At its 50th annual Showcase event (23-24 February), BBC Studios has announced international pre-sales for the return of its world-renowned Natural History Unit Productions’ landmark series Blue Planet III. BBC Studios also confirmed a new co-production deal in Greece with Skai TV joining the series for BBC and BBC AMERICA, alongside co-producers ZDF and France Télévisions.
The six-part series has secured pre-sales in Australia (Nine), Brazil (Globo), Canada (Blue Ant Media, Radio-Canada), China (Shanghai Media Group’s Dragon TV), Denmark (DR), New Zealand (TVNZ) and Spain (MovistarPlus+). Blue Planet III will also be available on BBC Nordic, Sony BBC Earth in India and BBC Earth in Croatia, Cyprus, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, South Africa and Turkey*.
With a long-standing history in acquiring BBC Studios’ unscripted content for its audiences, Skai TV are reinforcing their partnership with BBC Studios through this co-production agreement for Blue Planet III alongside a new multi-year partnership that will see them host a BBC Earth branded block for the first time. The new BBC Earth block on Skai TV will be the first free-to-air window for BBC Studios’ unscripted content in Greece.
Alongside the Greek premiere of Blue Planet III, Skai TV’s BBC Earth block will showcase back catalogue titles including BAFTA-winning global landmarks that redefined natural history storytelling, Blue Planet II, Planet Earth II and Asia as well as other global unscripted hits including Human, Big Cats 24/7 S1 and Walking with Dinosaurs.
Zai Bennett, CEO and Chief Creative Officer, BBC Studios Global Content said “As we celebrate 50 years of Showcase, there’s no better example of BBC Studios at its very best than Blue Planet III from our extraordinary Natural History Unit. We’re privileged to have long-standing clients like Skai TV come on board to co-produce and go a step further to premiere it via a dedicated BBC Earth block. This new chapter will immerse global audiences deeper than ever before, revealing unseen behaviours and uncovering urgent new stories about our changing seas. It’s a landmark production in every sense – visually breathtaking and scientifically revelatory.”
Ioannis A. Alafouzos, Owner of SKAI MEDIA GROUP “Our partnership with BBC Studios is built on trust, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to excellence. Today’s announcement is not just the beginning of a new collaboration, but the continuation and strengthening of a relationship that has already proven its value. Together, we are deepening our creative ties and reaffirming our long-term commitment to developing ambitious co-productions that will resonate with audiences around the world.”
Almost a decade ago, Blue Planet III’s predecessor the award-winning Blue Planet II was watched by over a billion viewers globally, it received international accolades and played an instrumental role in the galvanizing impact of tackling ocean plastic pollution.
Twenty-five years after the groundbreaking original series first brought our oceans to life, Blue Planet III will take the wonder, immersion, and discovery of the Blue Planet brand to extraordinary new depths. Combining our greater understanding of the oceans with a whole new generation of camera technology, it will tell remarkable stories and reveal extraordinary animal behaviours, previously impossible to film or only newly discovered. Where Blue Planet II exposed some of the threats facing our oceans — particularly the impact of single-use plastic — Blue Planet III will explore and expose new and emerging pressures on the marine world, alongside powerful stories of hope and recovery.
The series will focus on the planet’s five key underwater habitats – the Tropical Seas, Seasonal Seas, Polar Seas, High Seas, and Deep Seas. In our sixth and final episode we turn to the future of our seas and explore what we need to do to protect them. At a time when we are realising just how vital our ocean is for all life on earth, this is a timely, and decisive story.
Blue Planet III (6×60’) will sit at the heart of the diverse content slate BBC Studios is bringing to Showcase 2026, the biggest single studio content event in the UK.
