Distribution outfit Drive has inked several pre-Mipcom deals for royal documentary “Queen of the World” on the eve of the Cannes market getting underway.
Drive netted the international rights to the show earlier this year. The two-part factual series looks at the Commonwealth – the international group of nations that were formerly part of the British Empire – and how it has been a central focus and passion throughout the life of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.
Oxford Films produced the documentary, building on its pedigree of making royal shows such as “Our Queen at 90” and “Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.”
HBO had already bought it for the U.S. when Drive took international rights, and the distributor has done new deals in Europe, Australasia, and the Middle East.
ITV in the U.K. commissioned “Queen of the World.” RTL has bought it for the Netherlands, NRK for Norway, and YLE in Finland. ITV Choice has acquired it for Asia and the Middle East. Australia’s Network Seven had already picked up the show, and New Zealand’s TVNZ has now also bought it.
“Yet again, the privileged access that Oxford Films have secured for this title has resulted in global channel interest and we expect the programs to gain audiences far and wide,” said Lilla Hurst, joint managing director of the Drive. The U.K.-based distributor will continue the sales effort at Mipcom.