German Television, Streaming Group ProSiebenSat.1 Sees Revenues Fall by 7%, but Ramps Up Spending on Local Shows

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor A panel moderated by the European Audiovisual Observatory at Series Mania Tuesday looked at four key trends in series production in Europe. Warning Signs?Gilles Fontaine, EAO’s head of department for market information, said there were warning signs of a downward trend in the number of seasons being produced, first in the U.S.

Netflix EMEA boss Larry Tanz has criticized local quotas for “stifling creativity” and said the streamer remains “all in” while competitors “dial back.”

Ed Meza @edmezavar Spinning audiences back to the mid-1970s, UFA Fiction‘s latest period series “Disko 76” is set in a pivotal time in the industrial heartland of West Germany as a new American pop music craze takes over the airwaves and dance floors. The six-part series, which premiered at the recent Berlinale Series Market, continues its international rollout at Series Mania in Lille before bowing on the RTL+ streaming platform on March 28 and on RTL Group channel Nitro on April 1. UFA Fiction quickly won over RTL+ with the idea from former UFA Fiction producer Benjamin Benedict of a family story set in the disco era, says fellow producer Sinah Swyter.

EXCLUSIVE: Artist International Group has signed Swedish actor, screenwriter and producer Alexander Karim for management.

Eldorado might have gone down in TV history as one of soap's biggest flops, but it did launch the careers of some of its cast - including Kai Maurer, who played hot German windsurfing instructor Dieter Schultz.The BBC soap was much hyped in advance of its 1992 launch – show bosses had hoped it could replicate the success of EastEnders while bringing a little more sunshine into the lives of avid soap viewers. It reportedly cost £10 million to make thanks to an entire village being built near Marbella to film it in, but had crashed and burned just a year later when it was axed over dwindling viewing figures.

Aberdeen have been given just 19k tickets for their Scottish Cup semi-final with Celtic- but Hearts have been granted an initial 50/50 split with Rangers.

Naman Ramachandran Revenues at Bertelsmann’s Luxembourg-based RTL Group, a media giant which owns Fremantle, dipped 5.2% to €6.2 billion ($6.7 billion) for the financial year 2023. The company attributed this to lower TV advertising revenue and lower Fremantle revenue. The company’s EBITA (earnings before interest, taxes and amortization) slid to €782 million, down from €922 million in 2022.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Confirming Germany’s importance as a growth market, Netfix on Wednesday announced 17 new and returning shows and movies produced by some of the country’s leading producers, including docuseries “Kaulitz & Kaulitz,” about the Tokio Hotel popstar siblings, and sci-fi drama “Cassandra,” about an overzealous electronic household helper. Netflix presented 17 feature films, series, documentaries and reality shows at a special event in Berlin.

EXCLUSIVE: Gina Carano (The Mandalorian, Deadpool) has signed with Straightwire Entertainment Group for management.

As a sports fan, “you want to pull your hair out” when trying to toggle between streaming and linear TV, in the view of Nexstar President and COO Mike Biard.

Banijay Germany has taken another step into the scripted market by launching a joint venture with the executive producers behind Helgoland 513.

Sandra Hüller has arrived!

Sandra Hüller (a Best Actress nominee) and Christian Friedel, stars of Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest — nominated for Best Picture, Best International Picture, Director, Sound, and Adapted Screenplay — are familiar with Shakespeare’s famous verse from Hamlet: ”All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women are merely players …” That’s because both thespians have been playing the Danish prince on stages around Germany for years.

ProSiebenSat.1 Media has posted full-year earnings down €100M ($109), but its recent recovery looks set to continue with fourth quarter income up “significantly.”

Searches for German Shepherds have risen by a staggering 235% in Scotland as wannabe dog owners hunt for an alternative to XL Bullies.

UPDATED: “Nobody understands all the things you have to do when you wear a badge.” So begins the Season 2 trailer for American Rust which sees the return of Jeff Daniels‘ police chief Del Harris to fictional Buell, Pennsylvania to investigate what appears to be a widening murder conspiracy threatening the small town.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Kino Lorber’s MHz Choice and Topic will merge into one streaming service, parent company Kino Lorber announced Thursday. The combined product will become the exclusive U.S. streaming home of hit German series “Babylon Berlin” in April.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Ivo (Minna Wündrich) spends her days tending to terminally ill patients. In her capacity as a palliative care nurse, she’s not responsible for saving them — that’s the doctors’ concern — though this 40-ish single mother does her best to listen to their complaints and ease their pain.

Israeli filmmaker Yuval Abraham, who last week picked up the best documentary award at the Berlin Film Festival, has said he has received death threats and had to cancel his flight home after German officials and Israeli media described his acceptance speech as “anti-Semitic”.

Things got emotional for Jon Stewart three episodes into his return to The Daily Show. The political commentator announced that his dog Dipper had died the night before.