CBC has secured a deal with U.K.-based distributor DRG to sell its formats around the world, revealing the partnership at MIPTV within days of a separate agreement on stock footage with the NFB.

The two-year deal will also see DRG invest undisclosed but ‘substantial’ funds into developing new formats at the pubcaster, also to be included in the agreement.

One format covered under the deal is Next Great Leader. The factual entertainment show ran for three seasons on the Ceeb — as Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister — and was recently picked up for a second season in Bulgaria, Germany and Ukraine.

Another format, Battle of the Blades, was a ratings hit on home turf but is sold by Sweden’s Sparks Network following a deal last month with Insight Production in Toronto. Dragons’ Den, another hit, comes from a format owned by Sony.

The Film Board, meanwhile, will later this year make stock footage from Radio-Canada’s vaults available through NFB Images.

The online hub, home to more than 1,000 hours of NFB footage, will by fall add 500 hours of stock from the French-language network, looking to reach 2,000 hours by 2011. The deal includes a wide selection of French-language material dating back to 1952 and stands to make it more easily accessible by filmmakers.

‘When we started NFB Images in 2008, our goal was to use the latest online technology to give filmmakers greater access to the best of Canada’s images,’ said NFB chairperson Tom Perlmutter in a statement. ‘Along the way, we’ve added partner archives and improved the site — but nothing matches the significance of this new partnership.’

The change will not affect staffing levels at Radio-Canada.