PASSION DISTRIBUTION FINDS TREASURE IN GERMANY
7th May 2014 - Passion Distribution, the international distributor, has closed a number of deals into Germany totalling over 100 hours’ worth of content, including Passion’s gem-hunting series.
Germany’s heavyweight broadcaster ProSieben has picked up Paperny Entertainment’s spectacular TIMBER KINGS (10 x 60’) and Season 2 (8 x 60’) of the gem-mining series PROSPECTORS for its ProSiebenMaxx Channel and digital platform Maxdome. Produced by High Noon Entertainment for The Weather Channel in the U.S., PROSPECTORS follows great characters in some of the most dangerous places to mine in the world. Not only can deadly storms and hurricanes appear in a heartbeat, these mountains are also home to armed outlaws looking to steal from newly discovered gem pockets. The prospectors juggle these dangers on a daily basis hoping to become their own rags to riches story, by finding the gem that could make them millionaires. The show is the highest ever rated original prime time series on The Weather Channel.
Scripps Networks International shows have proved popular with History Channel Germany, which has signed a deal with Passion which totals 53 hours of content. The channel picked up Season 1 (21 x 60’) of DEAD FILES, Season 3 (10 x 60’) of GHOST ADVENTURES and Season 1 (13 x 30’ & 1 x 60’) of TOY HUNTERS. History Channel Germany also licensed two chilling investigation series from Atlas Media Corp, Season 1 (11 x 30’ & 1 x 60’) of FRENEMIES: LOYALTY TURNED LETHAL and Season 3 (16 x 30’) of STALKED: SOMEONE'S WATCHING.
RTL Group has picked up a slate of shows for its pay TV channels RTL Crime, RTL Living and RTL Geo. These include two crime investigation documentaries from Mentorn Media, THE CLEVELAND CAPTIVES: WHAT REALLY HAPPENED? (1 x 60’) and CAPTIVE FOR 18 YEARS: THE JAYCEE LEE STORY (1 x 60’), two heart-stopping climbing docs from Posing Productions, THE ASGARD PROJECT: BRITAIN'S BEST CLIMBER (1 x 90’) and AUTANA ( 1 x 60’). RTL also licenced THE LAST BEE KEEPER (1 x 66’), which is a World of Wonder production for Sundance TV.
Other deals into the region include an agreement with n.tv which licenced Pioneer Productions’ STRANGEST WEATHER ON EARTH (Season 1: 12 x 30’) and the free TV rights to Firecracker Films’ vertigo-inducing DON’T LOOK DOWN and Firecracker’s DAREDEVILS (3 x 60’) strand which is made up of three specials, DAREDEVILS: THE HUMAN BIRD (1 x 60’), DAREDEVILS: THE ICE MAN (1 x 60’), and DAREDEVILS: THE SKY WALK (1 x 60’) for a second window in Germany.
Senior Sales manager for the region Beatrice Rossmanith said “The appetite remains strong in Germany for high end factual content, especially series with a science angle and topical documentaries. However demand for quality female-skewing programmes is on the up. We are also seeing increased interest in our formats. Thanks to a well-rounded catalogue which has been growing from strength to strength in those key genres, we are able to cater for the needs of the German market better than ever.”
