BossaNova Media has announced a new round of international sales for projects developed through its Development Day initiative, ahead of the 2026 edition taking place on October 8.
BossaNova Media is heading into Development Day 2026 with new international deals for several projects from its factual development pipeline, while also strengthening its operations team with the appointment of Lavell Charlemagne as Strategic Operations and Finance Director.
Among BossaNova Media’s latest sales is Roman Empire by Train, the fourth travelogue from Professor Alice Roberts exploring ancient civilisations. The series has been licensed to SBS in Australia, VRT in Belgium, Movistar in Spain and BBC Studios in the US, Poland and Africa.
History and Factual Titles Drive BossaNova Media’s New Deals
Days That Shocked the World, produced by UK factual specialist BriteSpark Films, has also continued its international rollout. The title has now been sold to Novo 19 in France, Radial in the US and Sky Germany, adding to previous deals with Discovery EMEA, Sky New Zealand, SBS Australia, Channel 4 in the UK and TV2 Denmark.
Meanwhile, RTL Germany has acquired Ruins: Rise and Fall, an 8×60’ history mystery series produced by Like a Shot Entertainment. The format uses immersive 3D-CGI and digital restorations to reconstruct ancient sites, taking viewers from lost Mongolian fortress cities to Roman settlements built against Celtic invasions.
BossaNova said the full production budget for Ruins: Rise and Fall has been secured, while the company has also fully cash-flowed The Land That Made Us, another recent Development Day greenlight produced in association with Alice Roberts.
The 2026 Development Day will focus on brands and franchises, with new briefs submitted by US channel partners including Radial, iD, History Channel and Oxygen. AI-powered content studio Gennie Studio joins returning sponsor Getty Images as an event sponsor.
Head of Acquisitions Francesca Johnson, who joined BossaNova earlier this year, will lead Development Day for the first time. Her responsibilities have also expanded to include US sales, with a particular focus on presales and buyer relationships in the market.
