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ZDF Studios
View on WikipediaZDF Studios GmbH (formerly known as ZDF Enterprises, stylised as ZDF.enterprises) is a wholly owned German production and distribution subsidiary of the German television network ZDF that is known for the creation and exploitation of ZDF's programming internationally outside of Germany. They also handled programming acquisitions, co-productions and distribution with other production companies around the world. It was founded in 1993. Until March 31, 2022, it was known as ZDF Enterprises. It is located at the ZDF broadcasting center in Mainz-Lerchenberg and had three offices in Munich, Cologne and New York
Key Information
History
[edit]In July 2007, ZDF Enterprises announced they had acquired a 50% majority stake in Bavaria Film's independent television production subsidiary Bavaria Fernsehproduktion. The latter's previous parent, major German film production and distribution company Bavaria Film, spun off their television production arm into an independent subsidiary within Bavaria Film, in order for them to become a management holding company. The acquisition of a 50% stake by ZDF Enterprises had turned Bavaria Film's television subsidiary, Bavaria Fernsehproduktion, into a joint-venture production subsidiary, with ZDF Enterprises co-producing and handling international distribution of the company's projects outside of Germany.[2]
In January 2011, ZDF Enterprises acquired a 49% minority stake in factual entertainment and documentary production division Studio Hamburg DocLights from NDR's Hamburg-based film and television production and service company Studio Hamburg Production Group (who they founded the division one year earlier in 2010), establishing a partnership with the two production companies. The former would co-prooduce and distribute Studio Hamburg Doclights' productions, as Studio Hamburg Production Group continued to hold a 51% stake in documentary division Studio Hamburg DocLights, alongside Jörn Röver, Michaela Hummel and Andreas Knoblauch, who continued to head the factual studio as CEOs.[3]
In late January 2012, ZDF Enterprises (who bought Studio Hamburg's documentary division Studio Hamburg Doclights in January 2011) established a joint-venture distribution sales unit with NDR's Hamburg-based film and television production and service company Studio Hamburg Production Group, called Studio Hamburg Enterprises. This joint-venture distribution company acquired rights to ZDF Enterprises' programming catalogue, including the ZDF and ARD libraries, with the two companies handling 50% of their joint-venture distribution unit. ZDF Enterprises' former head of merchandising Peter Lang and former Studio Hamburg head of home entertainment Jens Uwe Welge led the joint-venture distribution sales unit.[4] The two production and distribution companies, ZDF Studios (which was renamed from ZDF Enterprises) and Studio Hamburg Production Group, rebranded their joint-venture distribution unit as OneGate Media ten years later in September 2022, with the name referencing the latter's roots in Hamburg.[5]
On June 6, 2017, ZDF Enterprises expanded their operations into the UK distribution market by acquiring a 32% minority stake in British factual production and distribution company World Media Rights. This marked ZDF Enterprises' first investment in the British production and distribution company outside of Germany. World Media Rights CEO Allan Griffiths continued as CEO of the British factual production and distribution company through ZDF Enterprises.[6]
In January 2019, ZDF Enterprises expanded their operations into the Netherlands by announcing their acquisition of Dutch unscripted production and distribution company Off the Fence, thus giving ZDF Enterprises their own Dutch production and distribution subsidiary. Off the Fence's CEO and founder Ellen Windemuth continued operating the company under ZDF Enterprises.[7]
