iWorld
GSN & Channel 4’s Walter Presents acquires ‘Deutschland 83’
MUMBAI: Global Series Network (GSN) and Channel 4 new video streaming brand – Walter Presents, which is slated to launch in January 2016, has acquired the German drama Deutschland 83.
Walter Presents will showcase the world’s best foreign-language drama free-of-charge to UK viewers and will be exclusively available in the UK via Channel 4’s new digital hub, All 4.
To celebrate the launch of the service, Deutschland 83 will premiere on Channel 4 before being available exclusively as a box-set on Walter Presents. A taut, gripping and stylish eight-part German thriller set amidst the menaces of a divided Germany in the early 1980s, Deutschland 83 is one of Germany’s most hotly anticipated dramas of recent years and the first German-language drama ever to air in the US.
Further announcements regarding other acquisitions on the service will be made at MIPCOM.
Capitalising on the growing demand for premium world drama, Walter Presents will eventually host more than 600 hours of drama that will be available for box-set viewing on All 4, and will include the option to download episodes to watch on the go. In addition, a selection of the best series from Walter Presents will also broadcast on Channel 4 and More 4, the latter within a dedicated, regular scheduled slot.
Titles that will be available through Walter Presents in the first year will originate from a wide range of territories, including Brazil, France, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Argentina, Israel, Belgium, Poland, Chile and Denmark among others.
GSN chief creative officer and Walter Presents curator Walter Iuzzolino said, “We live in the golden age of serial drama – with French and Scandi thrillers gripping audiences in their millions. This is the perfect time to introduce UK viewers to a much broader choice of the very best dramas and box sets from around the world, which they never previously knew existed.”
Channel 4 chief creative officer Jay Hunt added, “Channel 4 has steadily grown its reputation for bringing the best of world drama to the UK – from The Returned to Saboteurs. The remarkable Deutschland 83 is a perfect launch for Walter presents – which will allow UK audiences to enjoy hand-picked global hits.”
Directed by Edward Berger and Samira Radsi, FremantleMedia International holds the global distribution rights to the series.
FremantleMedia International EVP and head of sales and distribution Jamie Lynn said, “With its strong characters and bold story lines, the series is an ideal and key series for the Walter Presents launch. We’re thrilled to be working with the teams at GSN and Channel 4 to bring one of the most anticipated series of 2015 to the UK.”
Created by German-American couple Anna Winger and Joerg Winger, the series reveals the experiences of Germans from both sides of the wall during heightened Cold War tensions. The series was the first German-language drama ever to air in the US.
iWorld
Shemaroo buys OHO Gujarati’s entire content library for ShemarooMe
The deal lands over 30 original web series and 450-plus actors on ShemarooMe, with Pratik Gandhi’s Vitthal Teedi leading the charge
MUMBAI: Shemaroo Entertainment has moved fast and moved big. The company has snapped up the entire content library of OHO Gujarati for its streaming platform ShemarooMe, a consolidation that has no precedent in the Gujarati OTT market.
The haul is considerable. More than 30 original Gujarati web series, featuring the work of upwards of 450 local actors, will now sit under ShemarooMe’s roof. For a platform that has spent years quietly building its Gujarati credentials, including originals, curated libraries, and culturally rooted narratives, this is the kind of bulk acquisition that changes the competitive arithmetic overnight.
Saurabh Srivastava, chief operating officer for digital business at Shemaroo Entertainment, made clear the company’s ambitions stretch well beyond the subcontinent. “As we bring the well-established catalogue of OHO Gujarati onto ShemarooMe, our focus remains on making high-quality Gujarati stories more accessible while continuing to invest in compelling content,” he said. “With our strong connection to Gujarati viewers across the world, we believe these stories from the OHO catalogue can travel far and create an exciting entertainment offering for viewers.”
The first title out of the traps will be Vitthal Teedi, which hits ShemarooMe on April 10th. The series stars Pratik Gandhi, a name that needs no introduction to Gujarati audiences, and has the distinction of being the only Gujarati web series he has appeared in to date. Set in the heartland of Saurashtra during the 1980s, it traces a small-time gambler torn between personal ideals and the brutal logic of his circumstances. Character-driven, culturally embedded, and backed by a soundtrack featuring folk artists Aditya Gadhvi, Jigardan Gadhavi, and Geeta Rabari, the show arrives with considerable pedigree.
For Shemaroo, the deal fits neatly into a digital growth playbook built on sustainable expansion and deeper regional engagement. The Gujarati diaspora is large, dispersed, and underserved by mainstream streaming giants. If the company can deliver the goods, the OHO library may prove to be the most valuable land-grab in regional OTT this year.
