Eight public service broadcasters from North-Western Europe have today announced a major collaboration which aims to bring their best drama series to viewers across the continent.
The collaboration, named New8, brings together ZDF (Germany), NPO (The Netherlands), VRT (Belgium), SVT (Sweden), DR (Denmark), YLE (Finland), RÚV (Iceland) and NRK (Norway). It was unveiled at the MIA – Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo 2023 (International Audiovisivo Market) in Rome.
The agreement involves the co-production of eight TV series annually, from 2023. A key aspect of the collaboration is ensuring broad distribution of each other’s projects, with the series selected to be broadcast in the German speaking territories; Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, as well as in The Netherlands, Belgium (Flemish speaking), Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Norway.
Simone Emmelius, SVP of International Fiction at ZDF, Anna Croneman, Head of Drama at SVT, Elly Vervloet, International Drama Expert at VRT and Hans-Jørgen Osnes, Head of International Financing Drama at NRK were all present at the announcement.
The partners in the collaboration have entered into an agreement that will initially last for three years. The first series will be greenlit in 2023 and available for publication in all participating territories from 2024.
Today marks a major milestone for drama series in North-Western Europe, with eight public service broadcasters joining forces for the first time ever in the biggest collaboration of its kind.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.