In April 2022, a day after the rebranding of ZDF Enterprises to ZDF Studios, ZDF Studios announced a partnership with Belgian production and distribution group Studio 100 through the latter's Munich-based German international distribution division Studio 100 Media (now Studio 100 International) to jointly launch a new international channel brand. This would bring ZDF Studios' kids & family programming library, such as Australian television series H2O: Just Add Water and Find Me in Paris, with Studio 100's kids & family programming catalogue under one streaming channel brand, Pash. This was launched on Amazon Prime Channels in the UK, Italy and Spain, with the two companies planning to launch their joint venture channel brand in other territories.[8]
Filmography
[edit]Television
[edit]| Title | Years | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tabaluga | 1997–2004 | ZDF Seven Network (Australia) |
co-production with Yoram Gross-EM.TV, EM.Entertainment and Victory Media Group |
| Pablo the Little Red Fox[9] | 1999–2000 | ZDF La Cinquième & Disney Channel France (France) BBC One/BBC Two (United Kingdom) |
co-production with Millimages, HIT Entertainment and Red Fox Productions |
| Laura's Star | 2002–2011 | ZDF SF 1 (Switzerland) |
co-production with Rothkirch-Cartoon Film (season 1), Bauhaus Medien (season 1), Mondo TV (seasons 2–3) and Mondo Igel Media (seasons 2–3) |
| Metalheads | 2003–2004 | ZDF CBBC (United Kingdom) |
co-production with TV-Loonland AG and Telemagination Productions Rights held by Studio 100[10] |
| Wicked Science | 2004–2006 | Network Ten (Australia) | co-production with Jonathan M. Shiff Productions |
| Dragon[11] | 2004–2007 | ZDF Treehouse TV (Canada) EBS (South Korea) |
co-production with Cite-Amerique, Scopas Medien and Image Plus |
| Shaolin Wuzang[12] | 2005–2006 | ZDF France 3 (France) Jetix Europe TV 2 (Denmark) |
co-production with Les Cartooneurs Associés and Fantasia Animation Owned by Mediatoon Distribution[13] |
| H2O: Just Add Water | 2006–2010 | Kika Network Ten (Australia) |
co-production with Jonathan M. Shiff Productions |
| Rudi & Trudi[14] | 2006–2007 | ZDF Channel 4 (United Kingdom) |
co-production with TV-Loonland AG and Telemagination Co-owned with Studio 100 |
| The Killing | 2007–2012 | DR1 (Denmark) | co-production with DR |
| Fun with Claude[15] | 2009 | ZDF Playhouse Disney UK (United Kingdom) |
co-production with Dot to Dot Producitons, Red & Blue Productions and Dinamo Productions |
| Igam Ogam | 2009–2013 | ZDF Channel 5 & S4C (United Kingdom) |
co-production with Calon and Telegael (season 2) |
| Le Petit Nicolas[16] | 2009–2010 | ZDF M6 (France) |
co-production with Method Animation, M6 Studio, LuxAnimation and DQ Entertainment |
| Millennium | 2010 | SVT1 | co-production with Yellow Bird, Nordisk Film, SVT and Film i Väst |
| Dance Academy | 2010–2013 | ZDF ABC1/ABC3 (Australia) |
co-production with Werner Film Productions and Australian Children's Television Foundation |
| The Jungle Book[17] | 2010–2020 | ZDF TF1/Piwi+ (France) |
co-production with DQ Entertainment, MoonScoop (seasons 1–2), Ellipsanime Productions (season 3) and Les Cartooneurs Associés (season 3) |
| Sherlock Yack | 2011–2012 | ZDF & Kika TF1 (France) |
co-production with Mondo TV France |
| My Phone Genie[18] | 2012 | Kika CITV (United Kingdom) |
co-production with MoonScoop, Talent Television and Telegael Owned by Mediatoon Distribution[19] |
| Lightning Point[20] | 2012 | Kika Network Ten (Australia) |
co-production with Jonathan M. Shiff Productions |
| The New Adventures of Peter Pan[21][22][23][24] | 2012–2016 | ZDF[25] France 3 (France) |
co-production with Method Animation, DQ Entertainment, Story Board Animation and De Agostini Editore Co-owned with Mediawan Kids & Family Distribution[26] |
