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Today we hear from TV drama executives Elly Vervloet at Flemish pubcaster VRT, Brigitte Dithard of Germany’s SWR, Suzanne Kunzeler from Dutch network NPO and Belgian producer Helen Perquy about the European Broadcasting Union’s Drama Initiative and its first project – a series about a virus outbreak conceived before the Covid-19 pandemic.

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The European Broadcasting Union (EBU)’s Drama Initiative launched earlier this year to encourage coproduction between the continent’s broadcasters and offer alternative solutions for European high-end drama without the need for global streamers.

As part of Content London On Demand – the virtual version of C21’s annual international TV conference – Elly Vervloet, international drama executive at Flemish public broadcaster VRT and co-ordinator of the initiative, spoke with Nico Franks about its aims and its first series, a drama conceived before the current pandemic about a virus outbreak.

Arcadia comes from Belgian producer Helen Perquy of Jonnydepony, who also joined the discussion, along with Brigitte Dithard, drama exec at German broadcast partner SWR, and Suzanne Kunzeler, head of drama at fellow collaborator NPO in the Netherlands.

The quartet talked about how the project came about, the growing urgency for European broadcasters for band together in the face of competition from streaming, how the pandemic has accelerated this need and the reasons why the EBU’s initiative presents genuine opportunities for producers.

C21FM is live 24/7, with a new block of interviews starting at 10am BST every day at c21fmradio.com. You can download the audio from the C21 Podcast by CLICKING HERE.