ZDFE & Studio Hamburg Form JV for DVDs

MAINZ/HAMBURG: Studio Hamburg Distribution & Marketing (SHDM) and ZDF Enterprises (ZDFE) have formed the joint venture Studio Hamburg Enterprises (SHE), which will focus on producing and marketing DVDs.

The new company, SHE, aims to purchase the rights for feature films and TV programs and their distribution in the DVD/Blu-ray market. In addition, SHE will develop activities in the field of archive material and will market the joint film stock of approximately 1,500 titles. DVD releases of titles from the current schedules of both broadcasting groups will also be handled by SHE.

The managing directors of the new company are Jens Uwe Welge, the current head of home entertainment and the authorized officer of SHDM, and Peter Lang, the head of merchandising and ZDF shops at ZDFE. The company, which is based in Hamburg, has a branch office in Mainz.

Alexander Coridass, the president and CEO of ZDFE, said, "We are looking forward to cooperating with SHDM. We are convinced that we will be able to further strengthen our position in the DVD market, which remains important, by bringing together an experienced, high-profile partner and our own very attractive program catalogue.”

Peter Thiem, the managing director of SHDM, commented, "We are delighted by the extension of our collaboration through this partnership. It enables us to strengthen our joint marketing activities relating to archive programs and to acquire attractive material and licenses both at home and abroad.”