Fiction
FremantleMedia and Sundance TV partner to take ‘Deutschland 83’ to US
MUMBAI: FremantleMedia International (FMI) and SundanceTV today announced a partnership that will see the network broadcast the major new eight-part drama, Deutschland 83 on its US channel. The UFA Fiction series will become the first ever German-language drama to be aired on a major US network.
Created by Anna Winger and Joerg Winger, Deutschland 83 is executive produced by UFA Fiction’s Joerg Winger and Nico Hofmann and directed by Edward Berger and Samira Radsi. The series is a UFA Fiction production for RTL Television in Germany, in partnership with SundanceTV in the US and distributed by FremantleMedia International worldwide.
The series is set to have its exclusive World Premiere during the inaugural Berlinale Special Series at the 65th Berlinale International Film Festival.
Lisa Honig, SEVP, Television & Digital Distribution, North America, FremantleMedia International said, “We are thrilled to be working with SundanceTV on this high-tension, intense and yet wonderfully relatable drama. The Deutschland 83 story, popular soundtrack and unique filmic style all blend perfectly to create an outstanding piece of drama. Anna and Joerg did a tremendous job – I have never seen anything quite like this.”
Sarah Barnett, SundanceTV President, stated, “Deutschland 83 is a fresh and heart pounding thriller set against the remarkable political backdrop of 1980s East and West Germany. It’s evocative and emotional and we are delighted to be collaborating on a show of such daring and originality. FremantleMedia International is a terrific partner and we are excited to bring this series to US viewers.”
Deutschland 83 is a suspenseful coming-of-age story set against the real culture wars and political events of Germany in the 1980s. The drama follows Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay) as the 24 year-old East Germany native is pulled from the world as he knows it and sent to the West as an undercover spy for the Stasi foreign service. Hiding in plain sight in the West German army, he must gather the secrets of NATO military strategy. Everything is new, nothing is quite what it seems and everyone he encounters is harboring secrets, both political and personal.
Frank Hoffmann, Managing Director, RTL TELEVISION, said, “For RTL Television it is incredibly satisfying to launch a series like Deutschland 83 which, at this early stage has already received a lot of national and international attention. The involvement of FremantleMedia International and SundanceTV strengthens our resolve to continue developing programs that can attract such interest and attention.”
Nico Hofmann, Producer and Chairman of the Board of UFA Fiction said, “Never has a German-language television series received so much attention before broadcast. SundanceTV’s reputation for exceptional series is yet further confirmation of Deutschland 83‘s high quality. This is a milestone for German television production.”
Anna Winger and Joerg Winger, co-creators of Deutschland 83 said, “Deutschland 83 was born of a transatlantic relationship. Conceived at our German-American kitchen table in Berlin, written by an American with an international team, made in Germany with a diverse and remarkably talented cast and crew. We are thrilled to be the first German series on TV in the United States and honored to follow in the footsteps of the other great series on SundanceTV.”
Fiction
Banijay merges with All3Media in $6.65 billion deal
Marco Bassetti will lead the combined company as CEO
PARIS: Six years after acquiring Endemol Shine at the height of the pandemic, Banijay has struck again. The European production heavyweight is merging with All3Media in a deal that will create a television titan with $6.65 billion in revenue and redraw the contours of a fast-consolidating market.
The combined company will trade under the Banijay name and be owned 50 per cent each by Banijay Group and RedBird IMI, which acquired All3Media in 2024. The transaction is expected to close by autumn, subject to regulatory approvals.
Banijay Entertainment CEO Marco Bassetti, will take the top job at the enlarged group. All3Media CEO Jane Turton becomes deputy CEO. RedBird IMI CEO Jeff Zucker will serve as chairman.
The logic is scale. Broadcasters are commissioning less, streamers are tightening budgets and global buyers are fewer but bigger. Against that backdrop, heft matters. The merged entity will generate roughly $6.65 billion in revenues based on 2024 figures, giving it sharper elbows in rights negotiations and deeper pockets for franchise-building.
“Entrepreneurialism, ambition and creativity” remain core to Banijay’s DNA, Bassetti said, flagging plans to invest more heavily in new intellectual property, live events and emerging platforms. Turton struck a similarly bullish note, pointing to All3Media’s journey from a 2003 start-up to a global supplier of hit formats and high-end drama.
Between them, the two groups control a formidable slate. Banijay’s catalogue spans MasterChef, Big Brother, Survivor, Black Mirror, Peaky Blinders and Deal or No Deal. All3Media’s labels include Studio Lambert, producer of The Traitors and Squid Game: The Challenge; Two Brothers, behind The Tourist; and Neal Street, currently producing the forthcoming Beatles biopics directed by Sam Mendes for Sony.
The back catalogue is equally muscular. Banijay Rights holds some 220,000 hours, while All3Media International adds around 35,000 hours, forming one of the industry’s largest libraries.
Banijay, controlled by French entrepreneur Stéphane Courbit and listed in Amsterdam, counts more than 130 production companies across 25 territories. All3Media operates over 40 labels, with strong positions in the UK, US and Germany. The enlarged group will also lean into live entertainment, building on Banijay’s Balich Wonder Studio, which produced the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, and the Independents.
The deal marks a shift in tone. As recently as October, Bassetti suggested that mergers and acquisitions were not a priority. But the drumbeat of consolidation has grown louder. Mediawan has moved for Peter Chernin’s North Road. David Ellison’s Paramount has agreed to a $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros, with plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount plus. ITV has explored selling its media and entertainment arm to Comcast-owned Sky, though talks have reportedly slowed.
