Indies aren't the only ones who deserve kudos for great TV. This year, realscreen counted up the credits accumulating on the other side of the table too: the broadcasters and distributors who gave the okay, signed the checks, and defended the projects to their own bureaucracy. Companies were given credit for projects that were voted on that they produced in-house, commissioned from - or coproduced with - indies.

Special acknowledgement has to go to both FremantleMedia and Granada, prolific producers of outstanding factual content, who would have certainly taken leadership positions in the Global 100 but for their ties to broadcasters. In the end, for some companies, we had to make that decision on a case-by-case basis, and we felt it was more fair for those two companies to take their place in this list.

• First: Discovery
• Second: BBC
• Third: A&E/A&E IndieFilms
• 4th: HBO/Cinemax
• 4th: National Geographic
• 6th: Paramount Classics
• 7th: Bravo
• 8th: Channel 4
• 9th: PBS
• 10th: CBS
• 11th: FremantleMedia
• 12th: FOX
• 12th: NBC
• 12th: Granada Media
• 15th: ABC (US)