Cologne – WDR mediagroup (WDRmg) has chosen a strategically important location for its stand at this year’s MIPTV. For the first time ever, WDRmg is a partner of the German Pavilion – a central point of contact when it comes to the international distribution of German productions. Besides classics, such as The Maus and Elefantastic, the portfolio presented to international buyers includes new programmes aimed at children and young teenagers.
Two WDR productions have recently been added to the WDRmg catalogue for worldwide distribution. From Scratch to Pro is a format for children aged 5 to 12 years in which the presenter has just a short period of time to train to turn pro in a variety of sports. You are not a werewolf is aimed at young people between 9 and 15 years of age and tackles specific issues surrounding puberty and growing up.
“The new additions to our portfolio are exemplary of how we’re systematically expanding our range of programmes and looking to impress the international market with a selection of high-quality productions,” explained Stefanie Fischer, Head of Content within WDRmg’s division for Programme Exploitation. “The spectrum currently covers everything from preschool programming to programmes for young teenagers.”
The international sales team also brings along the WDR commissioned production Trude’s Flatmate (Trudes Tier) as well as the WDR/WDRmg co-production “Bobo” (Bobo Siebenschläfer) based on the bestselling children’s books. In the run-up to MIPTV, the German children’s classics The Show with the Mouse and The Show with the Elephant were repackaged so that they are now available under the English titles The Maus and Elefantastic with a flexible structure based on the established 11-minute format.
WDRmg’s special presence at MIPTV is part of an internationalisation strategy that sees the company increasingly positioning itself for global markets in terms of programme distribution, merchandising and co-productions focused on children’s and youth-oriented formats. Company representatives will be presenting the expanded portfolio of high-quality children’s programming to industry professionals from all over the world on stand P-1.F86.
Other partners of the German Pavilion include Spiegel TV and the prestigious associations AG Dok and German Films.
Internationalising the commercial programme exploitation is at the top of WDRmg’s agenda. With this in mind, the recently established Content Team headed by Stefanie Fischer was expanded at the beginning of the year. WDRmg has also been sponsoring the International Emmy Kids Awards in New York City since 2014 and regularly sends the Maus across the pond to attend the red-carpet event and present one of the coveted trophies.
