International streamer Global Series Network secures a raft of dramas from ZDF Studios for US and UK
Mainz, September 12th, 2024
ZDF Studios has licensed a range of top scripted titles for the US and UK to their long-standing partner, Global Series Network (GSN), the company behind the renowned VOD service Walter Presents.
The deal, brokered by Yi Qiao, Director Drama for ZDF Studios, includes the award-winning title The Shadow (6 x 45’) and the chilling Danish series Suplex (4 x 42’), both part of the US deal. Dramas headed for the UK market are Sløborn Season 3 (3 x 90’, 6 x 45’) and The Shadow plus a number of re-licensed series.
Walter Presents, curated by Walter Iuzzolino, is dedicated to hand-picking prestige foreign language drama from around the world delivering its viewers high quality, award-winning content.
Walter Iuzzolino says: ”We are delighted to be partnering once again with ZDF Studios to acquire a wonderful collection of premium series for the Walter Presents brand in the UK and the US. From a classic slice of Nordic Noir to a twisted and unusual high concept thriller set in Vienna, the breadth and range of these series will delight all fans of great subtitled drama.”
Yi Qiao, Director Drama for ZDF Studios, said: “GSN are very discerning when choosing titles for their video-on-demand service so I’m delighted that these critically acclaimed dramas will be entertaining overseas audiences on Walter Presents.”
Multi-award winner, The Shadow (6 x 45’), was honoured with the Audience Choice Award at Seriencamp 2023 and voted Best Director Fiction at the German Television Awards 2023 as well as earning nominations for Best Drama Series and Best Cinematography Fiction. The series, about a dark prophecy that comes true as a female journalist, embarking on a new life in Vienna, meets a beggar woman who tells her she is going to kill a man, won Silver (Entertainment Programme/Crime Drama) at New York’s TV & Film Festival Awards 2024. The suspenseful drama was also nominated for Best Fiction at the Grimme Prize 2024 and Best Crime Series at the German Television Thriller Awards 2024.
Suplex (4 x 42’) is a gripping murder mystery where buried secrets come to light as an eagerly awaited wrestling tournament takes a sinister turn when a young competitor is found brutally murdered. In this chilling whodunnit, everyone is a suspect.
Premiering in the UK is Sløborn Season 3 (3 x 90’, 6 x 45’), the final series from the showrunner of Netflix’s Dogs of Berlin. A coming-of-age drama and pandemic thriller, Sløborn tells the story of a group of islanders confronted with a fatal virus. Season One launched in 2020, was nominated for Best Drama at Berlinale 2020 and TVSF and received two further nominations at DAFF and Deutscher Fernsehpreis, Germany’s equivalent to the Emmys.
Previous scripted sales by ZDF Studios to GSN included, amongst many others, Hide and Seek, Maltese, Ku’damm 56, The Crimson Rivers, Stockholm Requiem, Boundless, Unbroken, Top Dog and earlier seasons of Sløborn.
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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
About Walter Presents
Walter Presents launched January 2016 in the U.K. as a video-on-demand service, founded by Jason Thorp, Walter Iuzzolino and Jo McGrath. Dedicated to showcasing award-winning foreign language drama, the service is named after its curator, Walter Iuzzolino, a passionate drama fan. In March 2017, Walter Presents launched as an SVOD platform in the U.S., with the New York Times hailing it as a “chic TV boutique with a foreign accent.” In October 2018 Walter Presents partnered with PBS Distribution in the US, to make premium foreign language drama available on PBS Masterpiece on the Amazon Prime Video channel. Additionally, select top-tier titles chosen by PBS are also broadcast on PBS stations and streaming on PBS Passport, a digital member benefit available through local stations. In February 2019 Walter Presents increased its US distribution further launching on Comcast Xfinity X1 and later in June Walter Presents launched on the Roku Channel. In 2019 Walter Presents teamed up with S4C to make its dramas available in Welsh. In 2020 we partnered with TVNZ on their VOD service, launched Walter Presents in Russia exclusively on Start, Russia’s fastest-growing SVOD platform, and launched our channel on PBS Masterpiece in Canada. In 2021 Walter Presents launched in Latin America with market leader DMD’s streaming service Cindie. In 2022, we expanded our presence in Scandinavia, offering more than 500 hours of content through C More. In 2023 Walter Presents announced a multi-year partnership with Australia’s leading technology-led streaming company, Foxtel Group, with more than 500 hours of premium drama.