British naturalist and explorer, Steve Backshall, heads to free- and pay-TV channels and streaming platforms across China, Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore in a raft of new acquisition deals out of Fremantle’s Singapore-based regional office. 

Kicking off the Year of the Dragon, Fremantle announced the sale of five Steve Backshall series, including "Shark with Steve Backshall", which will stream on Bilibili in China, PCCW’s Now TV in Hong Kong, KBS in South Korea and Mediacorp in Singapore. 

Bilibili has also picked up Whale with Steve Backshall for China, as has regional channel BBC Earth. 

BBC Earth will broadcast Croc Watch with Steve Backshall and Hippo Watch with Steve Backshall across the region. 

Malaysia’s RTM (through Nafalia Corporation) will air Backshall’s earlier series, "Expedition with Steve Backshall", alongside BBC, Discovery, RTHK, Mediacorp and Thai PBS.

The package, negotiated by Kit Yow, Fremantle’s VP Distribution Asia, International, also includes documentary and drama series. 

In Hong Kong, PCCW’s Now TV will air the six-season The Decades collection, executive produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, exploring the most important events of each decade. 

Drama series include love story "Alice & Jack", which heads to the BBC across Asia, and to Bilibili for Greater China; and "Sullivan’s Crossing", which premieres across Asia on Rewind Networks’ Hits Now, PCCW’s ViuTVsix in Hong Kong, and Mediacorp’s Channel 5 in Singapore. 

All the titles will air in 2024.