D360 promises cut above MIPCOM offer
Details
Editor
| 14 October 2022
Looking to make a name for itself as a ‘go-to’ distributor for competitions series and formats, international content business Distribution360 (D360) is to launch new series A Cut Above at MIPCOM, alongside new seasons of popular series Race Against the Tide, Best in Miniature and Blown Away.
ACutAbove2 14Oct2022
Competition A Cut Above (12 x 60’ + Format) sees 12 of the world's best chainsaw carvers put to the ultimate test of creativity, strength, and skill, as they turn ordinary logs into extraordinary works of art. In each episode, the carvers race against the clock to compete in two challenges - the Quick Carve and the Master Carve. Sculptor Katharine Dowson and chainsaw carver Ryan Cook decide who out-carved the rest and send one person home. In the finale, where the logs are bigger and the challenge is longer, the final three carvers fire up their chainsaws one last time. Commissioning broadcasters are Discovery Canada, where it is currently airing, and Discovery US, where it has just launched.

D360 is also launching a second season of Race Against the Tide (S2 10 x 30 + Format), where sand sculpting teams return to face the highest tides in the world and be put to the ultimate test as they compete against each other, and Mother Nature, to produce sculptures before the tide comes crashing in to take their creations back out to sea.. Ratings on CBC for Season 2 were up significantly on Season 1 which is tremendous news for the format and testament to the series’ popularity with viewers. CBC’s Season 3 commission was announced this week.

Also renewed at CBC for a second season and available at MIPCOM is Best in Miniature (S2 8 x 60 + Format), the series that tasks expert miniaturists with building their dream home in miniature form, creating it room by room in painstaking detail, all at 1:12 scale. Each week, probe lens technology immerses viewers in innovative room ‘walkthroughs’, in a way that makes them feel like they are viewing at full-size, while the remaining miniaturists battle it out until only three remain in the final, where one will be crowned Best in Miniature.

Blown Away Season 2 (10 x 30’), the next chapter of the award-winning original series that broke the mould for skills-based competition programmes when it first launched on Netflix. Week after week, this compelling glass blowing show proves ‘make or break’ as the competitors look to create stunning works of art and beautiful objects out of glass in themed challenges. Season three recently launched to critical acclaim on Netflix and reached top 10 status in all key markets. This third season will be available for license next year.

Commenting on the slate, where all four series are produced by marblemedia, Diane Rankin, Distribution360’s SVP rights and executive producer said: “We are excited to be heading into MIPCOM with A Cut Above - another authentic and unique skills-based series packed with high-energy, big characters, and the sort of truly incredible final reveals for which our competition series are fast gaining an enviable reputation. Each of these four series is a stand-out title and with new second seasons now available and recommissions in the pipeline, we are starting to provide useful volume for buyers of finished programmes as well as give a clear signal to buyers and producers of formats, that these titles are definitely ones to watch.”