Leading UK-based distributor Sphere Abacus has announced a wave of major international sales for its premium history programming at Sunny Side of the Doc.
Led by Global Content Director Will Stapley and Sales Director Laura Masson, the company locked in deals spanning over a hundred territories, proving that global appetite for high-end historical storytelling remains stronger than ever.
To coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, six-part drama documentary 1776: American Independence, produced by Dash Pictures for National Geographic, has been sold to Viasat World, Now TV Hong Kong, BBC Select Americas, Foxtel Group Australia and VRT. These sales cover multiple territories including Central Asia, Eastern and Central Europe, Greece, Cyprus, Australia and New Zealand, North America and South East Asia.
Also from Dash Pictures for National Geographic, Foxtel Group Australia, Czech Television, ZDF Germany and JCG Korea Inc. have acquired 6 x 1 hour Gladiators: Warriors Of The Ancient World.
Travelling to more than 100 territories throughout the globe, series one and two of Queens That Changed The World, produced by award-winning producers Woodcut Media, has been acquired by SBS Australia, BBC Select Americas, Czech Television, Luk Internacional S.A, Channel HOT8 Israel, Viasat World, NRK Norway, SVT Sweden, DR Denmark, Sky Germany, RAI Italy, ARTE, Madman Entertainment Australia and New Zealand, Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR), Foxtel Group Australia, TVP Poland, Prima Group Czech Republic, JCG Korea Inc. and HRT Croatia.
One hour feature documentary, The Hunt for the Last Nazis produced by Australia’s Mint Pictures for SBS, has been picked up by AMC Global Media Central Europe for Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia as well as by RTL Netherlands.
While Pernel Media’s compelling four-part documentary The Maya: War of the Five Kingdoms has been sold to Viasat World for Central and Eastern Europe, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Scandinavia and Poland, Foxtel Group for Australia and New Zealand and Luk Internacional S.A for Movistar Plus+ in Portugal and Spain. In addition, UK indie FirstLook TV’s 3 x 1 hour Great British Castle Rescue for Sky History has been secured by BBC Select Americas for North America.
Sphere Abacus’ Hana Palmer, Executive Director Global Distribution & Partnerships comments “History programming has always intrigued and fascinated viewers around the world. We’re seeing a big shift in the number of platforms and broadcasters that are looking at new ways for high-end historical storytelling to cater for their audiences’ continued appetites – from learning new details about well-known struggles and history’s huge characters to discovering largely unknown events from ancient times.”
Will Stapley adds, “We are looking for more ancient and contemporary history ideas from producers and are hoping to have some promising discussions around this type of programming, amongst other genres, while at Sunny Side of the Doc.”
1776: American Independence brings together the undiscovered stories, heroes, and villains of the War for Independence. This incredible six-part retelling goes far beyond the 13 original colonies and the clash between American Patriots and British colonial troops. Traversing the Atlantic and plunging deep into the American West we discover a multi-front war that engulfed a diverse cast of characters – indigenous people, enslaved Africans, American Loyalists, women of all social classes – and changed the face of world history.
Gladiators: Warriors Of The Ancient World chronicles the lives of Rome’s greatest gladiators – from Spartacus’s defiant rebellion to Flamma’s ultimate sacrifice in the arena. Their stories reveal the brutal rise and fall of gladiatorial combat, exposing how bloodsport shaped Roman power, culture, and identity. Through rebellion, spectacle, and survival, these warriors became legends in an empire built on violence and glory.
Queens That Changed the World explores extraordinary women operating at the very highest level of power. They built nations, eliminated their enemies, led armies and revolts, and transformed whole societies. With psychological analysis alongside investigation from historians and academics, each episode delves into the challenges they faced and their unique approach to queenship, while also exploring wider themes such as women’s changing position in society across the centuries, and the specific expectations of female rule that were exerted upon them.
The Hunt for the Last Nazis tells the explosive story of how Australia enabled hundreds of alleged Nazi war criminals to slink into their suburbs after WWII, and the last-ditch bid to bring them to justice. With exclusive access to thousands of never-seen-before government files, and explosive video and audio recordings of detectives from the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) interrogating Nazi collaborators and Jewish survivors, this is a true crime thriller laced with bombshell revelations.
In the 6th Century, Central America was divided into kingdoms locked in a fierce struggle for dominance. The Maya: War of the Five Kingdoms tells their story. For more than three centuries, the Maya Lowlands were shaped by relentless rivalry between powerful city-states. Never unified into a single empire, the Maya world was ruled by divine kings whose authority rested on warfare, diplomacy, ritual legitimacy, and control of vital trade networks.
At the heart of this struggle stood two dominant powers: Tikal, the kingdom of the Jaguar, and Calakmul, the realm of the Serpent kings. This series traces the rise, confrontation, and eventual collapse of this political system, drawing on archaeology, epigraphy, and environmental science to reconstruct one of the most complex power struggles of the ancient world.
Great British Castle Rescue ventures inside some of the UK’s most spectacular and endangered castles. From crumbling medieval towers to collapsing royal chambers, engineers and historians battle to stabilise these epic structures before they’re lost forever. Each rescue unlocks extraordinary stories of warrior kings, civil wars, brutal betrayals and forgotten lives. Blending cutting-edge engineering, adventure and vivid historical AI reconstruction, the series reveals how these fortresses shaped Britain, and whether they can survive for future generations.