| The Fall | 2013–2016 | ZDFneo BBC Two (United Kingdom) RTÉ One (Ireland) |
co-production with Artists Studio and Fabels Limited Co-distributed with Banijay Rights |
| Reef Doctors[27] | 2013 | Network Ten/Eleven | co-production with Jonathan M. Shiff Productions |
| Mako: Island of Secrets | 2013–2016 | ZDF Network Ten/Eleven (Australia) Netflix (Worldwide) |
A spin-off of H2O: Just Add Water by Jonathan M. Shiff co-production with Jonathan M. Shiff Productions |
| Wendy[28] | 2013–2014 | ZDF | co-production with Red Kite Animation and August Media |
| The New Adventures of Lassie[29] | 2014–2020 | ZDF TF1 (France) |
co-production with DreamWorks Classics, Superprod Animation and DQ Entertainment (season 1) Rights co-owned with Superights Kids & Family[30] |
| The Skinner Boys: Guardians of the Lost Secrets[31] | 2014–2017 | Super RTL 9Go! (Australia) |
co-production with SLR Productions, Telegael Teoranta, Home Plate Entertainment (season 1) and Top Draw Animation (season 1) |
| Sam Fox: Extreme Adventures | 2014–2015 | Eleven (Australia) | co-production with SLR Productions and Kojo |
| H2O: Mermaid Adventures | 2015 | ZDF France 3 (France) Netflix (Worldwide) |
co-production with Les Cartooneurs Associés, Jonathan M. Shiff Productions and Fantasia Animation Based on the live-action series H2O: Just Add Water by Jonathan M. Shiff Rights co-owned with Mediatoon Distribution[32] |
| Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs[33] | 2015 | Kika 9Go! (Australia) |
co-production with SLR Productions, Telegael and Top Draw Animation |
| Robin Hood: Mischief in Sherwood[34][35] | 2015–2019 | ZDF TF1 (France) Disney Channel France (France) (seasons 1–2) |
co-production with Method Animation, DQ Entertainment (seasons 1–2), Fabrique D'Images (season 1), De Agostini Editore (season 1) and KidsMe (season 3) |
| Scream Street | 2015–present | Kika CBBC (United Kingdom) |
co-production with Coolabi Productions |
| Ku'damm 56 | 2016–2021 | ZDF | co-production with UFA Fiction |
| Seven and Me[36] | 2016–2019 | ProSieben France 3 (France) Rai Gulp (Italy) |
co-production with Method Animation, AB Productions, DQ Entertainment, Nexus Factory and Rai Fiction |
| Find Me in Paris[37] | 2018–2020 | ZDF Disney Channel France & France 4 (France) Disney Channel Italy (Italy) Hulu (United States) ABC Me (Australia) |
co-production with Cottonwood Media, BE-Films, UMedia, and Paris Opera Co-distributed with Federation Kids & Family |
| The Bureau of Magical Things | 2018–2021 | Kika/ZDF Eleven/10 Shake (Australia) |
co-production with Jonathan M. Shiff Productions |
| Apollo's Tall Tales[38] | 2019 | ZDF France 5 & TiJi (France) |
co-production with Method Animation, Bidibul Productions and PGS Entertainment |
| Heirs of the Night[39] | 2019–2020 | NDR & Kika[40] NRK1 (Norway) NPO 3 (Netherlands) |
co-production with Lemming Film, Hamster Film, Maze Pictures, Maipo Film and Scope Pictures |
| Agent Hamilton[41][42] | 2020–2022 | ZDFneo C More & TV 4 (Sweden) |
co-production with Dramacorp Pampas Studios and Kärnfilm |
| Dead Still[43] | 2020 | Acorn TV CityTV (Canada) |
co-production with Shaftesbury Films and Deadpan Pictures |
| Space Nova[44][45] | 2021–present | Super RTL 9Go & ABC ME/ABC Family (Australia) |
co-production with SLR Productions, Giggle Garbage and Australian Children's Television Foundation |
| Huss[46][47] | 2021 | ZDF Viaplay (Scandinavia) Kanal 5 (Sweden) |
co-production with Yellow Bird |
| ANA. all in[48] | RTVE Play (Spain) | co-production with DeAPlaneta and Tornasol | |
| Stories to Stay Awake[49] | 2021–2022 | Amazon Prime Video | co-produciton with ViacomCBS International Studios and Isla Audiovisual Co-distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution |
| Theodosia[50] | 2022–present | ZDF Salto/France 4 (France) HBO Max[51]/BYUtv[52] (United States) Globoplay (Brazil) |
