More than 2,200 hours of programming to launch the Discovery Channel and Real Time

To succeed in the highly competitive French market, the Discovery Channel knew it needed to dub a large quantity of high quality content for its September 2004 launch. After an intensive bidding process, Discovery awarded Woods TV a contract to localize 450 hours of programming, requiring dubbing, subtitling and graphics creation. In September 2005 we signed a second contract to launch their second French channel, Real Time. Today, we deliver 60-70 hours of ready-to-air programming a month to both Discovery Channel and Real Time, including both classic one-off documentaries and established series such as "Mythbusters", “Everest: Beyond the Limit”, “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” and “Model Life with Petra Nemcova”. As of January 2008 we have delivered more than 2,200 hours of programming to the Discovery Channel and Real Time combined. 

Sundance Channel in French and Dutch

In May 2009 Woods TV was selected by Rainbow Media to produce all subtitles and on-air promotion in French and Dutch for the HD launch of the Sundance Channel, an American cable channel showcasing independent cinema, documentaries and original series. We satisfied Rainbow Media's specific operational and creative requirements, as well as their technical requirements to work in an entirely tapeless environment. All video material is delivered via our dedicated 10Mbit fiber optic line and stored in our in-house 16-terabyte secure server. Our network of subtitlers work with low-resolution proxy videos to produce and QC subtitle files. Our in-house HD edit suites and graphic stations are used to produce all promos and auto-promo elements. All subtitle files and on-air promotional materials are then returned by FTP for integration into the transmission chain.

Languaging and Program Adaptation for E!'s top series for France and Italy

Since 2007 Woods TV has languaged and adapted many of E!'s most popular American series for broadcast in both France and Italy. We started by re-languaging into French and Italian the hit animation series "Starveillance", which serves up biting satires of famous celebrities. We then did the same for "Snoop Dogg's Father Hood", a top reality series following the family life of rap artist Snoop Dogg. Similar projects followed, including an eight-part reality series about Pamela Anderson and an eight-part series about Victoria Silverstedt.

Then in the summer of 2008 E! came to us with a very different project. They asked us to produce French and Italian adaptations of their top series "Sexiest!", which counts down the top 25 sexiest men and women in various categories. The project required shooting new elements in each country, combining these with elements from the original series and then languaging each brand new episode. Working with our in-house team in Paris and our partners in Italy, we produced nine 44-minute programs in each language and helped ensure E!'s growing presence in the French and Italian markets.

More than 600 hours of programming for ESPN Classic's first European channel and the X Games in Arabic

In 2003 ESPN turned to Woods TV to re-format 250 hours of archive programming for the launch of its French channel. In under a month Woods set up a stand-alone, fully staffed production/edit facility complete with graphics and voice-over capability. Programs ranged from “live” matches requiring single or double-voice commentary to multi-voice documentary series. At full capacity we delivered 10 hours of ready-to-air programming per week, and in all we produced more than 600 hours of programming for ESPN Classic France.

In 2006, for its first foray into the Middle East with the X Games, ESPN again called on Woods TV. Working closely with a Lebanese sports journalist and a producer for Arab television, we adapted both the style and the language of the English commentary so that an audience that had never watched the X Games in Arabic could follow every Flair, every McTwist and every Superman Seat Grab.

Localizing documentaries from 15 different languages for Cinétévé

Since 2006, Woods TV has been working with producer Cinétévé on a series of documentaries for ARTE. Each documentary is produced in a different European language, requiring that we adapt each script from one of 15 different European languages before voicing the program. Languages range from Greek, Danish and Lithuanian to Bosnian, Russian and Yiddish.

Heel Clickers and 360 Rewinds, plus Spyler and Cece for Chellozone

Woods TV is currently localizing content for two channels owned by Chellozone, a leading international distributor and broadcaster of thematic channels. In early 2006 their Extreme Sports Channel in France asked if we could add a bit of twist and flair to their dubbed programming. We threw out the traditional narrators and created a team of expert sports journalists who can adapt and re-write each text and then voice each show with the true feeling of extreme sports. As of January 2008 we have delivered more than 300 hours of programming. Then in early 2008 we were asked by Chellozone’s Italian channel JimJam to produce the Italian version of “I Spy”, a 52 x 13-minute animated series featuring Spyler and his faithful dog Cece.