Thursday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

A+E preps Ax Men, Swamp People FAST channels swa

A+E Global Media is launching two FAST channels in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, led by unscripted series Ax Men and Swamp People.

The single-title channels have launched in Germany on Prime Video, Rakuten, and Titan OS, with Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, Pluto TV, VIDAA, and wedotv scheduled to follow.

Ax Men explores the perilous world of logging while Swamp People ventures deep into the bayous and swamps of Louisiana, following the self-reliant descendants of Cajun immigrants, Native Americans, and early settlers during the 30-day alligator-hunting season.

ZDFS to distribute Putin documentary

Germany’s ZDF Studios has secured sales rights to Story House Productions’ two-part documentary on Vladimir Putin’s rise to power.

The Godfather of St Petersburg is in production and will track Putin’s journey from local politics to global power. It will draw on internationally respected top experts, exclusive documents and previously unpublished material to reveal the origins of Russia’s complex power structure.

The true-crime documentary will also feature exclusive interviews with Putin’s former collaborators, some of whom will be speaking publicly for the first time.

Clash of the Choir returns with Meter 

Sweden’s TV4 has commissioned a reboot of competition format Clash of the Choir from Meter, part of Banijay Nordic.

The five-part series, now titled Clash of the Choir – Together Against Cancer, aims to raise funds for the Swedish Cancer Society and sees six established choirs, each led by a well-known artist, compete in dynamic musical challenges.

The format was originally produced in Sweden by Meter and launched on TV4 in 2008. It has since spawned 15 adaptations across Europe, Asia, the US and Latin America, and more recently in South Africa (2023) and Latvia (2025).

Cowshed, Krempelwood launch YouTube channel 

Cowshed Ventures is partnering with programme financing company Krempelwood to launch a new digital offering dedicated to true crime.

It’s Criminal will launch on YouTube and across socials with a slate of crime programming that includes series from true crime producers Woodcut Media and Flicker Productions.

Crime documentaries will also be commissioned to sit alongside creator-led formats and talent-led shows. Social media star Chloe Taylor, who is known for her relationship advice and has a TikTok following of over 2.7m and a rapidly growing YouTube presence, is among talent attached. Read more