Frank Dietz

Head, Acquisitions and Co-Productions
Super RTL

When asked what’s at the top of the shopping list for Super RTL, Frank Dietz, the head of acquisitions and co-productions, says he’s got his eye out for "things that look different from what we already have." He explains, "We’ve acquired Life with Derek and The Latest Buzz, but in general we still consider ourselves a channel for animation. I’m looking for the animated series that suits 6- to 11- or 6- to 12-year-olds, maybe a little action-driven but with fun elements—entertaining, cartoony stuff."

Super RTL gets about 25 percent of its schedule from Disney, mostly acquisitions but with some co-productions. "We do some co-productions with their affiliate Jetix," Dietz says. "The rest we acquire or co-produce. We commission certain shows, but that’s mostly local production."

Ideas are pitched both ways, he says, with some editorial input in co-productions, but with most of the development process handled by the production house. "We pick the ones where we think we get the best product and we strongly believe the expertise is with them," he says. "It’s important to get the hot show in the market, but we don’t want more of the same. Therefore, we work with a big number of different producers. We’re not focused on volume or output deals of any kind. It’s more like we’re into picking the cherries."

Super RTL has embraced live-action series like the Disney Channel productions Hannah Montana and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. "Live action in general is a really impressive development on our channel," says Dietz. "We come from purely animation but we have shifted toward live action with the Disney shows and Life with Derek and The Latest Buzz. We’ve had a portfolio for the last two years that really works tremendously well. That’s been the most significant change and success story we have noticed recently."

The downturn’s effects haven’t caused much of slowdown for Super RTL yet. "We depend on advertising sales, of course," Dietz says. "People like Mattel and Hasbro and game companies have been investing in our channel. Since we are in a niche and are the dominant player in that area, we haven’t seen any significant impact yet. I have the impression that a lot of the production companies are suffering from budget cuts at other channels. A lot of commercial channels are really seeing the impact."