BIG Media and Germany's ZDF Studios renew successful output deal for 2025
Mainz, November 12th, 2024
BIG Media, a leading factual production company and channel provider, has renewed its output deal with Germany’s ZDF Studios for 2025. The announcement was made today by BIG Media co-Founders Jon Loew, Danny Wilk, and Martin Kaše, along with ZDF Studios’ Director of Unscripted, Nikolas Huelbusch.
The 2025 output deal will include multiple series, with a guaranteed minimum of 18 hours. Once again, ZDF Studios will have early-stage creative consultation on development projects greenlit under the agreement over the course of the next year. ZDF Studios will also maintain exclusive rights to choose original series for German-speaking territories and to distribute selected programmes internationally.
The two companies originally partnered in December of 2023, during which time, the historical investigation series Scanning History was greenlit. ZDF’s documentary channel ZDFinfo was also involved as an editorial partner. The series is set to deliver Q2 2025, and has since been sold in France, Spain, the Czech Republic, Australia, and New Zealand.
“Our output deal with ZDF Studios is a case study in how we like to work with our partners. It is a mutually beneficial and rewarding relationship that provides them with exclusive content within their market, and us with resources for making highly rated content that sells around the world,” noted BIG Media’s Martin Kaše.
“We have had a long relationship with BIG Media and its affiliate KM Plus as a buyer of their content, but it’s only been in the last year that we explored the idea of an output deal,” notes ZDF Studios’ Nikolas Huelbusch. “This new level of cooperation provides us with high-quality exclusive content that gives us an advantage as a leading distributor in a highly competitive market. We are very happy with the arrangement and are delighted to renew the agreement.”
---
About BIG Media
Founded in 2009, BIG Media has produced more than 80 original unscripted series for the world’s biggest entertainment platforms. BIG Media’s production team produces numerous original unscripted series each year, with a strong focus on true crime, military and intelligence, history, science and wildlife. The company has offices in the US, UK, Czech Republic, Germany and India, representing more than 300 series and featuring more than 2,000 hours of blue chip content. The company’s latest division, BIG FILMS, focuses on scripted movies for global distribution and across all platforms.
About ZDF Studios
ZDF Studios is a commercial subsidiary of ZDF, one of the largest TV broadcasters in Europe. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Mainz, Germany, the ZDF Studios Group operates more than 30 direct and indirect subsidiaries and affiliates in Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom spanning TV production, distribution and services. The parent company, ZDF Studios, is responsible for global programme distribution, realisation of international co-productions, acquisition of licences and merchandising of successful programme brands under its own name, for ZDF and third parties. ZDF Studios has the largest German-language programme inventory in the world and a constantly growing range of international productions, consisting of series and mini-series, television films, documentaries and children's programmes.
The companies of the ZDF Studios Group cover the entire value chain from the development of scripted and unscripted TV content to production, marketing and monetizing, including TV and streaming licences as well as merchandising and online rights. The positioning of ZDF Studios as an integrated media company enables the development of innovative, outstanding and high-quality programmes and makes the Group an attractive workplace for German and international talent to flourish in a very inspiring and creative environment.
Contact ZDF Studios
Christine Denilauler (VP Marketing and Corporate Communications), ZDF Studios GmbH, Erich-Dombrowski-Str. 1, D-55127 Mainz/Germany, Tel.: +49 6131-9911130, E-mail: christine.denilauler@zdf-studios.com, www.zdf-studios.com