Over the past three years, a clear increase in sales and revenues related to German TV series – as compared to international TV formats – has emerged in the German Home Entertainment market. Anja Pallasch, Head of Acquisitions Kids, TV, Anime, attributes Universum Film’s success primarily to longstanding partnerships: “The select, varied range of German-language TV series, which we were able to put together in co-operation with the ZDF and RTL Television is the prime driver behind this.”
The absolute top sellers, with well over 200,000 copies sold in each case, are the action series Alarm für Cobra 11, the romantic films in the Rosamunde Pilcher collection, and the Grimme Award-winning Türkisch für Anfänger. Doctor’s Diary is also a bestseller, with over 190,000 copies sold.
Alarm für Cobra 11
Universum Film hopes to not only maintain its past performance but to do even better in future. Felicitas Reuper, Head of Home Entertainment Marketing, talks about the company’s future plans: “In the German series segment, there are some brand-new and promising products coming up. For instance, in June, a long-awaited classic will hit the German home-entertainment market: from 18 June, Der Kommissar will finally be available on DVD and we are sure that we will hit bull’s eye with crime fans and others.” And then of course there will be further seasons of long-established franchises, as well as special editions. For example, an inexpensive edition of the complete episodes of Die Schwarzwaldklinik will go on sale in German stores from the beginning of July, which is bound to make Prof. Dr. Brinkmann’s price-conscious following very happy.