Sebastian Debertin

November 14, 2011 World Screen

 

This interview originally appeared in the MIPCOM 2011 issue of TV Kids.
 
Kinderkanal, also known as KI.KA, is a leading destination for children in Germany. Owned by the German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF, KI.KA has access to considerable programming and financial resources. This is a key advantage against competing kids’ channels Super RTL and Nickelodeon, both of which have parent companies with huge libraries. Sebastian Debertin, the head of fiction, acquisitions and co-productions, talks about the shows and programming strategies that are contributing to KI.KA’s popularity.
 
TV KIDS: What are KI.KA’s main strengths?
DEBERTIN: KI.KA is extremely successful. We have developed the channel into one of the most well-known brands. Every kid and every parent knows what KI.KA is, and that makes us strong. Our two wonderful parent companies also make us strong. Normally parents can be a nightmare for a kid! But for KI.KA, ARD and ZDF are very nice and caring parents and have helped us grow the brand to where it is now.
 
We don’t have access to the Disney library [as Super RTL does] and we don’t have access to Viacom’s output [as Nick Germany does], so what makes us strong is that with the help of the ARD stations and ZDF, we are creating brands that are as strong as Disney’s or Viacom’s. Our innovation makes us strong, not only in animation, or live-action drama, or comedy, but also by being able to bring the whole variety of television to kids. Daily news—who can afford to do that? We can, because we have ZDF and their world network of correspondents. I can lean on that and create shows on a daily basis to give news to kids. Our variety has made us strong in the market.
 
KI.KA is the market leader with preschool and does very well with 6- to 9-year-olds. But 10-plus is a hard age group to get, so we work intensively on this specific age group while offering programs like Krimi.de, Schloss Einstein or H2O: Just Add Water. Additionally, our daily docs try to cover the needs, thoughts, dramas and sorrows of these preteens.
 
TV KIDS: How are you reaching the tween audience?
DEBERTIN: You have to understand where they are nowadays. When we started the channel, we had them, but times change; so have technologies over the last decade. Therefore [we reach out to tweens] with shows that on one hand try to be great drama, mostly live action, because it better reflects where tweens are in life than animation ever could. There are live-action shows like H2O: Just Add Water, which bring glamour and glossy elements together with good storytelling. We have developed on our own a crime series, Krimi.de. These shows are key to getting these older kids back because they see their own problems and own lives and hear their own music.
 
TV KIDS: When is it desirable to commission a show versus entering into a co-production or buying something as a finished product?
DEBERTIN: If you can co-produce or buy signature shows like H2O: Just Add Water you get great value for your investment while entertaining with great production values. To cover the local issues of kids here, producing locally is a must, whether it is fiction or documentaries.
 
TV KIDS: What shows on air now have strong audience appeal?
DEBERTIN: All the preschool programs within our toddlers’ brand KiKANiNCHEN are top: Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks; Pocoyo; Chloe’s Closet; Mama Mirabelle’s Home Movies; Roary the Racing Car; Lunar Jim; Little Princess; JoNaLu; Care Bears; Little Red Tractor and Babar. The animated series Yakari is so successful with toddlers and their older siblings alike that we decided to go for another season, with Mediatoon’s Storimages and ARD as co-pro partners. For older kids and families, ARD’s Garfield delivers extremely good ratings, so another season is a must.
 
TV KIDS: What are some of your upcoming shows?
DEBERTIN: On the daily doc side, Mein Style—Die Moderemacker (My Style: The Fashion Makers) is bringing teenagers and pros from the design and fashion industry together. Supported by ESMOD, the international arts and fashion academy in Berlin, the kids are going to design and make their own new fashion styles. An experienced jury is looking for the new teenage queen or king of fashion.
 
In September KI.KA launched a new virtual host named LiLA. She is really cool and trendy and will host KI.KA’s slot for older kids starting at 8 p.m. daily, and for the first time will bridge [the linear channel] and KI.KA’s online community www.mein-kika.de (My-kika.com).
 
[We have a new] live-action mystery series that will thrill and entertain KI.KA’s audiences in a new afternoon slot. It’s about six students on a trip who are grounded in a strange forest. Even worse, they are caught in a kind of time trap, facing strange and paranormal phenomena and magic.