Creative talent might be in demand but recognition and recompense remains an issue for writers from LA to Berlin. Richard Middleton catches up with developments at the Oslo Showrunners Summit in Norway. Talented writers are in demand around the world but you might not have guessed it from the way they have been treated in […]
The floodgates have opened for premium German drama after a comparatively slow start in the high-end TV market, and now producers and distributors are thinking about getting ahead of the competition. Kaltrina Bylykbashi reports Premium German drama made for an international audience has seen a steady but sharp rise in the past two years, as […]
Walter Iuzzolino, the face of and name behind Walter Presents, has walked an unusual path to reach his current role in scripted television. Growing up in Italy watching telenovelas and European dramas, he moved to the UK as a young man to follow dreams of writing and directing. After landing a job on Channel 4’s […]
Distributors will tell you that if they could have one drama production in their portfolio it would be an evergreen returning franchise that rakes in the cash year after year. But this doesn’t alter the fact that TV movies, minis and limited runs are also regarded as valuable assets and are increasingly getting recommissioned as […]
Programmes from the UK and Germany led the way at the International Emmy Awards in New York last night, winning six of the gongs that were up for grabs. UK winners at the event, which was presented by Alan Cummings, came in the Best Performance by An Actor, Comedy and TV Movie/ Mini-Series categories, while […]
A sequel to German spy drama Deutschland83 has been greenlit and Amazon has scooped the exclusive rights for its German service, ahead of free TV broadcaster RTL, which commissioned the original series. FremantleMedia’s UFA Fiction makes the show, a breakout international hit, and will produce the sequel, Deutschland86, for releases in 2018. Production gets underway […]
Amazon Prime Video Germany looks set to pick up first-run rights to the second instalment of Deutschland 83, with its linear broadcaster wavering on a recommission. RTL has not yet committed to financing Deutschland 86 after the first season, which was critical and ratings smash internationally but fared less well locally. German TV trade site […]
US channel operator MHz Networks has snagged a 150-hour package from Germany’s ZDF Enterprises. The independent channels group has acquired a range of German and Swedish drama from ZDF’s commercial arm, including Kudamm 56 – Rebel With a Cause (pictured), the new drama from Deutschland 83 prodco UFA Fiction, which proved popular on ZDF in Germany […]
FremantleMedia has hired former SundanceTV drama chief Christian Vesper as executive VP, creative director of global drama. Vesper left AMC Networks-owned SundanceTV earlier this year, but will now work within FremantleMedia’s drama unit, reporting to director of global drama Sarah Doole. He will be based in London and New York, working closely with FremantleMedia’s production […]
FremantleMedia-owned German producer UFA has named a new chief operating and financial chief officer to replace outgoing CFO Martin Licher. Thorsten Degen (pictured), currently COO, CFO and deputy CEO at UFA subsidiary UFA Serial Drama, began his newly-created post at the start of the year and is now part of the senior management team. At […]
