News

Prehistoric Powerhouse

BBC Factual‘s landmark dinosaur series “Walking With Dinosaurs” roars back to life in a new reimagining, 25 years after its original stomp across television screens. The upcoming six-part series, slated for BBC One and iPlayer, promises to revolutionize natural history storytelling through cutting-edge visual effects and forensic science.

Series producer BBC Studios, alongside co-producers PBS, Zdf, and France Télévisions, will transport viewers into the prehistoric world by following individual dinosaurs whose remains are actively being discovered by leading paleontologists. Each episode, running 50 minutes, weaves paleontological discoveries with cinematic storytelling, bringing to life creatures like the feathered Albertosaurus, a deadly T. rex relative, and the distinctive Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai, sporting its characteristic “unicorn” horn.

The series is executive produced by Andrew Cohen and Helen Thomas, with Kirsty Wilson serving as showrunner. Jack Bootle, head of commissioning for specialist factual, greenlit the project for the BBC, with Bill Gardner consulting for PBS.

Warner Bros Discovery just handed the scripted original reins at Max in Spain to Jose Maria Caro.

He will lead on scripted originals coming from the streamer, overseeing development and production. This comes after Max completed its European rollout in June 2024 and at a time when Wbd says it is “strengthening its local language offering in Spain.”

Caro has been with Wbd in April 2024, but has now taken on the post after Alberto Carullo, VP of Productions for Italy and Iberia at Max, left Wbd to join Mediaset.

On Caro’s slate will be originals such as When Nobody Sees Us and Rage, both of which premiere later this year. His team has an “expanding” Spanish-language slate with “multiple projects currently in development,” according to Wbd.

Caro will report directly to Laura Carafoli, Warner Bros. Discovery’s SVP Content Networks & Streaming, Local Productions for Italy & Iberia. Spanish-language Discovery TV networks...

As other European TV giants such as the Rtl Group, Spain’s Atresmedia, owner of the Ott service Atresplayer Premium, is finding the sweet spot between auteur and broad audience shows.

Launched two years ago, Atresplayer Premium boasts fast growth in terms of subscriptions – reaching 400,000 users in Spain alone – and content production volume, readying some 20 new TV projects for this year.

Promoting original voices, the platform is winning international visibility. Iconic original series “Veneno,” created by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, “Los Javis,” successfully launched on HBO Max in the U.S. and Latin America, with a strong impact on the international media, which contributed to strengthening the Atresplayer brand.

Now, “Cardo,” from creators and writers Claudia Costafreda and Ana Rujas, executive produced by Los Javis after becoming one of the hottest indie series of last year for TV critics and audiences, is close to an important international distribution deal.