iWorld
Amazon, UFA Fiction tie up to premiere Deutschland83 on Prime in ’18
MUMBAI: Amazon and UFA Fiction announced that the sequel to the nationally and internationally award-winning series Deutschland83 will premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in Germany in 2018.
In addition, all episodes of Deutschland83 are now available for streaming for Prime members in Germany and Austria.
Created by Anna Winger (Head Writer) and Jörg Winger, and executive produced by Jörg Winger, Sebastian Werninger, and Ulrike Leibfried, the shooting of Deutschland86 will commence in 2017.
Under the terms of the agreement, RTL Television, which commissioned Deutschland83 in 2014 and aired the first season in autumn 2015, has secured a first-look option for the linear TV rights and expects to air the sequel on German free-to-air television in 2018/2019 after Amazon’s first window.
FremantleMedia International, the global distribution arm of FremantleMedia, will continue to sell the high-end drama series to broadcasters and streaming services around the world. Season two of the German thriller, will debut in the US on SundanceTV, who will continue as co-production partners in the US, followed by Hulu (US), Channel 4 and Walter Presents (UK), Sundance Channel (Canada), Crave (Canada), Super Ecran (French-speaking Canada), DR (Denmark), YLE (Finland), NRK (Norway), SVT (Sweden), RUV (Iceland), CMore (Scandinavia), RTE (Eire), Canal+ (France), Movistar+ (Spain), Sky Italia (Italy), Paramount (Italy), OTE (Greece), Telenet (Belgium), RTL Klub (Hungary), HRT (Croatia), Hotvision (Israel), Sinema TV (Turkey), with more deals to be announced.
FremantleMedia International sold the first season, Deutschland83, to 38 broadcasters and SVOD platforms globally, which took the series to over 110 territories worldwide. The series was the first ever German-language drama to have aired on a major US cable channel (SundanceTV) and became the UK’s highest ever rated foreign-language drama launch when it debuted on Channel 4.
UFA co-CEO Nico Hofmann says, “With this latest collaboration between Amazon, RTL Television, FremantleMedia International and UFA, a long-awaited wish comes true. This latest deal is a milestone in co-production history. It will be resetting standards for the upcoming years.”
FremantleMedia International CEO Jens Richter says, “Deutschland83 achieved tremendous ratings worldwide and together with our fantastic group of partners we were able to help turn the series into the most successful German drama of our time. The storyline for season two looks to be as thrilling as the first and we’re looking forward to working with Amazon and our distribution partners to accomplish further success.”
Amazon Prime Video Germany managing director Dr. Christoph Schneider says, “After the Amazon Original You Are Wanted with Matthias Schweighöfer and Michael Bully Herbig’s Bullyparade – Der Film, Deutschland86 is the latest German-made production that will be available exclusively on Prime Video. German series and movies are very important for our Prime members and we are happy to continue to build on our engagement with German production industry and bring great new shows to our customers.”
RTL Television programming managing director Frank Hoffmann says, “Practically no other German drama series has attracted so much attention or generated so much buzz over the past few years, especially on the international markets. As the rights holder and broadcaster of Deutschland83, it has been our clear goal to ensure that this exceptional UFA Fiction and FremantleMedia International series could continue – and this has now been achieved with a new partner. It goes without saying that we are looking forward to broadcast Deutschland86 free-to-air on RTL Television.”
The ground-breaking agreement with Amazon Prime also demonstrates the growing success of FremantleMedia’s push into high-end scripted content. In August, Amazon and FremantleMedia International announced that the fantasy drama American Gods will launch exclusively for Prime members in Germany, Austria, UK and Japan in 2017. In September, much acclaimed
The Young Pope – produced by FremantleMedia’s Wildside for Sky, HBO and Canal Plus – celebrated its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. At this year’s MIPCOM, the world’s entertainment content market, UFA Fiction will show the two high end drama-series The Same Sky (Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel; Screenwriter: Paula Milne), which joins the line-up of world premiere TV Screenings, and Charité (Director: Sönke Wortmann) which deals with the history of the world famous Berlin hospital.
Created by Anna Winger and Jörg Winger, Deutschland86 returns three years later and picks up the story of East German Agent Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay) and his compatriots in the Stasi Foreign Intelligence in 1986. Martin has been banished to Africa until Aunt Lenora recruits him to fight for the last gasp of Communism abroad. Set against the backdrop of real events during the last “Summer of Anxiety,” when terrorism raged across Western Europe, Martin’s dark mission takes him to Johannesburg, Tripoli, Paris, West Berlin and finally back to East Berlin, where he is forced to face new realities at home – and to make an impossible decision.
Deutschland83 was awarded many national and international awards, among them a Grimme Preis, a Goldene Kamera, a Peabody and a Satellite Award. For his role as Martin Rauch, Jonas Nay won a Golden Nymph award at the Festival de Télévision in Monte Carlo, and the German Television Award. Deutschland83 is also nominated for the International Emmy Awards 2016 in the category “Drama Series”. Deutschland86 is a production of UFA Fiction in cooperation with Amazon,FremantleMedia International and UFA Distribution.
iWorld
JioHotstar enters micro-drama space with 100 shows under Tadka banner
Short-form push targets 300M users as content meets commerce in new format
MUMBAI: JioStar has made a bold play in India’s fast-growing micro-drama space, rolling out over 100 short-form shows under its new Tadka banner on JioHotstar, timed with the massive viewership surge of the Indian Premier League 2026.
The scale of the launch signals clear intent. Rather than testing the waters, the company has dived in headfirst, releasing a wide slate of content on day one. Each show is designed for quick consumption, with episodes running 60 to 90 seconds in a vertical format tailored for mobile-first audiences.
The move comes as India’s micro-drama market, currently valued at around $300 million, is projected to grow tenfold to over $3 billion by 2030. Globally, the format has already proven its mettle, with China’s micro-drama sector recording explosive growth in recent years.
What sets this rollout apart is its built-in monetisation strategy. The shows are free to watch and ad-supported, with brand integrations woven directly into storylines from the outset. It reflects a broader shift where content and commerce are increasingly intertwined, rather than operating in silos.
The timing is equally strategic. With more than 300 million users already tuning in for IPL action, JioHotstar is effectively turning cricket’s biggest stage into a discovery engine for its new format.
The company is not entering an empty arena. Early movers like Kuku TV, MX Player and platforms backed by Zee Entertainment Enterprises have already laid the groundwork, building audiences and validating demand for snackable storytelling.
Now, with scale, distribution and advertiser interest aligning, the big players are stepping in. For JioStar, Tadka may well serve as a proving ground for the next evolution of digital entertainment, where every minute counts and every second sells.
If the bet pays off, India’s next big content wave might just arrive in under 90 seconds.
