax on Feb. 1. The new Durban cast includes TV presenter, producer and writer Maria Valaskatzis, musician and actor Mbali Ngiba, and HR consultant and event manager Slindile Wendy Ndlovu who join returning cast members Annie Mthembu, Jojo Robinson, Nonku Williams and Sorisha Naidoo.
Across Africa to date, there are versions of The Real Housewives in Lagos, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Pretoria and now Gqeberha.
“The Real Housewives of Gqeberha”