Tuesday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

All3M Int’l preps The Traitors for Whatsapp

All3Media International has partnered with live experience firm CityDays to create a version of The Traitors that can be played entirely on WhatsApp.

The Traitors: Anywhere, which will be available in the UK and Ireland, is designed for up to 30 players and unfolds over approximately one week of “orchestrated action”.

Players navigate a cycle of missions, round table discussions, banishments and covert traitor activity, with private messages and group chats allowing for communication.

All3 previously partnered with CityDays on live event Race Across The World: The Experience, based on the hit Studio Lambert format.

Sphere Abacus lands Americas, Australia deals

BBC Select in the Americas and Australia’s Foxtel have picked up six-part drama documentary 1776: American Independence from Sphere Abacus, ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary.

The show, produced by Dash Pictures for National Geographic, has also been sold to Viasat World, Now TV Hong Kong and VRT in Belgium.

Foxtel has also picked up Dash Pictures-Nat Geo collaboration Gladiators: Warriors Of The Ancient World, alongside Czech Television, ZDF Germany and JCG Korea Inc.

Among a slew of other deals, Woodcut Media’s Queens That Changed The World has been acquired by buyers including SBS Australia, BBC Select Americas, Czech TV, Hot8 Israel and Nordic pubcasters NRK, SVT and DR.

TVF sells Polar Bear doc to Arte

Arte in France has picked up Trade Secret - the special that uncovers the illegal polar bear trade - from TVF International.

The show is executive produced by Adam McKay (Succession) and has been axquired alongside Messengers, the 1 x 45-minute special about ghostly subatomic particles.

Channel 4 and SBS’s VE Day and VJ Day series 24 hours that Changed the World from Like a Shot Entertainment has been sold to Canal+, while TVF has also landed Ulysses: From Myth to Science to ZDF, with the show produced by Mediatika.

Among numerous sales, which were unveiled at Sunny Side of the Doc this week, Rai jas licensed Rauschenberg: Everything is Art from Brandmedia Film and Basquiat: Rage to Riches from the BBC.

Tulisa heads to Paramount+

Paramount+ has greenlit an unscripted series exploring the life of N-Dubz star Tulisa.

Tulisa: The Reckoning is being produced by Dorothy Street Pictures and reflects on her rise from N-Dubz to The X Factor, to the media scrutiny that followed including the infamous ‘Fake Sheikh’ sting.

The three-part docuseries will record and air in 2026.