Planet Earth is a 2006 television series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Five years in the making, it was the most expensive nature documentaryseries ever commissioned by the BBC, and also the first to be filmed in high definition.[1] The series was co-produced by the Discovery Channel and NHK in association with the CBC, and was described by its makers as "the definitive look at the diversity of our planet".


With a budget of £16 million,[4]Planet Earth is the most expensive documentary series the BBC has ever made.[5] The corporation signed a co-financing deal with the Discovery Channel and NHK (Japan’s state broadcaster), its production partners on The Blue Planet, to spread the cost of the ambitious project. Under the terms of the deal, Discovery retained the US rights and NHK the Japanese rights, whileBBC Worldwide retained the rights for the rest of the world.[6] Together, the Discovery and NHK financing amounted to 60–70% of the cost of the series,[6] which paid for the upgrade to the high-definition format.[7] BBC Worldwide also funded the additional £7.4 million budget of Earth, the feature film.[8]