co-production with Cottonwood Media, BE-Films and UMedia Co-owned with Federation Kids & Family |
| Silverpoint | ZDF CBBC (United Kingdom) |
co-production with Zodiak Kids & Family Productions UK Co-owned with Banijay Kids & Family Distribution | |
| The Enchanted Village of Pinocchio[53] | 2022 | France 5 (France) Rai Yoyo (Italy) |
co-production with Method Animation, Palomar and Rai Ragazzi |
| Spellbound | 2023–present | ZDF France 4 (France) Hulu (United States) |
co-production with Cottonwood Media Co-owned with Federation Kids & Family |
| Grisù[54] | 2023–present | Kika Rai Yoyo & Rai Play (Italy) |
co-production with Mondo TV, Mondo TV France and Toon2Tango |
| Pirate Academy[55] | 2024–present | ZDF M6 & Canal J (France) |
co-production with Method Animation, Toonz Entertainment, Telegael and KidsMe |
| Super Happy Magic Forest[56] | 2024–present | ZDF CBBC (United Kingdom) Rai Yoyo (Italy) Canal+ (France) |
co-production with Tiger Aspect Kids & Family, Monello Productions, Movimenti Production, Zodiak Kids & Family France and Rai Kids |
| The 3 Musketeers[57][58] | 2025–present | ZDF France 4 (France) Rai Gulp (Italy) |
co-production with Method Animation, Palomar and Rai Kids |
| Weiss & Morales[59] | 2025 | ZDF La 1 (Spain) |
co-production with Portocabo and Nadcon |
| Wild Science[60] | TBA | 3sat Love Nature[61] (International) |
co-production with Blue Ant Studios[62] and Big Media |
Film
[edit]| Title | Release date | Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talk of the Town[63] | 26 October 1995 | Buena Vista International | co-production with Studio Hamberg Production |
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo | 27 February 2009 (Sweden and Denmark) 1 October 2009 (Germany) |
NFP Marketing & Distribution Nordisk Film (Sweden and Denmark) |
co-production with Yellow Bird, Nordisk Film, Filmpool Stockholm-Mälardalen, Sveriges Television, ZDF, Film i Väst and Spiltan Underhållning |
| The Girl Who Played with Fire | 18 September 2009 (Sweden and Denmark) 4 February 2010 (Germany) | ||
| The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest | 27 November 2009 (Sweden and Denmark) 3 June 2010 (Germany) | ||
| The Four Times | 28 May 2010 (Italy) | Cinecittà Luce (Italy) | Invisibile Film, Ventura Film, Vivo Film, Coproduction Office, Caravan Pass and Altamarea Film |
| Dance Academy: The Comeback[64][65] | April 7, 2017 | ZDF Enterprises StudioCanal (Australia) |
co-production with Werner Film Productions, StudioCanal and Australian Children's Television Foundation |
| Alice-Miranda Friends Forever[66][67] | December 2, 2019 | ZDF Enterprises ABC Commercial (Australia) |
co-production with SLR Productions |
| Alice-Miranda: A Royal Christmas Ball[67] | October 15, 2021 |
References
[edit]- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (April 12, 2022). "Markus Schaefer Takes Over as President, CEO of ZDF Studios, Succeeding Fred Burcksen". Variety.
- ^ Meza, Ed (July 5, 2007). "ZDF buys stake in Bavaria subsid". Variety.
- ^ "ZDFE Takes Stake in Factual Producer". Worldscreen. January 18, 2011.
- ^ "ZDF and Studio Hamburg launch new sales unit SHE". Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. January 30, 2012.
- ^ "Studio Hamburg Enterprises rebrands as OneGate Media". Broadband TV News. September 22, 2022.
- ^ Middleton, Richard (June 6, 2017). "ZDFE buys stake in World Media Rights". C21Media.
- ^ White, Peter (January 8, 2019). "Germany's ZDF Enterprises Acquires 'Love & Hip Hop' & 'Kendra On Top' Distributor Off The Fence". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ "Studio 100 Media Partners With ZDF Studios for Amazon Prime Channels (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. April 1, 2022.
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- ^ "Metalheads". Studio 100 International. August 1, 2025.
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