Sarah Palin near deal for reality show

Sarah Palin is close to a deal for her travel reality show. Sources say Discovery Communications has edged out rival A&E Networks in the bidding for the project, Sarah Palin's Alaska. An agreement could be announced soon. It's 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 mom-friendly TLC. Clearly nature docs are still viable for the company – Discovery's latest effort in the genre, the miniseries Life, just debuted to 11.8 million viewers on Sunday night. In her numerous TV appearances, Palin has proven she can draw an audience. Yet her show won't come cheap. The former Alaska governor's asking price was $1.2 million (Dh4.4m) 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 programme 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. At the moment, Planet Earth is the most expensive documentary, costing $25m.