Armoza’s Local Heroes to Be Adapted in Germany

TEL AVIV: Germany’s ARD has commissioned an adaptation of Armoza Formats’s docureality show Local Heroes for its WDR channel.

Production will begin next month with SEO Entertainment. The local version is slated to air on WDR in prime time. This agreement is the first partnership between Armoza Formats and ARD. The hour-long format follows the story of the first line of defense for any given city, from firefighters to paramedics, bomb squads to drug units, offering an up-close-and-personal look at these brave individuals. Season one follows a team of firefighters as they conquer the obstacles of their dangerous profession.

Austria’s ProSiebenSat.1 recently licensed the show, taking the Belgian ready-mades. The episodes are currently airing on PULS 4. The original season, titled Local Heroes: Through the Fire, aired on Belgium’s VTM, and a second season is slated to begin this September.

Philipp Bitterling, the program developer and innovation coordinator at WDR, said, “Local Heroes is for us the dream match between high-quality entertainment and state-of-the-art documentary. WDR has placed a strong focus on docutainment with a firm commitment to quality, and it’s become clear that we need to look across our borders to maintain momentum. With the acquisition of Local Heroes and with Armoza Formats on board, we are a big step closer to fulfilling our ambition.”

Avi Armoza, the CEO of Armoza Formats, commented, “We are pleased to begin this new partnership with WDR, who we strongly believe will create a perfect adaptation to suit their audience’s needs. This dramatic format has enormous potential to connect audiences with the stories of people whose work isn’t usually seen.”