Deutsche Telekom orders first original

Germanized stars Roxanne Duran and Christoph Maria Herbst

German telco giant Deutsche Telekom has commissioned the first original series for EntertainTV, its fledgling IPTV platform.

Comedy Germanized (10×30’), coproduced by Bavaria Fernsehproduktion in Germany and Newen Group-owned French prodco Telfrance, will start shooting next spring, for a premiere later in 2018.

The series was devised and written by creative teams from both countries, including co-creators and head writers Franck Magnier and Alexandre Charlot (Les Guignols), co-creator and writer Thomas Rogel (Heute Show) and Stromberg producer Peter Güde.

Güde will also produce alongside Bavaria Fernsehproduktion’s Moritz Polter and Oliver Vogel and Telfrance’s Sandra Ouaiss.

Starring Christoph Maria Herbst (Stromberg) and Roxanne Duran (The White Ribbon), Germanized focuses on 200 Germans who relocate to a penniless French coastal village to save it from bankruptcy.

The original commission marks the first fruit of Deutsche Telekom’s pledge to invest significantly into exclusive TV content.

“Streaming platforms have profoundly changed the way we consume television series,” said Jan S. Kaiser, MD of Bavaria Fernsehproduktion. “Germanized is our first production for a streaming platform and we’re positive this is just the beginning of a long business relationship.”