Sarah Palin is reportedly close to securing a deal for a travelogue reality show.
Sources say Discovery Communications has edged out rival A and E Networks in the bidding for the project, Sarah Palin’s Alaska, and an agreement could be announced in the next few days.
It is still undecided which network in the Discovery suite would air Alaska, which is being produced by Mark Burnett Productions.
Although travelogues are on-brand for the Discovery flagship, having Palin as a centrepiece also makes the show a fit for mum-friendly TLC.
Clearly nature docs are still viable for the company – Discovery’s latest effort in the genre, the miniseries Life, debuted to 11.8 million viewers on Sunday night.
In her numerous TV appearances, Palin has proven she can draw an audience. But her show will not come cheaply.
The former Alaska governor’s asking price was $US1.2 million per episode. A network paying anywhere close to that figure would make Alaska one of the most expensive nature series ever produced.
The high-definition program will be shot in a style similar to Life and Planet Earth and will feature the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate acting as a guide to the Alaskan outdoors.
When it was commissioned by the BBC at a cost of $US25 million, the 11-part Planet Earth was considered the most expensive documentary the network had ever made.
Discovery Communications had no comment.
- Reuters
