Mediaset, Globoplay, NPO fall for Austrian period drama Sisi

Sisi tells the story of Empress Elisabeth who married Emperor Franz Joseph I at the age of 16

MIPCOM: Mediaset in Italy, Globoplay in Brazil and NPO in the Netherlands are among the international broadcasters to have picked up Austrian period drama Sisi at Mipcom.

Produced by Story House, Sisi (6×60’) stars Dominique Devenport (Night Train to Lisbon) as Austria’s Empress Elisabeth, known as Sisi, who was a cultural icon at the end of the 19th century. The series will explore her entry into the royal family and her struggle to impose her ideals on the establishment.

Deals have also been secured with RTL in Hungary, RTVS in Slovenia and, Viasat World on its Epic Drama channel throughout Eastern Europe, Greece, Cyprus and Turkey.

Beta Film handles worldwide sales for Sisi, which is directed by Sven Bohse (Dark Woods) and executive produced by Hauke Bartel, Markus Böhlke and Sylke Poensgen.

Commissioning broadcaster RTL Deutschland has already given the green light for the second season.

Bartel, RTL’s head of fiction, said: “Our goal was to revive the story of Sisi, but tell it differently – from a modern perspective. The colleagues from Story House did an excellent job. That’s why I’m delighted to not only celebrate the world premiere of Sisi here in Cannes, but to already announce that the exciting story about the Austrian empress will go into a second season on RTL+ and RTL.”