Two Nordic public-service buyers are going into Mipcom with part of their shopping already done. SVT in Sweden and TV2 in Norway have struck pre-sale agreements with BBC Studios covering natural history, factual, scripted returning series and catalogue titles.
The deals matter less for their volume than for their timing. By committing before the market opens later this month, both broadcasters are signalling that they would rather pay for known brands and proven franchises than wait for auction-floor competition.
What SVT secured
SVT’s unscripted package is built around three forthcoming Natural History Unit titles.
- Blue Planet III, Green Planet II and Hidden Planet
- The Diary of Anne Frank (working title), A Life in Ten Pictures, Where the Wild Men Are with Ben Fogle and Antiques Roadshow
- Returning drama: Sherwood season three, Unforgotten S7 and Silent Witness S30
- Existing seasons of Call the Midwife, Sherwood, Unforgotten and The Chelsea Detective
The scripted side skews deliberately toward returners. That is a classic public-service strategy: familiar franchises carry lower audience risk and fit schedule slots that need predictable reach.
TV2’s package
TV2 Norway’s deal is more compact but similarly franchise-led. It includes Doctor Foster season three and Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms, plus pre-sales of Deadpoint and Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence. The package also adds earlier seasons of Call the Midwife, Death in Paradise, Doctor Foster, Happy Valley, The Split and The Split: Barcelona, all for TV2 Play.
For TV2, this is a streaming-catalogue play. Placing BBC returners on TV2 Play gives the service a low-cost, brand-safe library that complements local originals.
Why the pre-sale signal matters
Pre-sales are an early demand indicator. When buyers commit before a market, they are underwriting a slate’s perceived value. BBC Studios global content CEO Zai Bennett framed the agreements as “early confidence in our upcoming offering”—a line that matters for the wider Mipcom pitch.
For media planners and streaming teams, the takeaway is straightforward: long-running British returners remain a reliable currency for European public broadcasters and SVoD services. The buyers are not betting on untested formats; they are locking the next season of shows that already have audience data.
What to watch at Mipcom
The BBC Studios slate also includes Hidden Planet, Shy & Lola, Time S3, Doctor Foster S3, Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms, Ghosts: The Possession of Button House and Bill’s Included. Bennett will appear with BBC chief content officer Kate Phillips and Shelley Macintyre, CEO for brands and licensing, for a keynote on building global IP on Tuesday October 13.
For rights teams, the immediate move is not to wait for the market floor. If a returning franchise fits a channel or platform gap, early negotiation can reduce competition and lock terms before the slate becomes crowded.
Source: C21media
